Trip to Spain - San Sebastián, Irrisarri Land, and sightseeing

   Hello languages passionates and others keens on world travels ! Please, note that this is my second article in 2 weeks. I am progressing.
   One of the reasons why I did not post at all two weeks ago was that I was in Spain with my family. For the ones who follows me on instagram, you probably saw tones of pictures of the places where I went ! However, I thought it would be nice to make you a little summary of what I did, to make you discover Spain a bit through my eyes.

   Let's get started !

Day 1 - Arriving

   After 10 hours in car, we finally discovered Spain beautiful landscape ! It was kind of rainy this day, but mountains were really beautiful. The place where we slept was in the middle of nowhere, in Arantza. It is called Irrisarri Land. This was the second time that we came there. It is a quiet place, and there are a lot of activities that you can do !

   The vue from the window of our room was unexpectedly attractive, the clouds floating in the middle of the mountains.

   I had the pleasure to speak spanish with most of the staff, and I finally watched funny TV programs straight from Spain !

Day 2 - El Monte Urgull

   We could rest just a bit, and after a good breakfast, we went running with my dad. The path was made for hiking, and there were a lot of steeps rises and descents. But it was completly worth it ! Under the rain, we could meet with horses, and a beautiful foal, and see calm streams.
   We also made tree top adventure course in the woods, which was very enjoyable !

  Then, we had a walk in San Sebastian. In some part of the city, there is an interlocking of small streets composed by souvenir shops, and tapas restaurants, which is kind of charming !

   However, do not expect Spanish people to speak to you with a fluent english, and even less to hold with you a conversation in french !

   Anyway, a few hours after we arrived, my parents decided to climb the Monte Urgull, which is pretty high. Please, give me your compassion because I had to follow them with my high heals... There are several ways thanks to which you can climb at the top, and in some of them, you are completly immersed in nature.

   Once you succeed in one of them, you arrive in a small museum which tells you about the story of San Sebastian, and how it resisted. Crossing the room, you have to wait in front of stone steps to be able to see the statue of Jesus and have a wonderful view of the city (with the buildings, the skyscrappers, for sure, but also the sea, and the mountains.

   In the end, I convinced my parents to go to the Starbucks to take a tasty and well-deserved Matcha Latte. No, I won't make a big deal of the fact I spelled my name in Spanish, but had the honour to be called Anes...www

   We ended the day with a meal in what seemed to be a boat, but only is, in reality, a building built on the ground, next to the sea.

Day 3 and 4 - Normal holidays...

   8-10-kilometer jogging, tapas, the beach, and no Matcha Latte... What a pity !

Day 5 - Bilbao

This is one of the sculptures that you can
 see when you go outside of the museum 

   We woke up a bit early to go to Bilbao. There, we went, like 3 years ago, to Guggenheim museum. As I already explained on Instagram, I do not really like modern art... unfortunately. Some things were just like they were when we came there the first time, some other changed. When you enter the museum, just after you gave the tickets, you can see several electronic bars in which messages (in different languages) are written vertically. I guess they were love messages. Anyway, it was clear that a man was speaking about a woman. For the rest, I cannot say more.
   One new thing was the virtual work of an artist (I have forgotten his name). Diversed rooms' walls were covered by screens and put into darkness. Some were about immortality, some others just aimed to grasp a moment from the everyday life. We saw people moving out, walking in the woods, under water, ... However, the image was not fixed, it moved. Slightly, for sure (a hand was getting a bit more to the left, a woman was slaping her husband, ...), but it was not absolutely static.
   To be honest, I largely prefer beautiful work of art than meaningful ones. It is a bit stupid, isn't it ? But I believe that art is made to be enjoyable to see. It has to carry a message also but... not the way modern art artists have. Nevertheless, this is only my own opinion.
   Even if I did not find my interest inside of museum, I found it outside. Sculptures are very colourful !

I really like Spanish architecture

   After the visit, we walked a bit in town and took a kind of "in the air" ferry/bus. This is one of the only transportation to link one side of the city to the other. Streets were lovely, and we could even see, in front of the sea, a construction representing city's inhabitants fighting against Neptune (in other words : against the sea, the bay, and the sandbanks) to build their town, their port without letting themselves get discouraged in front of the powerful nature.
   At the top of that red structure holding the ferry, a few times a year, occur some parties. Posters' pictures were setting a very cosy scenery. We even saw a DJ, playing music several dozens meters away from us, in the air. It sounds really enjoyable, isn't it ? However, no price was written, so that we guess it had to be really expensive ! Anyway, we didn't get there, because we wanted to eat in a restaurant, so that we never knew if this party was free or not...

Day 6 - Our hotel's activities

   The hotel complex in which we stayed all week long proposed a thousand thing ! Well, no, okay, not a thousand, just a dozen or so. I link you their website just here.
   For a day, we decided to take the time to enjoy what we could do in the middle of the mountains. We began, on not so early morning with four zip-lines. This was really an amazing experience. We already made it when we came the first time, but, this year, I could do the three smallest alone. Yes, they let you cross your aerial passage and stop yourself all alone ! Nonetheless, we were with two monitors (one at the beginning, one at the end) who helped us a lot and gave us instructions so that everything could happen without any problem or danger. Unfortunately, I have no picture from that beautiful moment...
   We also did horse riding ! I used to ride my aunt's horse, but since she is dead, it had been years that I did not ride a horse !
   We climbed in the mountains. It was interesting, but the horses looked tired by the effort they were doing, and the ways we took were not really appropriated for them...
   Appart from these two activities, and the one about which I spoke previously, at Irrisarri Land, you can, between other things, do mountain bikes (there are from beginner to pro levels). It seemed very interesting but... some routes seemed very dangerous !

Day 7 - Adios España... Hasta pronto!

   And this is how our week in Spain took end ! We left this region under a under a grey sky, as well as we arrived... I look forward the next time I will be able to come !

   That's the first time that I write this kind of article so, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it, and what I should do to improve my next articles in the comments !

   Enjoy your week !

A~