Making Hostel Friends in San Sebastian 0
I never felt lonely traveling on my own around Spain. I was meeting new people at every turn, so I wasn’t surprised that I hit it off well with my new hostel mates upon arriving in San Sebastian. I was more shocked at how touched I was at the meaningful connections I left with.
It was the first night of San Sebastian and our hostel managers at the Kaixo Hostel, two So-Cal looking surfer dudes, were throwing a dinner party for us. I had chosen to stay in that night as I had just tested my severely nonathletic body in a two hour bike tour of Donostia and was very much looking forward to getting to know everyone there. I was sharing a room with three girls who recently graduated from U Penn, doing the stereotypical “backpacking through Europe” excursion, a beautiful German girl named Verena who was a nurse back in Berlin, now accompanying a friend who was moving to San Sebastian for University, and a wickedly charming and funny Aussie body surfer named Luke who had just finished a successful tour with his band. We had just wrapped up a few hours of drinking wine and chatting about American pop culture when we realized it was about time to close the kitchen. So we all headed into our rooms to get ready for bed. Or so we thought.
As we all were unpacking, repacking, making our beds, and changing into pajamas, silly conversations stirred up. Having Luke as the only male in the room, us girls were fascinated with his stories of being on the road, his choice of tattoos, and his adventures in the ocean. His sense of humor was addicting and we were showing no signs of growing tiresome as we exchanged “lost in translation” moments and cultural references. We quoted movies, shared embarrassing moments, discussed our favorite animals, and revealed past horrible hostel stories. It was a night of too many giggles and very little sleep. But we all went to bed with big smiles on our faces, giddy with excitement for the rest of our stay.
Verena and I on the boardwalk of La Concha
Luke and I on the boardwalk of La Concha
The next day Verena, Luke, and I decided to be beach bums. A nice filling breakfast at the cafe downstairs (complete with cafe con leche, of course!) we set off to the surfers central at Ondaretta as Luke had based his trip to San Sebastian around hitting a few waves. Unfortunately the waves were barely rising so we planted on the sand and decided to catch a few rays instead. As we lay on the soft brown earth the three of us opened up about how travel had changed our lives, even in the most subtle ways. Our time in Europe had exposed us to a greater world where people were welcoming, genuine, helpful, and most of all – inspiring. We talked about what we had learned in our travels, the people we met, the food we ate, the culture we grew to love, and quickly became closer friends that afternoon. We each felt a special bond to each other and made a pact to spend as much time together during our stay in San Sebastian. We decided to test our new friendship with a spiritual hike up Monte Urgell Mendia to see the giant Jesus statue.
A quick pinxtos lunch off the beach and shower back at the hostel, we head back out to trek the mountain side of San Sebastian. We walked through Parque de Alderdi-Eder, Ayuntamiento, Carrousel Belle, Iglesia de Santa Maria, and even stopped for some gelato before tackling the hills. Adding his own musical touch to the adventure, Luke brought along his acoustic guitar, giving our trek its own signature soundtrack complete with impromptu sing alongs and covers. With every step we took, we sung out another line, let out a laugh, and took in a deep breath, pushing onward.
Verena and Luke singing a song for Jesus
The trek proved challenging but ridiculously fun and fulfilling. Without Verena and Luke by my side, I would have never completed the hike and felt so good after. Maybe Jesus heard our songs and decided to be on our side that afternoon.
Jesus approves our songs
The next few days I got to spend time with both Verena and Luke privately, and the more I got to know them the more I knew I’d miss them terribly once I had to leave. They were incredibly humorous and kind, and similar to my friends back home. I wanted to pack them in my suitcase and bring them to Madrid with me.
Leaving San Sebastian was bitter sweet, as all my previous goodbyes had been in Spain. After listening to countless Travel Geeks telling their stories of friendships on the road, I was finally understanding their sentiments. It was easy to make friends, it was easy to connect with other people around the world, and it was something indescribable to friends and family back home. I felt grateful and ecstatic to have bonded with such great people and I think of them everyday.
No Facebook wall post can ever come close to replacing those times together.
