Esp!

I have been thinking a great deal about my trip to Europe last year. I visited a great deal of France, spent a few days in Spain and a day in Amsterdam. I had been through some of this area before, but it is always exciting to visit these wonderful places.

My thoughts keep drifting back to San Sebastian, Spain. Nestled on the Atlantic ocean in the northwest mountainous region of Spain (near the border of France), San Sebastian was both beautiful and awesome.

I enjoyed wandering its main roads and its narrower, crooked side streets. The older part of the city was filled with bars, restaurants and shops. Tapas was served nearly everywhere and people crowded the passageways as the day turned into night. There was a constant din of conversation - the air hummed with the sounds of both English and Spanish. I spent the days climbing its hills, exploring the fort that overlooked its gorgeous bay - filled with boats and swimmers (many of whom were topless - a plus!). A late lunch was enjoyed along the ocean, the salty air resting upon our lips.

We met many interesting people. A group of guys from Chicago, all airline attendants, were there in advance of the running of the bulls. They were loud, drunk and boisterous - straight out of Hemingway. Steve and I went for "one last drink" at around 11:30 - with Amanda's permission - and met a lesbian couple from Denmark that bought us round after round of shots. "One last drink" turned into 5:30 in the morning, and only after stumbling into a packed bar where the crowd was reenacting the "Shake Your Tailfeather" scene in "The Blues Brothers" were we able to successfully navigate to the hotel. I spoke, in broken Spanish, with a store owner about Mark Knopfler.

People went about their business casually, easily. Stores shut down in the afternoon for siesta, then reopened as people re-flooded the streets. There was a tranquility about it all.

If there was ever a place I felt I should be, it was here. And I wasn't the only one - Shawn also came to the same conclusion.

I've always felt a peacefulness when around the ocean. I was entranced by the city's magic.

I believe that we can learn a lot from these types of places. There's less focus on work and more on relaxation and family. If this current recession teaches us anything, I hope people remember how expendable they really are - if it's you or the bottom line, you're going to be sent on your way.

I can't wait to return. Could it ever happen that I might one day become an ex-pat? What besides a mortgage and fear is stopping me? Is it wanderlust or a pre-midlife crisis?

I'm ready.