Thursday August 18

I woke up and took a shower around 9:30 this morning, and put some roller in my hair.  I got dressed in the long dress I had brought from home, and put on my slip on croc sandals.  After an entire day of shopping yesterday, I didn't even wear anything I bought. It was very humid and it was raining. I didn't have an umbrella, and didn't want to buy one and have to haul it around with me.  My airbnb had a bunch of umbrellas, but my hostess was still asleep and I didn't want to ask to borrow one. The restaurant was about 20 minutes outside of town by taxi, and I still had maybe an hour or so to kill before I needed to head out, so I went back to the coffee bar I went to across from the tourist office and got a café au lait and what looked like a wheat or multi grain croissant.  I knew I should eat something before lunch and wine.  I finished that and had another coffee.

It was still raining, but it wasn't the least bit cold.  Most people had a jacket or sweater on and umbrellas but I was walking around in a sleeveless maxi with no umbrella.  I put lipstick on today also, fancy fancy.  The taxi rank was on the other side of the boulevard and about a block down so I just took my time, despite the sprinkling, and made it across the street and to the taxi rank without becoming completely soaked. 

I picked a great time, a lull in taxi demand, about noon and hopped into a cab and we headed out of the city into the gorgeous countryside, full of farms and beautiful trees, all very green- mountains or rolling hills.  We eventually pulled into the restaurant and I got out.  My reservation was at 12:30 and it was around 12:15.  There were lots of cars in a parking lot so I assumed that other people were also early. 

Insert Mugaritz experience.

They called a cab for me, and I headed back into town.  I had decided to go to a restaurant in Orio tomorrow and texted the Chef that Carlos Walther Meade had recommended to find out if I could get a reservation for tomorrow.  He agreed and told me to come anytime between 1:30  and 3:00.  I went into the tourist office to figure out how to get to Orio from the city center, and found that the tram went there twice every hour all day, so it was very simple to do.

I went back to the airbnb for a nap before I headed back out.  I had decided I was going to go out, find something to eat, and stay out for the fireworks. 

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