The official start of the conference is tonight, with what sounds like a lot of surprises for us. But before then. I took another pre-conference tour. This one was largely outside in lush, green sites. The weather cooperated, warm but not hot and very sunny.
We started at the royal home of Maria Christina. The group made a long walk around the property; I was content to walk a short distance, sit on a bench and enjoy a quiet respite. Then they were off to see a work “Wind Comb” by local sculptor Eduardo Chillida that is viewed by the locals as a symbol of the city. Again, I waited that one out as I was told it would be a long walk. Instead, I stayed on the bus and had a great Spanglish conversation with the bus driver. I’m always amazed how much Spanish I remember.
Next stop was a ride up on a 100+ years old funicular to the top of Monte Igueldo. I’d been to the top by van when I toured the area last Sunday. Today the weather was far better and the view spectacular.
When everyone had taken their fill of photos, we descended the mountain by bus and headed a short way out of town. There we visited an open-air art museum displaying the sculpture of Eduardo Chillida. I’d never heard of Chillida, but I will now look for his work which is on display around the world.
The setting was rolling hills, dotted with trees and sculpture. While we were walking around, the grass was getting mown; the scent added to my sense of well-being. Also on the property is a barn that he converted into a work and exhibition space. The barn itself was a work of art. The supporting beams were designed to look like trunks of trees with upward reaching branches. Sunlight poured in from skylights. Being inside had a magical sense of being open to the outside.
On our return to San Sebastian, two other conference attendees and I went for lunch. We ordered a typical Basque meal of pinxhos (the Basque version of tapas). I ate squid, salmon, a mushroom skewer, and a “gilda” – the most representative of all Basque pinxhos — green olives, anchovies, and pickled guindilla peppers on a skewer. It was all delicious.