This morning, I wondered if I would get from Bilbao to San Sebastian, at least as planned. It was one of those, if it can go wrong, it will days. The bus was scheduled to depart at 11 am. From the hotel to the bus terminal, the trip is supposed to take about ten minutes. At 10:15, the front desk … Read More
San Sebastian, Spain – Day 2
Today was the unofficial start of the conference. For those of us who arrived early, we had a choice of activities, like a city tour, rowing in the bay, a boat trip along the Basque coast, surfing, hiking, and the one I selected “cooking like a Basque chef.” We started in the market where the chefs buy all the food … Read More
San Sebastian, Spain – Day 3 – part one
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 … Read More
San Sebastian, Spain – Day 3, Part 2
After the tour was over yesterday I had just enough time to return to the apartment, relax for a few minutes and then head out to the first “official” event of the conference. We took buses to a town just outside of San Sebastian to attend a Jai Alai match. For those of you who don’t know what Jai Alai … Read More
Roof lines
While traveling in Spain and the Netherlands I couldn’t help but notice the two countries differing architectural styles. In both San Sebastian and Amsterdam older, traditional buildings showcased their approach to ornamentation and, in some cases, over-the-top ostentation. Today I’ve got photos of rooflines, tomorrow decorations. The thing is, I don’t have a preference. In both locations the buildings were … Read More
Embellishment
Yesterday I showed rooflines; today I’m focusing on architectural embellishment. While I didn’t have a preference for the rooflines in San Sebastian or Amsterdam, Amsterdam wins hands down for embellishment. Dutch merchants wanted to show off their wealth. On many of their buildings there are gold adornments, sculptures, elaborate coats-of-arm or fancy trimmings. They liked cherubs and angels, heroic figures, … Read More