San Sebastian May 19 Now Just a Tourist

A peregrino no longer, I am now just a tourist.  Moving up in the world, I am at a very nice pension that is twice the price of the one I had last night, but also twice as nice and with free internet.  The bus ride here was beautiful through wooded mountains drifting with fog and clouds.  The weather is brisk, but clearing, with surfers in one of the bays.  San Sebastian is beautiful, but very touristy.  The waiters, hotel people, and even the man at the ticket window in the train station all spoke at least some English.  I splurged on lunch today, finding a Michelin 1* restaurant, and thinking there would be a line at the door or reservations needed, but I was only the second party to arrive.  It was all very  lovely and delicious with artistic presentation of the food on white plates.  I took a picture of every one of 5 or 6 courses, having a hard time remembering to do so before I ate them.

Although afterwards, after two glasses of white wine, I wanted to go back to the hotel for a siesta, I walked around one of the sea walks instead.  I am back now, and like a good pilgrim have washed my socks before logging into the internet.  Barcelona by train tomorrow, and then home on Saturday.

The author of the book that inspired me to walk from Le Puy (his name is not in my mental file) said that the pilgrim is part of the landscape while the tourist views the landscape.  I have thought of that many times in the past weeks, and now am not sure I ever want to be a tourist again, as I feel I am here.  I watched pilgrims cross the road in front of the bus this morning as we left Pamplona, and wished I were walking with them, not watching from a huge bus that separated me from the earth below.