Oh, I love Thursdays. On that day every week is a party with pintxos called pintxo pote. Pintxos mean snacks. They do it here so tasty that you can eat hundreds of them.  On Thursday everybody who wants can get 1 pintxo and a cup of vine for 1 euro. That’s why everybody goes out and drink till the morning after. Bars in BC are not the same as we are used to.

• First, nobody sits where
• Second, you can smoke inside (and not only cigarettes)
• Third, there are no ash-trays, so the floor is full with cigarette-butts and other stuff
• Fourth, music plays so laud, like in a club, so you can hardly hear somebody speaking
• Fifth, you can dance and meet some new people

And the music, here it`s very strange. It is like a heavy rock and sometimes country but everybody are shaking theirs heads all the time and singing. I guess, they like that but I don’t really.

There is no typical clubs in Mondragon, only very similar bars which are closed at 4 in the morning. Only one bar is open till 5, so the whole crowd is going there and you can not breath anymore.

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Jon Warren first arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian around 2002 on an ordinary summer’s evening that would eventually prove life-changing.

Stopping off for the night during a road trip down to Portugal, the vibrant atmosphere and sight of copious pintxos on the bar convinced Jon and his friend they had hit fiesta-time: “it was like: wow!”

Such was the draw of the place for Jon that on the way back they decided to spend two nights in the Gipuzkoa capital: “We had such a good time; standing on the Concha (beach) I said to my friend: ‘I’m going to live here one day’.”

True to his word, Jon returned to live in the city, though not after four years working in the City of London.

“Working in London.. I never really felt excited. Everyday on a desk,.. doing something I wasn’t passionate about, you think ‘surely this can’t be it’.”

“I quit my job in November 2007 just knowing I wanted to do something else… Doing this, I absolutely love it because every day’s an adventure, doing my own thing.”

Jon’s “own thing” is San Sebastian Food, his own self-run tour business. The aim of the company is to provide tourists over on a short break to the Basque Country with a culinary insight they may otherwise miss. It is inspired in what Jon calls his “six-month gastronomic adventure” sussing out the bars and discovering the best pintxos.

Jon’s personal interest in food is more broadly centred on the entire experience of eating; something which may be linked to some of his earliest memories: “I’ve got some great food memories, but always linked to the people I’m with. “

Reflecting on what aroused his love for all things culinary, Jon recalls his uncle Paddy, an “adventurer” who lived mostly in Sierra Leone, given to roasting whole pigs and baking bread on visits home to the family. It is an almost tangible memory that evokes warm summer evenings and smells of spit-roast pork wafting over lawns of playing children.

Capturing that more sensuous experience is what underlines a lot of Jon’s tours, which move away from the often sterile sensation of a restaurant, to the shouts and smells of a packed bar or busy farmers’ market; “I love Michelin-starred food but I’m a lot more interested in the social side of things,… pintxos, the cider houses, where it’s all about meeting your friends and chatting”.

Life change

Jon made the move to San Sebastian in January 2008. After an 8-week language course at Lacunza he went “armed with dodgy Spanish, a basic CV but plenty of enthusiasm” to seek work at the Villa Soro hotel in Ategorrieta. He did “a bit of everything.. bellboy, porter, barman…” though it would later prove to be a significant decision.

Aside from becoming for many guests an unofficial guide to the best places to eat, he would also, ironically perhaps, meet his English girlfriend Nicole, who came to stay at the hotel one weekend with a group of friends:

“She moved out here last May and I have her to thank for helping me so much; from brain-storming to proof reading she has helped enormously.”

As far as his success this side of the Atlantic, Jon is unreserved in his praise for the Basque people whom he has encountered over the past three years: “They’ve been so incredibly friendly from when I arrived… such warm, open people, so happy to help..

“Thanks to friends, for example, I’ve been able to make contacts with the cheese farm in Urnieta where we do a tour with the owners,” says Jon.

Jon is modest about his own contribution to his success, a trait that goes down well in this part of the world. He is, by his own admission, sociable and often “gets chatting to people”, a characteristic of a natural networker and one that has helped him to open a lot of doors into the heart of the Basque culinary experience, sometimes literally.

Jon says his “strongest” food memory was in the Rioja with Nicole looking for somewhere to eat. With a predilection for talking to people – “old ladies especially” – they were finally led by one senior citizen to a restaurant that was seemingly locked up:

“She turned the lights on and said ‘right, what are you having?’; she cooked this lunch just for us with a nice bottle of wine…

“It was nothing amazing; the TV was blaring and the food wasn’t fabulous but for me that’s what it’s about: That incredible, unique experience”.

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After my Erasmus adventure last year, I knew I would someday go back to the Basque Country. The climate, the people, the food, the culture, the cities, the beach, … too many reasons not to come back. A training period at EiTB was the ideal solution to explore Euskal Herria some more.

Koen and I said Gipuzkoa goodbye and moved up north to the inner city of Bilbao (Bizkaia) in the Abando district. An opportunity to live the city life style to the fullest, while we are not restricted by long distances and bus lines (our last stay was in Bergara, approx. 50 km from Bilbao). Bilbao itself has enough to offer, as we knew already.

Tastebuds

Our apartment lies in Indautxu, one of the two neighbourhoods of Abando. It is ideally situated in the heart of the city with everything within walking distance.

Abando by night © Wiki

Culturally and gastronomically this is going to be a welcome break from the everyday life back home. My first bite in a pintxo yesterday was a delight for my tastebuds. Don’t get me wrong, Belgium has some great dishes, especially in winter, but the Basques simply take cooking food to another level.

Last time my cultural visits in Bilbao were limited to the unavoidable Guggenheim. This time I’m going look for some alternatives like the Museum of Fine Arts (with a great permanent collection)  or the beautiful Teatro Arriaga. A music concert (Santana 27, Kafé Antzokia) here and there would be nice as well.

The inside of Teatro Arriaga © Astenagusia

¿Que?

My Spanish language skills upgraded from ‘terrible’ to ‘understandable’ which eases social converse and brings with it the opportunity to connect a bit more with locals. But I have still a very long way to go until I can master the language.

Of course the climate is a positive change as well. Although there’s only a small difference of 5°C in comparison to Belgium you notice an immediate shift when you get of the plane. Not exactly Meditarianian but good enough for me.

We’ll see what this city has in store for me…

See you next time!

Agur!

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Another week comes to an end and we’re starting to realize that there are only four of them left. Four weeks to enjoy every moment we have and meanwhile trying to obey our upcoming deadlines. This week didn’t really help doing that, since one of my best friends, Zahra, arrived on Wednesday and stayed until today. No complaints though, I really loved having her over!

While at first I thought Zahra would only be arriving on Thursday, she eventually arrived pretty late on Wednesday evening. The next day we took a bus to Donostia and I showed her around the city the best I could. While we had plans to see everything and visit a museum, that all changed when Zahra ate her first pintxos. She loved them of course, and eventually we spent a large part of the day in a pintxos bar in Donostia’s old part of town (pintxos-heaven).

With the weather being so beautiful this week, we even went to the beach for a while. In the midst of November, with Christmas decorations already present in the store windows, we still don’t have to take out our winter’s clothes. Way too lucky!

On Friday then, we had to go to Bilbao again for our internship. Zahra tagged along, planning to spend the day discovering the city. At 7 pm, we met each other again and together with Koen, Niké and Chiara (an Italian Erasmus student from our university) we had plans to go to a concert at Santana 27, a concert hall outside of the city centre.

But first: finding a place to stay! Zahra and I booked a room in Pension Serantes in Casco Viejo and the other three stayed in a hostel in the Deusto quarter. We went to drop our stuff, but finding the pension proved to be a little more difficult than expected. It was located in the main going out district of Casco Viejo, in Calle Somera, and it wasn’t noticeable from the outside. You had to enter through a door, then onto crooked old stairs to the second floor. Really old and kind of dubious at first, but on the inside it was quite nice with lively colours and friendly people and a room all to ourselves!

The hallway at our pension. © SaJeh

We arrived at the concert a bit late, after making a detour in a very unknown and desolate part of the city. Santana 27 turned out to be a lot bigger than we had imagined, but the concert still had an intimate feel to it. The first act was Atlas Sound, of which we unfortunately only got to see the last half of the show. A good half though, I love the music (anyone who has the chance to check out their album Logos should definitely do so!) and at least I was on time to hear my favourite song Sheila. The second act was The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, a bit rougher than the first one but also very good and – in my opinion – 15 euros well spent.

Atlas Sound at Santana 27. © SaJeh

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart @ Santana 27. © SaJeh

From the concert we went to Casco Viejo to continue our evening. We love this part of Bilbao, it’s filled with all kinds of cool bars and shops and in the weekends everyone is out on the streets having a drink. Coincidentally we even bumped into Cécile again, a girl from Leuven (Belgium) that we’ve met last month.

Crowded streets of Casco Viejo. © SaJeh

The next day, Zahra and I walked through Casco Viejo, Bilbao La Vieja and San Francisco because I had to gather some information on these parts for a school assignment. In the next weeks I’ll go to the Museo de Bellas Artes and to the Zinebi film festival. Looking forward to it!

Zahra in Bilbao. © SaJeh

On Saturday evening we returned to Bergara to have a drink there with a bunch of the other Erasmus students. Today I had to drop off Zahra at the bus stop because she had to head back to Belgium. Unfortunately, it won’t be too long before we have to do the same. And now, back to work!

Agur!

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Last weekend, during my stay in Bilbao, I talked to Mikel and his roommate about communication issues and the generally low level of English in the Basque Country and Spain. They gave me a bit of insight in the main educational problems and it became a bit clearer to me where the biggest gaps are.

They told me that, for example, they would learn conjugations of verbs but didn’t learn what the verbs mean. Or they would just learn words and sentences by heart, but never how to apply them.

Also, they could not link the conjugations of English verbs to the Basque ones, because Basque simply doesn’t have a connection to other European languages. In my opinion, when teaching English here, it should be explained in Spanish, because it’s just easier and more logical that way.

Anyway, those are my two cents on this. It just surprised me, because with a more efficient way of teaching English, I’m sure that the general level among the youth here would increase drastically.

Oh, and showing movies in their original language instead of dubbing would help. So far, I haven’t found a single person here that actually likes the dubbing.

Pintxos invade Belgium
Something else: while I was surfing on a Belgian news website this week, I bumped into a culinary article that mentioned pintxos. Apparently, there are a few pintxos restaurants/bars in Belgium, which got me excited because that means I will still be able to eat these delicious mini-meals after I return. Here you can see the menu of the one that they mention in the article:

Menu

Part of the menu @ El Pintxo

Night time walks
To end this post, a peaceful image. Yesterday around midnight the four of us went for a walk up the hill. We love it up there, had a lot of fun, and time to clear our heads.

Michael and Koen looking down on Bergara ©Sajeh

Gabon!

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At home, everybody was sceptical about me leaving for the Basque Country. “Why the Basque Country?”, they asked. “It’s always raining over there and the only news you hear is about the ETA and their terrorist attacks. If you absolutely want to go to Spain, then go to a warm and safe place in that country.”

Stubborn as I am, I just did what I wanted; And exactly one week later I have totally no regrets. Although it wasn’t a hundred percent holiday, I had so much fun the last couple of days. The very first glimpse was already beautiful. Imagine: you’re sitting on a bus from the airport, a bit tired from the flight and the first thing you see is the Guggenheim museum and Jeff Koons Puppy. Well, the last you can say, is that there are many better ways for a first impressions of a new city.

No hablar español

One week, seven days and I don’t know how many hours and minutes. All I got was half a hour of rain. The Basque Country is rainy? Not since I arrived. I don’t know if it’s the weather that’s making the Basques extra friendly, or that they always are like this, but I like it. Even on the streets, if they notice that you’re a tourist, they voluntarily offer you help. It’s not always easy to understand what they are trying to say, because my Spanish is at the same level as my Chinese, which means non-existing, but in some strange mysterious way I succeed in understanding what they are saying.

Pintxos

One of the many bars in San Sebastián

Beautiful weather, nice cities -because San Sebastián and Vitoria were stunning cities as well- and kind people. Three positive adjectives, but still, that’s not all. I haven’t even begun talking about the food. At first, I had my doubts, because I’m not very keen on small food. I just want a plate full of food and not 7 different little meals. But seriously, the tapas that The Basque calls pintxos are heavenly. Never thought that I would enjoy small meals. I suppose that you have to expand you horizon to try new things and also actually like it.

Standing speechless

Talking about horizon. What a view. I spent my summer being lazy in the South

What a view

of France, and I thought that was magnificent. Well, I have to change my opinion. Of course the South of France is still beautiful as always, but I’ve got a new place in my top five of ‘most stunning places’. The coastline on the way to San Sebastián,  seriously, there aren’t enough words to describe that. It was so beautiful that we’ve stopped in Zarautz, just to enjoy the sea and the waves. Nobody said a word when we were on the pier: just standed speechless for a while.

I’m in the Basque Country  ‘till Christmas. Absolutely not a punishment for a four month stay.

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For months and months this year I have anticipated my Erasmus adventure to the Basque Country, not really knowing what to expect or even where I would be living. Being here now, it’s in so many ways different from what I had in mind, but at the same time a genuine familiar feeling has affected me right from the start. I give you a few of my impressions of these first weeks.

Having been in the Basque Country for almost two weeks now, comprising visits to Bilbao, Donostia and Vitoria-Gasteiz, I am struck by a number of things.

To start, I’m amazed by the nature. It’s even more beautiful than I had expected and even the bigger cities are surrounded by either mountains or the sea. Since I’ve lived in Brussels for a few years, this is a very pleasant change for me. Walking to the bus stop in the morning while viewing hilltops covered in mist, it takes me off guard every time.

Amazing view in the Mondragón area - ©Sajeh

I also appreciate the kindness of the people here. My classmates and I live in Bergara and even though only few people there speak English, they do everything they can to help you. Since I know only a few words of Spanish and no Basque at all (I’m learning though), there have been some hilarious situations trying to express myself.

Culture
One of the first things I did upon arrival – a cliché I suppose – was visiting the Guggenheim museum. Being an art freak, I had been looking forward to seeing this for a very long time. Then, when finally Puppy by Jeff Koons was looming up in front of me, I was probably one of the happiest people on earth.
It’s stunning how much the Basque Country has to offer culturally (I’m also excited to go to the San Sebastian film festival later this month).

Delicious small dishes
So, what else did I enjoy while being here? The food!
I had been told that this region is exquisite when it comes to gastronomy, but it has seriously exceeded my expectations. My first encounter with pintxos for example, has made me an unconditional addict. Presenting that many small dishes on a bar for you to grab, it can get a bit out of hand…

One of many pintxos bars in Donostia - ©Sajeh

Also, even as a vegetarian, I haven’t encountered any real problems ordering food in bars or restaurants, although this is a very meat-oriented culture. And, being a student on a low budget, you can imagine the smile on my face when I first noticed how cheap a glass of good wine is here!

Change of image
In my home country, Belgium, the image of the Basque Country and its people is often troubled by its political history and by the media coverage of the ETA. I’m thrilled that now I can contribute to change that image for the people at home. Of course, the struggle for autonomy is a vital part of this culture and its evolution, but now I have the opportunity to see all the other aspects that it has to offer.

Everything I have experienced so far has been enriching and enlightening. Stretching from the daily rhythm (gotta love siesta’s!) to the environment and social encounters, I can only begin to explain what a unique place this is to me. I’ve travelled to several places around the world, but only few feel this welcoming. While I’m here, I plan to absorb and discover as much as I possibly can.

Sanne Jehoul

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