You’ve heard me out on the food, but have I raved yet about the public transportation in this part of Europe? Before dawn last Friday I shouldered my duffel, locked the door, and walked 10 minutes down that series of mossy old stone staircases to the edge of still-deserted downtown San Sebastián-Donostia (guess I should be raving [...]

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Last week, under a partly cloudy sky, San Sebastián-Donostia was pounded by a temporal that sent 16-meter (50-foot) waves crashing over the breakwaters and into some of the adjoining neighborhoods. They took out an entire section of the Paseo Nuevo (above), the scenic drive/walkway/bike path that circles the foot of Mt. Urgull, along with numerous wrought-iron [...]

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Week before last, we USAC students and faculty were visited by a bertsolari, a singer of improvised Basque poetry. To get a little of its flavor, try to imagine a performance practice sharing similarities with poetry slams, rapping contests such as are featured in the Eminem film 8 Mile (I’m sure you’ve seen it) and [...]

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Every Thursday night it’s three very pleasant hours in the upper reaches of Donostia’s Parte Vieja at the headquarters of the Cofradía Vasca Gastronomía for this semester’s Basque cooking class. By a little after 8 p.m. the whole gang of us, 30 students, have gathered in the kitchen to watch and often assist as demonstration versions of the night’s dishes are prepared and tasted [...]

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