Fireworks

Saturday started Semana Grande here in San Sebastián and in Bilbao as well.  Basically, Semana Grande is   a typical Spanish fiesta.  Food stands, drink, live music, carnival games and rides and lots and lots of tourists.  A friend and I went down to Parte Vieja on Saturday night to meet another group of people.  After two pintxos bars we were done.  The crowds were totally insane, and a girl in our group had her wallet pick-pocketed.  Lesson learned - in large crowds do not (a) have an open purse, (b) keep your wallet near the top of this open purse, and (c) keep your purse swung around behind your back where you can't see when someone reaches their hand into it.  I had purposely brought a closed purse that you have to lift the flap up to open.  I also tend to bury my wallet in the middle of my bag so anyone who reaches into it has to sort through about a billion other things to find it.  Anyhow, I had been out the night before as well, so we decided to head back to our apartment building.

Sounds like it was a bit of a bust, huh?  However, Semana Grande also comes with the international fireworks festival.  Every night a different group does a fireworks display.  The hill leading up to our building happens to have an awesome view of the show about halfway up.  There was a large group of people gathered (though not nearly as large as those down below - it took us 3 times as long as normal to get out of Parte Vieja and El Centro toward our hill!), including some really cute kids.  We watched the 30 minute show, enjoying our break from our climb up the hill and enjoying the kids reactions.  One little girl narrated the whole show "ROJO!  COLORES!!  AZUL!! (Red! Colors! Blue!"  Etcetera.  Then with glee, as the fireworks started forming shapes "CORAZONES!! (Hearts!)"  And finally my favorite:  "ESMAILIS!" (Smiley faces!)

Last night I didn't want to brave the crowds down below so I opted to go to the roof of our building with a girl I work with who lives here and a glass of red wine.  Last night's display was one of the coolest fireworks displays I've ever seen.  Really beautifully choreographed with fireworks at different heights from close to the bay to very very high up.  Lots of cool color combinations, and a finish that I can't even start to describe, but was the coolest, most unique finish to a fireworks show I've ever seen.  I'm planning on spending 30 minutes on the roof for the next few nights to watch the rest of the shows.