Laowai

For our New Year's vacation this year we went to Spain – to two Basque cities – San Sebastian and Bilbao. The Basque region spans an area on the West side of Spain and France. We started in San Sebastian, a fishing village that turned into an early resort town. I have lots of photos.

The city hugs a round inlet lined with beautiful beaches. And beyond the city are hills that frame the views beautifully.

Bea found her spot at the Christmas Market – all the Rubik's Cubes!

And we discovered we are all fans of Basque style cheesecake. Mmmmmmm.

Brian and Claire and I visited The San Telmo history museum while Bea went to the local aquarium. We learned all about Basque history and culture at the museum. We learned that the Basque language is older than all the other European languages. 

The bright clear sunshine felt so good. 

On one of our days Brian went for a bike ride and Bea took a bus and went for a long hike. Below are some of Bea's photos from her hike.

Claire and I spent our time wandering the town and we did some shopping. We also met a traditional Basque man. And then we took a nap.

Brian enjoyed some Basque beers and Claire made a friend (named Nina).

They seem to take their food seriously and we had lots of quality bites. I even got out of my midwest comfort zone and ate some seafood.

Next up is Bilbao.