Silencio

And just like that...POOF! Silence. It's strange because I think it is the first time I have been alone since I came to Spain. My roommate is gone until tonight and my friends just left after a great weekend exploring Northern Spain. So now I'm listening to the Decemberists and enjoying a bit of breakfast while looking out over the beach and the couples (men/women; grandparents/grandkids; dogs/dog owners) enjoying the sand.

We visited a beautiful medieval city called Santillana del Mar where we enjoyed walking on cobblestone streets, a great meal in an outdoor terrace with a ridiculous waitress, and an afternoon walk through a park full of leaves falling as fall sets in. After Santillana we headed to Santander where I had frisbee practice and where we enjoyed a bit of "big city night-life" while waiting for the first bus home at 3.30am. Yesterday we took a short hour bus ride to the nearby city of Bilbao, which blew me away. It's more than just the stunning presence of the Guggenheim Museum, but the whole city is breathtaking. A great riverwalk, a fascinating mix of modern and historic, and all types of public transport all new and "futuristic" as Gero notes: tram, subway, buses, free bikes. Just a great feeling. After that excursion, a beer in the old town of Laredo seemed like a bit of a let down.

Now I have time to finally move in. All my boxes have arrived, my bookshelves are starting to fill up, and after a good wash of the house I think I'll feel a bit of ownership. Tomorrow I will (hopefully) get my Spanish ID number so I can get paid and then I can stop worrying about moving in and can start living. For now, a few more corn flakes before uploading the photos and video from this weekend's adventures!

All Saints Visitors

Happy All Saints Day!

Yes, we did celebrate Halloween yesterday, but my computer and external hard drive are full right now, so the video update will come soon...in the meantime, I am already on to the next holiday, All Saints Day. It's a national holiday here in Spain , and I have enjoyed the holiday by hosting my first guests: Alba, Gero, and Pauline (with Roberto coming in 30 minutes). We enjoyed the sunny day by having a walk around Laredo after checking out the nightlife of Laredo last night. It's so great to break-in a new place with familiar faces and fun to show off my new home, even though everything I see is new to me too. So I'm in the strange position as a host and tourist at the same time. I think we'll be continuing the exploration outside of Laredo with a stop in Santander tomorrow and Bilbao on Saturday! Nothing like traveling with friends.