The Topo

I am convinced that life in the Basque Country happens on the topo. The "topo" (as they call it here in Guipuzcoa, the province that contains San Sebastian and Irun) is a mix between a tram and a train. It runs over most of the Basque Country, but mostly along the coast line. It is my link, my life-line between Irun and San Sebastian. A round-trip ticket between Irun and San Sebastian costs 2.40 euros and takes exactly 32 minutes each way. On Saturday nights the topo runs all night long, departing from San Sebastian every two hours beginning at 12:15 am. It is an amazing and fulfilling part of my life.

There is an actual train that also connects Irun with San Sebastian but I prefer the topo. Everyone takes the topo: Old people, school children, teenagers, husbands and wives, entire families, mothers and babies. There is always something happening on the topo. There is always some child that is crying uncontrolably. Or there are some teenages basquies that are drunk and smoking weed. Or there are couples making out. Or lots of old Basque women who talk really loud and sit right next to you even though there are lots of other seats open. My topo rides are anything but boring.

Take tonight for example. On the way to San Sebastian, I encountered an elderly man with his bike that sat down right across from me. He said something to me but I wasn't paying attention so I asked him to say it again. He told me that I have the most beautiful eyes that he has ever seen (a compliment I seem to be getting alot lately). I thanked him, thinking that would be the end of our conversation. Not quite so, I came to find out. He then asked me if my eyes were blue or green. I responded that they were blue. And then I thanked him again. Then he noticed that I am not Basque, nor Spanish. He thought maybe I was French or German but I informed him that I was neither. I am from the United States, una americana. He seemed to like this and began to tell me all about his life. This gentlemen is 74 years old. He has never been married and has no children but was on the point of getting married once, until his fiance left him for another man. But lucky for them both, he didn't kill them because, as he told me, killing them just would not be worth it. And he didn't support killing other people. Whew...what a relief. I was worried for a moment. But don't fear...this man is not alone. He has a cat and a dog, and of course, his bicycle. And he is trying to sell his apartment in San Sebastian so that he can buy a little house and some land in the campo. He showed me photos of the house and of his apartment. He has friends and he goes to a dance class for seniors. He invited me to his dance class and proceded to show me a flyer from the class. On the front of the flyer it has a big 55+ (as in the age you should be to attend) and told me that if I wanted to go just to let him know. I thanked him again and told him that I might be just a little young. Thankfully he understood. He was harmless and I'm sure just liked that someone would talk to him.

I finally arrived in San Sebastian and went on my way. I had dinner with friends and went out for a while. I returned to the topo station around 4:00 am with enough time to visit the ladies room and catch the 4:15 am topo. Usually these topo rides at 4:15 am are quite exciting. I usually have a book or magazine with me but never actually get the chance to read it. Tonight was no exception. Another elderly man (also with a bike) encountered me tonight and sat down right next to me and proceded to chat. He also found out that I am from the states. He is from Salamanca. He is younger than the other man but still much older than me. He started asking questions about what I am doing here, where I live, do I have a boyfriend. He has a niece or nephew (or some relative) that maybe speaks English but wants to learn more and told me that I should get in contact with this person to be able to have conversations with them. He gave me his phone number and told me to call him tomorrow after lunch so that we could make a date to meet. He liked my purse and asked if I had purchased it here. This man also told me all about his life and the lives of his parents, grandparents and ancestors. I didn't really catch everything he was saying because I couldn't help thinking: "Why is this happening to me again?" Oh, and he also gave me some candies because they are too sweet for him.

As you can see life here really does happen in two places, bars and the topo. Everything you need to see and understand about life in the Basque country you can learn in these two places. I like to think of it as a social experiment. If you are interested in the Basque way of life, come visit me. We'll take a ride on the topo together.