Tour de France
The past few days have been a whirlwind of logistics, to say the least. Our main goals were to register the kids for school, buy a car, and purchase bikes, not to mention visit the Nelson family as much as possible in San Sebastian. It's been a busy time, trying to sort out all these tasks and make everything fall into place. On Sunday, the Tour de France came through San Sebastian! We test drove three different cars and then headed over to San Sebastián to catch the stage 2 finish line. The energy was intense at the bar we visited, with everyone awaiting the arrival of the peloton. The streets were filled with flags, and many people were wearing their cycling hats. The stage from Vitoria to San Sebastián covered 209 kilometers. I loved being a part of the Basque pride and witnessing this event firsthand.
When the peloton came zooming through, they were going so fast that it seemed like a blur, like a whoosh of motion. We spent the rest of the day with the Nelson family walking around San Sebastian, swimming at the Concha, and eating Pintxos! On Tuesday, we spent a major part of our day test driving cars, and let me tell you, we really challenged the boys to their maximum capacity. The rental car we are driving is almost the perfect size. So we were comparing every car to our Suzuki S-Cross. It felt like we were living the tale of Goldilocks and the "three" cars. The boys were like - this car is too small, this one isn't cozy enough, this one lacks style... and so on. In the end, we made a decision and purchased an Audi A3, which we believe will provide the best return on investment within a year. At the end of the day, we visited a bike shop, and Gabe bought me an electric bike. They need to prepare it and then provide me with a 30-minute tutorial. So it will be ready Thursday or Friday. It's quite different from the instant gratification we're used to. The same goes for the car; they also need to prepare it, and it might be ready by Monday as long as we make the payment three days prior to the release date. It's definitely a lesson in patience. Since the market is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, we took the opportunity to visit this morning. We went to the Italian pasta vendor, and Gabe ordered ravioli for four people. It turned out to be a perfect amount! I love that the vendor just knows. We also bought ourselves some burrata (real burrata!!) from the same vendor, and it was absolutely delicious paired with tomatoes and arugula. We made our way back to San Sebastian to see Ren play in his soccer tournament. Before heading out, we had a scheduled meeting with an insurance agent to arrange car insurance. It wasn't as simple as going online and signing up; we had to provide proof of being good drivers and complete other necessary paperwork. The agent let us know that it usually takes a few days for the process to be completed. Hopefully, it will be finalized before the car is ready!
We drove to San Sebastian to watch Ren’s soccer tournament game. As soon as we got there, I couldn't help but notice the "snack shack". There was a display of various bocadillos (sandwiches - small baguettes with jamon). And guess what? They even had beer on tap! What's even better is that they focus on serving quality food, without any junk food in sight. To top it all off, they even had an espresso machine and bottles of wine available. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Ren's team went up against the top Spanish team in the tournament, and unfortunately, they were completely crushed. It was tough to see the kids go through that experience, but I hope it becomes a source of inspiration for them. After the game, we decided to head to the Concha for a swim. However, to our surprise, the tide was exceptionally high, leaving very little beach area. The tide was at 4 m (13 feet). It came rushing in, covering the beach in no time. And just as quickly as it arrived, it receded.
Something else interesting happened during lunch today. Gabe received an email about Luke's school enrollment. The email informed us that the school we requested didn't have any available spots, so Luke couldn't attend there. Instead, he had to enroll at Villa Fal before July 5, or else he wouldn't be able to join the school. The catch was that it was already 1:30 PM on July 5 when we received the email, and schools close at noon on Wednesdays. Moreover, it's the first day of summer break. Panic set in. Our main concern was ensuring that Luke attends a French school specifically, not a French/Basque school. After some time, Gabe managed to send an email to someone, but it took time to determine the right recipient since it was an automated response. Eventually, Gabe received a reply assuring us not to worry about the date and simply go to the school tomorrow. Really? AHHHH! We went back to the soccer spot in Parte Vieja. Luke and Taiwa played with some local kids while the rest of us sipped wine and watched. Charlie and Luke struck up a conversation with a woman who's from DC but now lives in Biarritz. Turns out, Charlie will be in her daughter's class at Jules Ferry school! We were surprised by the coincidence, exchanged numbers, and plan to be in touch in September. It's truly a small world! She will be a great resource and friend! :)
