2018

Still on the plane, I was already overwhelmed by the sight of Donosti from the air. Not only of San Sebastián itself, but of the entire surrounding area. I have had many beautiful views from windows of an airplane: sunrises and sunsets above the clouds, Paris with a completely cloudless view, Hyères or the snow-covered, sometimes rugged, sometimes lovely peaks of the Alps. But this simply surpassed everything. The mountains and hills of the Basque Country were a sight of hundreds of shades of rich green. The sun shone so strongly that a haze-like glow settled over them and a few clouds hung low in the valleys. The whole view had something magically paradisiacal about it and seemed almost unreal. In the distance, on the way to Bilbao, I could already see the bay of San Sebastián, which was wonderfully perfect and unmistakable on the coast. At that moment, before I had even set foot on the ground of Guipúzcoa’s capital, I was sure that these days were going to be simply great.