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umichenginabroad · 5 years

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The Final Countdown

Ryan DaCostaUndeclaredSpanish Language, Culture, and Industry in San Sebastián, SpainI can not believe the trip is already over. It really feels like we’ve only been here a day. I am so jealous of the summer-session group who get to spend the next three weeks in San Sebastián. Everyone in our group has been voicing their jealousy as well.

We all saved our souvenir shopping for the last day, more or less, too. We all had different family members in mind as we walked through the Old Part of the city. Elena bought a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s Fiesta, and she wanted to take a picture in front of Cafe Iruña which is the setting of one of the scenes in the book. I hopped in on it because it looked really cool.

Looks good, no?

We also had to celebrate with each other one last time. We went to a bar, Espit Chupitos, after Juevintxo and before the club. They had over 300 shots of very weird names, including: Bob Marley, Big Papi, Finding Nemo, and more. It was was such a unique experience.

The shot seen below is the Big Papi which tasted like a chocolate milkshake with Bailey’s. We had to mix it so the whipped cream with cocoa powder mixed with the shot. It was also on fire, so that was awesome. Definitely a great experience, and I would totally recommend it to anyone near an Espit Chupitos. I know there is one in Barcelona as well.

After Espit Chupitos, we went to a new club called Indara. We had to get tivkets beforehand, which was stressful for a minute because they sold out relatively early. But, it worked out for everyone and we were able to go out with our student leaders one last time.

Marta, Irati, Javier and Iranzu took us to all of our school-sponsored side trips and showed us around Pamplona for the past three weeks. We’ve really appreciated how patient they were with us when they showed us around. We also appreciated how fun they made Pamplona. They showed us around on Juevintxos; they gave us a heads up of where all the local students were going each night; they even showed us their favorite spots to hang out in the local parks!

Speaking of parks, some of us walked through a new section of the Ciudadela. That’s the name of the really old park that was built as a military base between the 16th and 17th centuries. Now it’s been replaced with a bunch of gardens and public recreational spaces. Below is a panoramic of one of the gardens in the Ciudadela when Anna and Kayla, from the summer session, went with me to the Old Part for our last class project.

We had to speak to local people from Pamplona in the stores where they sell the red pañuelos and fajas (the handkerchief and scarf-belt that are traditional attire in the San Fermín celebration). The stores, however, were a 30 minute walk from the campus. So, we walked quickly. We did manage to stop long enough to admire the park fully since it’d be our last opportunity to enjoy la Ciudadela.

When we went back into the Old Part of the city, we had the strangest experience. First, Tomás showed Isabella and me his favorite bakery that he found. It was called Pastas Beatriz. I walked in and asked the lady if one of the cakes I saw was a coffee cake. She said no it was chocolate cake with nuts on the bottom. Normally, I wouldn’t have gotten it, but I figured since it’s the last day, I might as well go for it.

I’m glad I did because it was an amazing snack for when we got caught in the middle of a parade. This really large group of drummers began an incredible performance that was so invigorating. Everyone on the streets was dancing to the beat of the drums. People came out of their houses, on the balconies as you can see in the top left of the photo, to watch below.

They were in the town getting the atmosphere prepared for San Fermín. The month leading up to San Fermín, June, is usually full of small events meant to build the hype for special day.

We made our way out of the crowd to continue going into shops. As we walked out of the crowd I looked back and saw parents dancing with their small children who were all dancing in the street with each other.

Then we finished up our shopping tour of the Old Part by getting posters for San Fermín. Every year, there are contests to design the new poster. Then, a winner is chosen and that image is the logo of the celebrations that year. My personal favorites are:

2019

(eitb.eus)

1953

(Pinterest.com)

and 1924 (which is when Hemingway’s works take place).

(Pinterest.com)

This is where I am going to leave off. It seems right because these posters really capture the essence of Pamplona best, in my opinion. They’re designed by the people of Pamplona for the people of Pamplona. They reveal what is important to the people here, the sense of pride in their culture and traditions. They also illustrate how fun the city is. It’s truly such an amazing experience that no snapchat could ever truly portray how fun Pamplona is.

I will miss this place a lot. I hope I can come back in the near future so I can get to all the things I didn’t get to do, like: el Camino de Santiago, the rest of la Ciudadela, visit the vineyards in the area, and more. I have grown in my understanding of Spanish culture and history. This was such an amazing opportunity, I will never forget how much this trip has taught me.

Ryan DaCosta

Undeclared

Spanish Language, Culture, and Industry in San Sebastián, Spain

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEsansebastian #RyanDaCosta #IPE Summer19

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