LA ISLA

I got to sleep in and relax this morning, which was nice after a full week. Makaela and her host sister, Daniela, picked me up around 12:30 pm to go to the island. The island is in the bay by La Concha beach, but neither Makaela or I knew what to expect.

We took the bus down into the city and stopped at a bar to pick up Bocadillos for Makaela and Daniela's lunch. The main strip in the city was full of people. A band was playing Basque music, and a large group of people were out dancing. Everyone knew the dances and were having a good time. It was amazing to watch, wondering how everyone knew all the steps.

Daniela then went to pick up her cousin, Santi. He is nine years old and full of energy. The four of us walked down to the boat with Santi's grandmother, who was super nice and fun to talk to.

Now on the boat, we arrived at the island about five minutes later. It isn't far at all. Although we didn't know what to expect, it was not what Makaela and I imagined. We thought it would a sort of mini town, but it was mostly natural still. Getting off the boat, we saw a small shop and restaurant, a small beach, and people swimming. We then walked up the hill aways, which was all vegetation except for the pathways. There was open grass with trees for shade and a couple picnic tables in various areas. After setting down our stuff in a shady spot, Daniela and Santi showed us around the island. We ended up taking some dead-end paths because, as Daniela said, the paths on the island are continuously changing. None the less, there were good views back toward the city and lots of exploration.

After walking around the island, we returned to our shady spot to rest for a minute. We talked a little and tried the water bottle flipping trick with Santi. Finally giving in to his begging, we then headed down to the water. Daniela and Santi jumped straight in, but Makaela and I waded. The water was very cold, and it was taking Makaela and I awhile to get all the way in. Santi, wanting to speed up the process, resorted to splashing us. Once he got us in, it was nice, mostly. There were kids, like Santi, jumping off the port into the water, people swimming, and people laying out in the little sand and rock that existed. We ended up swimming on both sides of the port, and, for some reason, one side definitely felt colder than the other.

Santi's mom then arrived, so we brought all of our stuff down to a spot that soon became shady on the rocks. Makaela and I laid out to relax for awhile, and I, of course, fell asleep. Makaela, however, finally got to read her book. It was a relaxing few hours, and we got to talk to Santi's mom for awhile.

Getting tired, we boarded a boat back to the mainland just after 7:00 pm, leaving our day behind us on the island.

La ciudad

Las sendras en la vegetación

Makaela y yo

Las rocas

La sombra

El puerto y la playa