All posts tagged: basque country

PEOPLE | To Be Basque Tours

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“The process is three steps,” Igor said as we stood around a fake caserio – or farm house in Spanish – and looked at the different tools they used to make Idiazabal cheese. After explaining the entire process step by step – from the milking of the sheep to churning to the storage process, we moved on to visit various expositions showing the history of the town of Idiazabal to the Basque region. As we ended the tour, we sat around a small table towards the entrance of the museum and Igor disappeared into the back. We chatted about the smells and the entire process of cheese making as we waited for our final treat. Igor returned with plates of cheeses, various wines, and cider. It was a picoteo or appetizer just before our lunch in the next town over. And with that, our tour was complete. Our next stop with To Be Basque tours was to Zerain to have lunch in what used to be a prison that dates back to 1711. The quiet …

PEOPLE |An interview with Lisa

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Lisa has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for almost 15 years. Having lived in Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey and now Spain – she shared her travel stories, moments of culture shock and how life is for an expat on the move. “I think you get to a point where you spend so much time outside your own country that it starts to become foreign,” said Lisa Page, sitting at a table in the Uruguayan family owned bar – La Cristina in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. She cradled her cup of café con leche as she remembered her time in Taiwan. After five years living there she realized she wouldn’t be moving back to Canada. It had already been seven years since Lisa had packed her bags and moved to Mexico to start her career as an English teacher abroad. After one year teaching in Toronto, her students from Guadalajara convinced Lisa she needed to go. And that was that. Although Lisa graduated with a BA in Linguistics and a TESOL teaching certification, she …

48 Hours In | Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (País Vasco)

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48 Hours in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (Basque Country) Arriving midday to the Northern corner of Spain, tucked in between the Bay of Biscay and the border to France, this small Basque city is filled with life, deep rooted culture and amazing food. The culture resonates in their day to day and any visitor will be able to feel the life of the Basque region. So join us for two days you won’t forget! This is my insiders guide to eating well and exploring Donostia-San Sebastian (with some extra summer tips as well!) First 24 Hours Eat: Find your way to the heart of La Concha where you’ll find La Perla perched along the walkway linking the cities most famous beach with the rest of the city. Here you can enjoy your first sit down meal in the city while overlooking the beautiful shell shaped bay, the Santa Clara Island, and views of both Igueldo, Urgull and the Old Town. Sit back and relax, as a typical lunch can last a couple hours on Spanish (Basque) …

pop-up donosti | a shared vision of food

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And one day, seven countries came together, the stars aligned, and eight souls in love with food, cooking, sharing, and eating with friends created Pop-Up Donosti. This is my latest project — a pop-up restaurant to grace the streets of Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. Like the quote above tells the story, we’re eight friends who came together to make this happen. To share our love of food, sharing meals with friends, and eating ecologically within this Basque community. We wanted to take far away flavors and make them into real plates using local ingredients. So we chose Lebanon as our inspiration. And that’s how it began. For the past three weeks we’ve been working hard organizing ourselves, throwing ideas back and forth then finally deciding on a set menu to serve during our fist event. We chose decorations and secured the location. We’ve collaborated with Tedone Jatetxea – a local ecological restaurant – in Donostia-San Sebastian. I had the chance to sit down and interview the owner, Beltza. And thanks to our friend, Esteban, we’ve been …

wine, whiskey, coffee & christmas carols

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I was on the bus home from the airport when I sent out a group message to the girls: “I’m headed back to Donosti. Flights cancelled.” To which I received the response from Usoa: “Ohhhhhh myyyy gooooooooooooooooood. You are coming to my country house.” And it was settled. A Christmas in the Spanish countryside isn’t what I had planned for December 2013, but after strong winds kept planes from landing and taking off it’s where I found myself surrounded by my Basque family. I never thought I’d find another family just quite as crazy and loving as mine. But here I’ve found them. We arrived just after dark and just in time for glasses of wine to be poured and us to sit down at the table to begin eating. Giant shrimp – eyeballs, feet, and all – were in a couple bowls across the table to pick at, as well as chorizo and bread. Then blood pudding, fish soup, and a chicken foot pallela were served. To say the least, I gave it my best …

| Pintxo Challenge, Act 1 Scene 1|

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It’s already been 5 days into my challenge and I’ve stuck to it (like I’d give up the chance to eat pintxos in the name of writing, really?) I’ve strolled around my new barrio — the old part — and popped into one new bar a day experiencing what this small city offers. I’ve decided I’m going to update my challenge every 5 days as not to bore everyone with a post a day (plus, I’d probably forget) . . . At the end of my challenge I’ll write one conclusive article with tips and photos of my overall experience — so keep tuned! As for the first go . . . here it is. Eat it up! Day 1: Casa Tiburcio | Calle Fermin Cabelton — Fried Muscle (fried seafood, spicy, & hot!) A fairly typical bar to stroll into for the Old Part. Options on the bar, but the menu is where the gold is! Take a peek and be pleasantly surprised. Day 2: Zeruko | Calle Pescaderia — Squid Mango Foie  A new take on the …

|in a land of pintxos |

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It occurred to me today that I need a summer project as I was sipping on a cana con limon in the Plaza de Constitucion and discussing food with a fellow American. I’ve decided to make my focus: pintxos. Living in the North of Spain one is highly aware of the large amount of pintxo bars (and bars in general) throughout the food capital and Capital of Culture 2016. San Sebastian is home to the famous pintxo and hundreds of bar owners and chefs offering traditional to very modern choices. A pintxo is an individual portion of meats, cheeses, fish, veggies, etc., skewered with a toothpick onto a piece of baguette. Of course, pintxos can vary from bar to bar and in the different regions of the North leading me to my decided project for the month of July: 30 Day Pintxo Challenge Inspired by my appreciation of  tasty food, desire to write, and love of photography and challenges — I’ve decided to dedicate the month of July to pintxos. As my budget is low – I’ll stick to one new pintxo …

| a girl who inspires |

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The circumstances of how I met her are complicated, but unimportant. I met her. I met a woman who pushed me to find the work I enjoy; the work I want to pursue. She isn’t much older than I am, but her circumstances and story are so much different. She’s an inspiration without even knowing it. Her name is Tran. She’s Cambodian.  And she’s a feminist. She was lucky to come from a family who valued her mind, who sent her to school to learn and educate herself. She’s now in Barcelona studying a Masters and working hard to promote women’s rights in her home country. Her story and her motivation reminded me of my  desire to help others — particularly women — in less fortunate situations. She reminded me of a class I took my 4th year of university; a Women’s Rights class that struck a chord deep inside that I’ve put aside, but haven’t forgotten about. She reminded me of my purpose here on this earth. Although now isn’t my time to go …

| just a casual friday night witch burning |

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It started with a witch burning and ended on the 5:40 AM train back to San Sebastian. This was my Friday night. – – – – – – – – – – – Starting from May till the end of September every pueblo (little town) has it’s fiesta weekends. Last weekend it was in Beasain. Our friend Nicole lives out in these parts, so Gemma and I ventured out to the small town to partake in their weekend celebrations. Talk of witch burning and bar hopping had our ears perked and we soon arrived ready to take part. We dropped our things off at Nic’s, ate dinner, and meandered down to the town center. It was 10:30 and the crowds had gathered: young and old alike. The drums sounded and the “witch children” started coming into town — ready with torches. The story goes: Once upon a time there was a witch who lived in the mountains. She came into town and fell in love with one of the Beasin men — so they married and he …

| the basque and the block party |

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Sure, city festivals take place around the world. Sure, I haven’t been to a huge lot of them, but I certainly know that nothing I have experienced compares to Tamborrada in San Sebastian. Beginning months in advance, kids, adults, and teenagers (yes, it’s cool) meet weekly to practice the routines, the sheet music, and prepare for 24-hours of drumming. Yes, drumming. The ceremony begins at midnight on the 19th of January and lasts 24 hours. Of course there’s just enough time to rest between the opening ceremony and the constant performances throughout the city the following day. As beautiful as this tradition is: costumes, music, sense of community – it’s loud. So, if you live near the center, don’t count on sleeping unless you’ve invested in some quality earplugs. As for the history of this tradition, it’s a bit spotty. Associated with the French occupancy of the Basque country, there are two costumes worn during La Tamborrada: soldiers and chefs. As the French soldiers began their charge into the city they played their drums assuring everyone knew of their presence. “One day as …