San Sebastian....THANKS PABLO!

Pablo- Great guy and instant friend who so graciously hosted me without hardly knowing me. ( He came to Vashon like 20 years ago, when Louisa was like 3 years old). He toured me through the city twice on long legs that are used to walking. We swam at the glorious beach, then hiked up to the old fort and had wine and Gildas (olives, pickled green beans and anchovies…..yes, I’m pescatarian for this trip) then went down to town to a tapas bar where he spoke basque with the slightly surly, in a charming way, owner/ waiter.

At first I was a bit put off by San Sebastian when I arrived for three reasons:

#1) The weather was just like what we have had too much of in the PNW this spring: Cold and wet. Comparatively, Madrid weather had been dry and awesome.

#2) I, and 60 other passengers got off the trainat the wrong stop, toting luggage, after a 7 hour train ride, expecting a bus to be waiting for us. I wish I had taken a picture of us all standing confused alongside the roadway.

#3) It is a resort boom town, and my crabby mood elicited visions of Leavenworth times 100.

But now that I am leaving for Bilbao today, I want at least another 5 days here, and would definetly return again. The two bays, the three little mountains, the tiny island, the promendade, the narrow streets and secrets places, the whimsical architecture, and lots of people having an amazing time, the way warmer ocean than puget sound and the promenade literally made for kings and queens.

All that said….I spent about half my time on the less touristy, and more practical adjacent harbor town of Pasaia. That is where my boat painting and this painting was done. The town was more relaxed and real. And I love the conversations that the older locals have with me. They do not let the language barrier get in the way at all. After 10 minutes, I am pretty sure I understand about 3/4s of what they intended to commuincate, and vice versa. My performance skills come in quite handy, as do theirs.

This painting was a bit rushed, as I had a deadline to meet Pablo at the Beach, but I like how it is coming along. Not sure if I will have time to rework any paintings while on this trip and keep up with my “One a Day” commitment. Probably not.

Below is a gallery of the process. See you in Bilbao!