La Igorota en Donostia

Wander Iggy at Playa la Concha.

Hola from Donostia, more popularly known as the city of San Sebastian here in Spain. Also found in the Basque country, Donostia is the capital of Gipuzkoa (like Bilbao is the capital of Bizkaia). San Sebastian is known to be a summer destination of royalties in the past, having been part of  "La Belle Epoque". Today it boasts of being foodie heaven, having three of the top ten michelin star chefs in the world. We went there with two lists--one for the sights, and a rather longer one for the pintxos bars and restaurants we need to 'visit'. We have to *taste* for ourselves. 

La la la la...Concha, as the name suggests is shaped like a shell. 

we think the elves frequent this area when they decide whether fighting for Mordor is righteous. hehe.

View from *erm* below.  Don't you just love these type of coastlines? 

These hand rail designs date back to decades ago, they are said to be uniquely San Sebastian.

the haciendero/a vibes.

old town.

Pintxos crawl.  

After visiting two more pintxos bars and a superb dinner we have concluded that San Sebastian is indeed a place where food is taken seriously. Of course we could have just taken Anthony Bourdain's word for it, but it pays to double check. And boy does it taste delicious. 

Aguuur Donostia. Hasta luego!

One Spanish City a Day: The Wander Iggy Challenge

Where does one go, on an Easter school break?
Out of Bilbao, perhaps?
West? Center? South?

Yes, we did. :)

The Becky and Wander Iggy embarked on their first ever woman-doll *solo* travel during the holy week break. They took the bus from Bilbao to Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela to Burgos to Granada to Sevilla to Salamanca, and back to Bilbao in six days. 

This covered the provinces of Asturias, Galicia, Castille y Leon and Andalucia. 5 words to sum it up: trip of a life time.

DAY1: Oviedo

Oviedo, which is the capital city of Asturias as charming. No wonder Woody Allen loved it here. It was a mixture of old and new, without losing that authentic Asturias flavour (simply means: sidras (or cider) abound, and glorious ). Wander Iggy with the sculpture called 'The Traveller'. 

DAY 2: Santiago de Compostela

Being the capital of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela is famous for being the final destination of the Camino de Santiago (St James' Way). Pilgrims arrive in hoards, all happy and excited. It's all positive energy everywhere, where you can  see a very diverse type of people hugging and chit chatting.

This archway leads to the square fronting the cathedral. Walking in you can hear Celtic music playing in the background, completing the whole magical experience. NB: It's been known that Galicia shares some of it's history with Ireland.

Being the foodie that she is, Wander Iggy made sure we tasted the Pulpo Gallego. 

Verdict: all worth the long bus ride.

We stayed in this hostal which has this view from the dining area. 

DAY3: Burgos

Short stop to Burgos on a Good Friday morning. Burgos is known for its many churches. 

and El Cid Compeador. :)

Wander Iggy's baby sister demanded to have pictures of herself taken. 

And that they must be solo pictures.

DAY4: Granada

Venturing towards the South, mainly Al andalus, it was a different Spain altogether. It was a very fascinating moment--all these striking differences sinking in, giving you a better picture of the country. 

Wander Iggy at the Mirador San Nicolas, overlooking the Alhambra. 

DAY 5: Sevilla

Sevillas was like a scene out of the movies, during the time of the Dons y Doñas. 

Wander Iggy checking out the Alcazar.

Our first Flamenco performance ever. Very memorable night.

DAY 6: Salamanca

On our way to Bilbao, we stopped by a few hours at Salamanca.
Okay, we had our regular Salamanca fare-- pinchos de planchadas. :)

Las Fallas Weekend in Valencia

Que divertido!

Fondly referred to as the place where Paella originated, Valencia is also known for its annual Las Fallas Festival. Miss Iggy partied day and night (and by the sound of mascletas (fireworks) at 2pm and 2am everyday, who wouldn't?  it's literally a whole 24 hour affair), sight seeing and going to the beach during day time and watching parades (and more fireworks) at night.

Cuidad de las artes y las ciencias, by Valencia's native son
 (and world renowed architect/ structural engineer/ sculptor) Santiago de Calatrava.

Miss Iggy inside La Lonja de la Seda, a UNESCO world heritage site

The streets of Valencia were filled by revelers and these bigger than life Ninots (pictured below are the adult category Ninots. there are also smaller Ninots, or Ninot le Petit  under the children's category).  Almost all districts participate in creating these different master pieces that will (wait for it...) have to be collected, displayed in Plaza de Ayuntamiento and burnt at the end of the festival (if it will make you feel better, one ninot from each category will be spared/preserved, to be kept in the Museo de Fallas). The burning process, called La Crema finalises the entire celebration, symbolising the end of winter and a start to a new beginning.

Ninot construction almost done at L'Antigua. 

ishdatyou, lolo? :)

the Falleras, young women and children from the community they represent, were like the 'muses' of the Ninots.
I think we've solved the Princess Leia mystery.

Paella country. 

We were walking around in this area, only to find out that we've chanced upon the Annual MTV Winter Festival. Miss Iggy's baby sister Mari (yes, that small child she's carrying has a name) almost jumped for joy (see picture) upon hearing the artist lineup: Sum 41, My Chemical Romance, Orbital, Groove Armada. Yay, we super love Valencia na. :)

Feeling a bit of Fallas--er mascleta burn out, Miss Iggy thought a little sun at the beach wouldn't hurt.
Especially if it's the Mediterranean. 

Salamanca beckons

A few hours away from Madrid by train is Salamanca, of the province of Castille y Leon. 

On our way to this UNESCO world heritage site we passed by the famous medieval walls of Avila. 

It was like stepping into another world. And we've got pictures.

This magical city is prettiest at night. 

where the entire old town is all lit-up.

Miss Iggy at Plaza Mayor.

Come sundown the buildings all look golden.

Day time. Not bad, I'd say. :) 

and the cheapest and tastiest pinchos we've ever had in our entire life.

Hasta luego,

Wander Iggy

One Spanish city at a time: Madrid

Hola, amigos y amigas. 

Wander Iggy sends her love (and lotsa Pinchos/tapas/Pintxos--depends on which city we are referring here) from Spain's capital city of Madrid. 

We loved it there--it's very cosmopolitan and alive.

At the Palacio Patrimonio Nacional  (no TJ hotdog jokes here). 

Ventured into Plaza Mayor. Madrid has several plazas. Add up will all the other Spanish cities and you will understand the social vibe of the country. The plazas are where people have been congregating for the longest time. 

Like any Madridista, we had to come visit the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

 And say 'hola, mi hombre' to our crush number 3, Xavi Alonso.

And this sums up why we love Madrid.

Greetings from Pais Vasco

All jet-lagged from her East Coast trip a few days back, Wander Iggy's dainty feet started itching again. And it's not athlete's foot. :) Waking up on an early Saturday morning in Amsterdam, we trudged our heavy human-sized baggage and headed South er... North, in the land of pintxos, the Nervion river and Euskera.

Bilbao is the capital of the province of Biscay, an autonomous community in the Basque province. Formerly a heavy industrial town, this metropolitan area was transformed--revitalized, as they describe it. Usually associated with the 'Guggenheim Effect', the city delivered beyond the iconic structure's symbolic association by winning the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (reads: the Pritzker of Urban Planning) at the World Cities Summit in May 2010.

More Pictures, hopefully soon. :)

XOXO
Wander Iggy and the Becky

This city will be Wander Iggy's home por seis meses. 

El Museo de Guggenheim. This makes for Miss Iggy's second Guggenheim museum 

and second Gehry sighting. This picture was taken from the other side of the river. 

Can you see the Maman as well? 

Just across the Guggenheim is our new hang out: the University of Deusto. 

Oh my, that's a very big gracht. :)

'Gee, he's not a puppy anymore.' :) Or, as the Spanish call it, el perro. 

Miss Iggy in Barcelona

¿Qué tal, amigos? Summer seems to be over for Euro Iggy, as temperatures in Vienna have considerably dropped, but aside from additional layers of clothes, the memories of her summer vacation in Barcelona keep her warm.

Miss Iggy and the Teatre Lliure

What looks like a grand villa actually houses the Teatre Lliure (Catalan for "free theatre"), one of the most prestigious theatres in Catalonia. This magnificent building used to be the Palace of Agriculture or Palau de l'Agricultura. The 'free theatre' puts on theatre productions, dance and music performances, things Miss Iggy is really fond of.

Other things she likes: the colors of Spain, red and yellow.

Sangria!

This red wine punch was the perfect drink after a long hot summer day. Best accompanied by mouth-watering paella.

bicicletas

Footballs at the FCBotiga Megastore in Club Nou, home of FC Barcelona and the biggest stadium in Europe

Hot & spicy España!

Red hot chili at the Boqueria Market

Metro sign

Miss Iggy loved the metro trains in Barcelona! They quickly and efficiently brought her to all the places she wanted to visit. Tip: be prepared to do some stair-climbing and walking at the stations

Teatre Lliure

Passeig de Santa Madrona, 40-46

Plaça Margarida Xirgu 1