I spent this weekend in Spain, thanks to the AOC (a wine association at school) who organized the trip! We spent our first day in San Sebastián, then headed to Estella where we camped for the night, and then made a quick visit to Pamplona to stuff ourselves with tapas before heading back to Bordeaux.
1. In San Sebastiàn, we went to a place where the land was covered in mist and waves looked more like giant hills than the ocean. People couldn’t help but pause to watch as the tide crashed in every direction and surfers, who looked like they were walking on water, dared to dive in and out of the white foam. Before this, I have never seen the kind of swells that break into themselves, and I think it’s where the phrase, “moving mountains,” comes from.
2. We visited a couple wine chateaus during our time in Spain, and I don’t think I will ever get the hang of this whole wine tasting thing (seriously, how do people smell almonds in their wine or know what kind of grapes they’re made from just by tasting it?!). But it was crazy to learn about how much time it takes to make a good bottle of wine, and how some people dedicate their whole life to finding different tastes and pairing them with food. Passion comes in so many different forms.
3. “Most areas in the world may be placed in latitude and longitude, described chemically in their earth, sky and water, rooted and fuzzed over with identified flora and peopled with known fauna and there’s an end to it. Then there are others where fable, myth, preconception, love, longing or prejudice step in and so distort a cool, clear appraisal that a kind of high-coloured magical confusion takes hold.” – John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley
4. They say the Spanish don’t like to work very much, and we saw it to be true, because everything was closed in the middle of the day. We drove through desert hills to arrive in deserted streets full of pastel houses and people lazing in the sun. They were like ghost towns filled with life, and I think that we should all practice a little bit more how to rest like they do.
5. Charlotte was telling me about her sister and her boyfriend and said, “I’m just a third wheel in that constellation.” I like how even stars are never alone despite being lightyears away from each other, and sometimes they don’t know that they belong to something bigger than what they can see.
6. During the trip, the wine never stopped flowing, dancing was a must, and the singing never came to a halt. Sometimes you don’t need an excuse to celebrate apart from being here, now, and together.
Bekah Sees The World 