Making Progress...
Today we ran eleven miles in a loop around San Sebastián... I didn't take my camera and so you will have to rely on the pictures through my words!
Firstly imagine a very bright sunny day at the beach... With lots and lots of people taking a walk along the prom, enjoying the sea air and the bright sun... Also imagine a strong breeze and big big waves to match this...
As we wound our way up the steps from the harbour to the top, we were looking down at waves that elicited gasps of awe as they crashed into the sea wall below...
'I love watching them'! Anadi said, as I re-joined him from my visit to the loo... 'I know' I replied, 'I am glad I'm not in not them though...! We leaned over, watching the huge waves build and crash and swirl below... 'They must be ten feet tall...'
On we ran, and then saw a sight that would have been wonderful to capture on film...
We were a way back along the road; runners, cyclists, walkers were scattered in groups and in ones and twos in front of us...
Suddenly about four hundred meters ahead, we saw an extra huge wave hit the wall, but it was so powerful that the water came over the top and broke across the whole road...
There was a group of five people, who saw it above them and raced across the road to escape it, but didn't run fast enough, and were completely soaked...!
We exclaimed at the sight and I crossed over to run on the other side of the road... ! Ever curious Anadi stayed the 'wave side' to watch the scene below him...
However nearer the 'danger area' he joined me in my 'avoiding the waves if at all possible side'... When suddenly in front of me stood five very wet beings, laughing wet beings!
'I saw you, I saw you' I said and we connected in our different languages, all speaking and laughing Spanish and English...
As we ran on Anadi said 'it is funny the things that connect us...'
Soon, we neared the part of town we had been staying in last week, and we saw throngs more people, crowds and crowds making their way to the stadium.
'The whole planet is in San Sebastián today' I said to Anadi.... 'Yes, all 7 billion of us' Anadi agreed...
We discovered that San Sebastian's team Real Sociedad were playing and they were certainly being very well supported....!
On our way back along the top of the prom where the waves were huge and leaping over the wall, this time we nearly got caught ourselves...
I saw the wave coming and raced away from the wall; the water crossed the whole road again, just catching my ankle...
The group of us who had run, and just escaped... laughed and laughed together...
The joy of racing waves...!
'I suppose if it were a Tsunami we wouldn't know much about it...' I commented in rather macabre fashion to Anadi...
As we ran on enjoying sploshing through the puddles left by the lively wave...
Later...
I was idling through the news feed on Facebook before I started to write this blog, and I saw that my friend Elizabeth Bice Cavalli who is a wonderful opera singer and vocal teacher in Vienna, had posted this... 'The legendary Cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90 'because I think I'm making progress' he replied...
'Thats why I'm still running ' I said to Anadi...!
