I thought I'd wait until I'd left San Sebastian before posting a post script, I hadn't bargained on such rural incongruities to distract me but like my train I will trundle on.
It all began with a sunrise. That is the begining of the end began with the ending of spring and the beginning of summer. Keep up! The solstice, the longest day of the year the traditional first day of summer marked the start of my final week in San Sebastian and my final week of teaching.
Bob Summers is an unlikely Druid. Mind you what do I know about druids? Perhaps all the ancient druids had tatoos of suspender clad voluptuous beauties posing on their forearms. Perhaps they all raced motorcycles and shaved their legs. Perhaps, like the leader of the four sun worshipers who ventured out to meet the dawn this solstice, they always remembered to bring a flask of whiskey to warm their cockles on a brisk midsummer's dawn. Either way Bob said I should get up to watch the dawn so despite his lack of long white robe - I did.
Bob, Emma, Karl and Laura have been my best buddies during my time in San Sebastian so it was entirely appropriate that we should share this mystical moment. We congregated on the promenade after three or four hours sleep and wondered where was east. Would the sunrise be hidden behind the mountains? Would the magic be lost amid a parade of early morning drunks and delivery vans? A few slugs of whiskey eased my concern (those clever druids!)and finally the clouds on the horizon blushed a pink lining and a sunset in reverse spread just beyond the headland away to our right.
No pagan rituals were performed but a moment was shared - and, you know, it was just nice.
The final week left me little space for reflection full as it was with goodbyes (to students and colleagues) and hellos (to family visitors). My twin bro Dave arrived on the Wednesday quickly followed by my half sister Clem(pictured below with her boyfriend Owen). That was a family injection that deserves it's own post but on the last Saturday night (Laura's last night in town) a few of us went to the beach to watch the sunset and say goodbye.
Sunset was a Basque free experience, which was appropriate since the whole year had been about as Basque (ie local people) free as it could be which all of us recognised as a pity but a reality that's hard to avoid when work is so ex-pat focused and the locals are about as friendly as your average British person.
Nonetheless the sunset was marvelous and the night was warm and the memories good.
P.P.S. I can't close the San Sebastian chapter without mentioning football. On the final Sunday I played football with the usual set of athletes (as pictured) and hungover, hot, and well, old though most of us were it still put the F in my UN and performed mental health miracles you can't find in a blister pack.
So it's goodbye to San Sebastian and hello to UK, NYC, and Argentina... watch this space - or don't if you have something better to do.
