sun
Travel time from anywhere in San Francisco: 5 minutes to an hour, depends on where you come from. Ideal trip length: an afternoon. Nice to haves: blanket, sweater, sunscreen, beer and a sandwich from that place on Guerrero or pizza from Delfina or both. Directions: Take the bart towards Daly City/SFO and get off at 16th and Mission and walk.
Travel time from Bilbao by car: About 45 minutes. Ideal trip length: A few days, a week if you surf. Nice to haves: sailboat, surfboard, and knowledge of the word 'pintxo'. Directions: It's a little confusing...google it here.
Mundaka is situated to the west of the Oca/Oka river, south of the Bay of Biscay and is not that far from the French border. A haven for surfers, Mundaka is absolutely breathtaking and part of the Urdaibai estuary. I went on a day trip and had a great time eating in a small restaurant/bar and watching the waves roll in and out.
Legend (or wikipedia) has it Mundaka comes from the latin expression 'aqua munda' or clean water...I just love saying the word. It's like Mufasa, but better. I've know one person from Mundaka (from when I was living in Bilbao) and he was the closest thing to hipster chic that I think any Basque man will be. Meaning: he was effortlessly cool, perfectly tanned, always on the front end of the latest trend, and had the only mullet-style haircut that was actually good-looking. And perfect taste in music--slightly esoteric, but mainstream enough to be popular with the cool kids.
They also hold the Billabong Pro events here, or used to (looks like it is Brazil this year). They say you can surf 1 out of every 3 days, which I'm guessing is higher odds than most places. But really, a great place to visit, surf, and eat (pintxos=tapas in the Basque country).
Have you been to Mundaka? What was your experience? Leave a comment below and share your travels!
Wednesdays are for wanderlusting. I love travelling and exploring different parts of my city, state, country and world! I'll be sharing trips every week with photos, directions, tips and tales from my adventures.
Bolinas, California.
Travel time from San Francisco: just over an hour. Ideal trip length: day. Nice to haves: car, bathing suit, surf board. Directions: Drive North on the 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge. Once you are on the Marin side, take the exit for CA-1 north towards MIll Valley/Stinson Beach. Stay on for about 17 miles then turn left on Olema Bolinas Road. Continue onto Wharf Road and you are there. You essentially go around the Bolinas lagoon. It's the west side sister of Stinson beach.
I drove up mid-morning and arrived in time for a lazy lunch at Coast Café (lunch is served 11am - 3pm). There's an outdoor seating area, which is nice on a hot day. No ocean views, but it is very close, and there aren't really any other options. On a weekday, it will probably be pretty slow, but the service was nice and the food pretty good--not amazing but good for what it was. After lunch, I wandered into the Bolinas Museum for some art and then walked east to edge of the Bolinas lagoon and watched a man teach his son how to surf, which was pretty adorable. Then I just took my time walking along the beach, collecting shells and sticks and such. Sometimes there are lots of surfers, but this day there weren't many, just a nice clear beach and ocean to stare out at.
If you want to try surfing, you can check out Bolinas Surf for lessons. They have private and weekend group lessons, as well as a surf camp coming up in August. They also rent out everything you need if you don't actually have the board or attire. There's also the Marin-Bolinas Botanical Gardens that is open to the public on the weekends.
Close enough you can use a sick day to make the trip; far enough you'll feel like you are on vacation far far away.
Have you been to a spa in Bolinas? What was your experience? Leave a comment below and share your travels!
San Francisco. April. 2013. A few of my friends just moved into art/work studios in my neighborhood, both of them starting their own clothing companies. I spent Sunday visiting them and seeing what else is going on at the spaces. I realized once again how amazing San Francisco is...biking everywhere, sunshine (rare), and awesome artists/artisans making it work. I also ran into an old flatmate at the park, who's now friends with one of my best friends. I played stylist for various friends. I stumbled upon old romances, new romances, enjoyed current romances...Yes, this city is incestuous, but in a good way.
Some finds:
Holly Gaiman. Milliner.
'Glamorous. Edgy. A little bit British.'
Zafer Aksit. Artist.
He had a giant glitter piece that I am still dreaming about. His website does not work, but I'm sure eventually we'll see more from him. His business card says it all.
Amber Jean Young. Artist.
She hand sews most of her work. It is amazing.
Kellen Breen. Artist.
I wrote about his show about a year ago. He's since been selected as a Mastermind by SF Weekly. I cannot wait to see more.
As for my friends' clothing companies...more on that as it unfolds!
Palo Alto. March. 2013.
It is wedding season. As we await the decisions of Prop 8, it is hard to celebrate nuptials that are legally sanctioned without thinking about all those that are unable to do the same. Of course, anyone can throw a party in celebration, but the recognition of a union between two people that want to share the rest of there lives together, and all the pleasure, pain and tax deductions that come with it, should be universal regardless of sexual identity. I have been to quite a few weddings, and the diversity in ceremonies is vast, further highlighting that unions are already consummated (pun intended) in a variety of ways, be it religious, secular, or something in between. Why then is marriage stuck to this very strict and antiquated definition that it's main purpose is pro-creation? Moreover, why isn't the act of raising children, even if not biological, not considered an important necessity to continue the human race?
Let's hope for the best for all humanity and assume there will be lots more weddings in the future, giving you reason to travel and stay at hotels. And maybe some of them will be in Palo Alto. And maybe you will have to share a hotel room with two friends to afford to stay the night. And maybe you will be rushing to the wedding because your ride is late.
And maybe you will let tears run down the side of your face as you beam with happiness when the priest announces Husband and Wife. And maybe you will have an amazing time chatting up fresh in-laws and family friends of the Bride at the reception. And maybe you will reminisce about all the dance floors you dominated as a career flower girl circa 1992. And maybe watching the young girl dancing with the Bride will bring you to tears, because you miss being a little girl dreaming about being a grown up bride, even if you realize you don't think you ever did that.
And maybe the Bride and Groom will have an endless glow that surrounds them as they take photographs, entertain and start their new lives as a married couple. And maybe they will also have a sweet suite on the top floor where you might be able to have a classic hotel after party. And maybe the Bride calls down for a lot of champagne classes and plastic cups. And maybe you talk about playing beer bong. And maybe you realize you can no longer party like you used to and you instead find pleasure in unwrapping all the little things in the hotel room and going to sleep in a fluffy robe in a giant bed. And maybe you just like looking at the bath tub. And maybe you don't work out in the hotel gym, even though you brought your clothes.
And maybe you stand in awe at the hotel attendants ability to pack all you and your friends' (along with the centerpiece you took from the wedding) bags into your car perfectly. And maybe you leave the Four Seasons and instead spend the next day at the Rosewood Sandhill resort pool and bask in the sun to get over your champagne hang over. And maybe, you'll be laying out next to your best friends. And maybe you dream about the chance that someday they, too, can tie the knot, and then you can do it all over again.
