Dufurrenas

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  Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Thursday, December 4, 2008

So we left off when I was on my way to Baztan to meet
the Dufurrena family. Apparently not very many people were traveling on Sunday
because I was the only person on the bus. Imagine that, a whole bus just for
me. They must know who I am... :) 
Just kidding. My relative, Socorro, met me in Elizondo and drove us to the
house. For this blog we are going to call them cousins because the family tree
is a bit complex (Well you have your cousins, then your first cousin... Wait,
that's not right, is it? *Mean Girls quote). I would attach a
diagram but that is beyond my computer skills. The older generation consists of
Juan Marie, Socorro, and Nieves. Juan Marie and Socorro have three kids: Jon,
Ibon, and Ainhoa. Everyone but Ainhoa was there for dinner and we sat and
talked until 1am! The conversations were good and the food even better. It was
a welcome change since Saturday night when I went to dinner in Donostia with my
teammates. I was excited to go out on the town with peers but you can imagine
my disappointment when we ate at Foster's, an American restaurant. I'm in the
Basque Country dang it! I want Basque food! It was a good time though and I
enjoyed their company.

  Back at the family's house the weather was bad so we stayed inside and visited. None of
them speak English and the 5:1 ratio was a bit stressful at times. But it was
all good practice and I was even able to pick up some more Euskera (Basque). I
like to use cheesy quotes or sayings and lately I have attempted to say them in
Spanish. Probably not a good idea. Iban is a fan of the fiestas and he said, in
Spanish, 'If one glass of wine a day is good, then two glasses are double good!'
The conversation then turned to partying late and not sleeping much before
work. This is when I tried to say, "Ah, you can sleep when you're dead." But
the meaning was either not funny, lost in translation, or both. The awkward
silence set in... I quickly changed topics to wine and its' different origins.
Good save. Wine is a solid standby conversation in Euskadi.

  I stayed the night at their house and they drove me to the bus stop after lunch on
Monday. I shared the bus with a few other travelers on my return to Lasarte.
The scenery was beautiful and we even went through some snow on the mountain
passes. I made it in time to change clothes, call the family in Nevada, and go
to practice. Tuesday I wandered around Lasarte and Donostia before heading to
Hernani to have dinner and watch Goenkale with my friends. Wednesday morning I
packed my backpack for a 3-day trip and took the bus to Pamplona. Here I met
with Ainhoa and we went to her apartment in the center of town. She is about 6
years older than me and teaches at a secondary school. After dropping off my
backpack we went for a quick tour about town. December 3rd was Dia
de Navarra and the whole province was celebrating so she didn't have school. We
stopped in the plaza to enjoy some local song and dance. It was all in Euskera
so she would translate to Spanish for me and I would understand most but not
all of it. Sometimes this reminds me of those guessing games you play at home. You know, the ones where you can't say the word directly so you use hand
signals, draw pictures, point... ect. Anyways, she showed me the old town,
including the streets and bullring of the famous San Fermin festival. The rain
was at a slow drizzle, but not too bad. We returned to the apartment for a late
lunch and then took another walking tour. For a few minutes we watched a
religious procession inside the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real. Since it was
festival the cathedral was lit up to reveal the fine details of every painting
and sculpture inside. They are pretty serious about their churches over here,
amazing architecture.

  That night I stayed in Ainhoa's spare room and got up early to catch the bus after
she left for school. When I went to purchase my ticket the lady told me, "No.
Es completo." So I had to scramble and track down a train ticket. It ended up
there was a seat left but I had to wait until afternoon. No big deal so I took
a self-guided tour to the train station. By the time I got to Barcelona it was
dark and I wasn't able to see much. Early in the morning I will take a metro to
the airport and meet my dad. From here we will embark together back north to
the country of his grandparents. Until next time...
Hope all is well back in the States and txintxo ibili! :)

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