Well, no suprise here, but I checked the weather forecast on Friday and of course, it was rain rain rain for San Sebastian both Saturday and Sunday. So, I decided some plans needed to be made to either do something constructive inside or leave the city - and that's exactly what we did!
Saturday morning, Peni and I went to La Perla Thalassotherapy Centre - this amazing spa in San Sebastian that my roommate happens to work at! She told us to bring a 20€ and that we would 'pay' and she would give us two 10€ bills back - I always think free is the best price! Before we got in, we didn't really know what we were in for, but now I can underst
and why it is so popular in Donosti! Originally, Queen María Cristina decided that San Sebastian would be the spot for her summer royal residence. She loved bathing in the sea on the Concha beach and as a result, in 1912, La Perla was built and utilized the sea water in all of the spa. It has obviously been updated in the many years, but when it was built it was said to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe and to this day is still one of the only spas situated right on the beach! With our sexy swim caps (mandatory at any pool in Spain) we checked out all of the pools - one with exercise equipment; one with freezing cold water from the sea; a jacuzzi; a pool that had different 'stations' where you would get hydro-massages on your feet/calves/back and shoulders; and another pool that had stone beds that you could lay on and feel jacuzzi bubbl
es all around you! They were all pretty amazing and then on top of that, there were steam rooms, saunas, water beds (which I guess Spanish people missed in the 90s, because they all acted like they had never sat on a water bed in thier lives) and these radiation beds that help your muscles. While it all sounds amazing, the best part is that it is RIGHT on the beach, so while you are in these pools you have a panoramic view of La Concha beach! Also, the water used in all the pools was salt water, pretty good for the skin I guess! It was fantastic and relaxing! My roommate, Reyes, was so awesome to get us in, and in her honor we baked her a cake (yay Betty Crocker) and wrote Gracias on it. It turned out a little lopsided, but we wanted to show her how happy we were with the spa! Hopefully I can go back again before I leave...
After such a relaxing time at the spa we couldn't bother doing much else and just made dinner and watched some shows on my computer. We did manage to perform some nice karaoke
in my kitchen but that and playing football with my pizza box were about the highlights of the evening. The next day Madeline (the one from London) and I decided we wanted to get out of town for the day. We decided on Vittoria-Gasteiz (Vittoria being the Spanish name, Gasteiz being the Basque name), which is the capital of Basque Country. While we had no idea what there was there, we figured the capital would be exciting and we should see it, since we are such happy Basque Country residents. Turns out, it was the lamest capital EVER. There was practically nothing. I am used to a big cathedral or a gorgeous plaza or something in every Spanish town I have been to, but this place was pretty boring. We made it fun, 
skipping around (here is a nice picture of us, holding hands skipping through the plaza hahaha), taking silly photos, pintxo bar hopping and all. It was sunny, so we were happy we were atleast out of the rain, but were not so impressed with the city. We had asked a bunch of friends if they wanted to come with us or if they could tell us things to do in Vittoria and everyone turned us down and didn't have any good advice of things to do or see, and we didn't understand it on the way there. Now we do! While it could have been a big flop of a day-trip, we had a blast! The funniest thing I think we saw was this activity fair with blow-up slides, bouncy castles and things like that and this ONE game where you would climb up a ladder, walk into this m
an's mouth, take a slide and then come out his butt! We were in such shock that 1) the kids loved it so much and 2) the parents didn't think it was odd at all! We were laughing so hard, and of course took some photos. Sadly, we were too big to do the digestive slide, but it was unforgettable!
Another fun weekend to add to the list, as my time here gets shorter and shorter! More fun to come next weekend!
Besos and Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mommys I know - especially mine, grammy and the newest mom Sami!
Amanda
and why it is so popular in Donosti! Originally, Queen María Cristina decided that San Sebastian would be the spot for her summer royal residence. She loved bathing in the sea on the Concha beach and as a result, in 1912, La Perla was built and utilized the sea water in all of the spa. It has obviously been updated in the many years, but when it was built it was said to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe and to this day is still one of the only spas situated right on the beach! With our sexy swim caps (mandatory at any pool in Spain) we checked out all of the pools - one with exercise equipment; one with freezing cold water from the sea; a jacuzzi; a pool that had different 'stations' where you would get hydro-massages on your feet/calves/back and shoulders; and another pool that had stone beds that you could lay on and feel jacuzzi bubbl
es all around you! They were all pretty amazing and then on top of that, there were steam rooms, saunas, water beds (which I guess Spanish people missed in the 90s, because they all acted like they had never sat on a water bed in thier lives) and these radiation beds that help your muscles. While it all sounds amazing, the best part is that it is RIGHT on the beach, so while you are in these pools you have a panoramic view of La Concha beach! Also, the water used in all the pools was salt water, pretty good for the skin I guess! It was fantastic and relaxing! My roommate, Reyes, was so awesome to get us in, and in her honor we baked her a cake (yay Betty Crocker) and wrote Gracias on it. It turned out a little lopsided, but we wanted to show her how happy we were with the spa! Hopefully I can go back again before I leave...After such a relaxing time at the spa we couldn't bother doing much else and just made dinner and watched some shows on my computer. We did manage to perform some nice karaoke
in my kitchen but that and playing football with my pizza box were about the highlights of the evening. The next day Madeline (the one from London) and I decided we wanted to get out of town for the day. We decided on Vittoria-Gasteiz (Vittoria being the Spanish name, Gasteiz being the Basque name), which is the capital of Basque Country. While we had no idea what there was there, we figured the capital would be exciting and we should see it, since we are such happy Basque Country residents. Turns out, it was the lamest capital EVER. There was practically nothing. I am used to a big cathedral or a gorgeous plaza or something in every Spanish town I have been to, but this place was pretty boring. We made it fun, 
skipping around (here is a nice picture of us, holding hands skipping through the plaza hahaha), taking silly photos, pintxo bar hopping and all. It was sunny, so we were happy we were atleast out of the rain, but were not so impressed with the city. We had asked a bunch of friends if they wanted to come with us or if they could tell us things to do in Vittoria and everyone turned us down and didn't have any good advice of things to do or see, and we didn't understand it on the way there. Now we do! While it could have been a big flop of a day-trip, we had a blast! The funniest thing I think we saw was this activity fair with blow-up slides, bouncy castles and things like that and this ONE game where you would climb up a ladder, walk into this m
an's mouth, take a slide and then come out his butt! We were in such shock that 1) the kids loved it so much and 2) the parents didn't think it was odd at all! We were laughing so hard, and of course took some photos. Sadly, we were too big to do the digestive slide, but it was unforgettable!Another fun weekend to add to the list, as my time here gets shorter and shorter! More fun to come next weekend!
Besos and Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mommys I know - especially mine, grammy and the newest mom Sami!
Amanda
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