The Star Person of Donostia - WOHOU

 

Benta Berri 2025

 

 

You'll see them everywhere in town. Old ones, new ones, little ones, bright ones, with flags and hearts and oh my, joy. They are ubiquitous to the Donostia landscape. They bring a smile to my face every time I see one especially, when I find a new one. Like them or not, the star person (if there is a proper name I don't know about, please let me know) is a citizen of Donostia along with "enjoy the silence".

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I've been recording Grafitti for years. I've got "F#ck the Police" from 12 countries (más o menos). Graffiti is the peoples art and I admire the star person and the artist.

Donostia 2024 - Paseo de Concha

 

 

 

So it's with delight I found this article, in Basque, about the artist - WOHOU. Google does a laughably bad  translation.

WOHOU - Hirutxuloko Hitza

 

Antiquo 2025

"Would you like another one?" Parte Viejo

 

 

 

Expect to see more Star Person and related artwork soon. 

Ciao!

BIKE RIDE!

 

 

It rains a lot in Donostia. No one moves here for the weather.  Since I've bought my bike, we have had few nice days where I could take it out for a spin around town. Yet, Saturday was glorious so we were up and out early for sun and fun. The bikes live in our parking garage, 3 stories below the ground. Just getting up the ramp and out the door,  is a work out. Our parking spot makes it possible to keep bikes in this city. Many, many friends we know, take their bikes into their pisos at night. It's not uncommon to see bikes in the doorways of businesses during the day. 

 

 

We headed straight for Ondaretta Beach via the Paseo.  The bike paths that follow the beaches to Parte Viejo and beyond. It's one of the cities busiest paths, I would hazard. You've got locals whizzing their way to and from work, tourists unsure of any of the traffic lights, Fracking Glovo service guys pedaling in the speed of light,  TONS of walkers and dogs under-wheel everywhere. It is an exercise of how long and slow can you stay on a bike before you fall over? But, boy it a beautiful ride beside La Concha Beach,

We handled 28km today. Pretty good for old people.

Saturday

 

Find a bike and a man who makes you happy. Then drink coffee.

 

Saturday morning, Donostia  2025

Midterms, Nurses, Shepards and Rain

Throw those babies in the air, do da, do da.

Another weekend, another celebration. No one cares that it's cold and rainy here because there is always a celebration to be had. This weekend it was the Shepard's and Nurses. I don't know why throwing the babies up into the air is a tradition, but it looks spectacular.
Carnival is around the corner and I don't have a costume this year.  Spring brings the Cider Season and this year we ARE going to a cider house.

 

Sunset  towards Mount Igueldo, at the end of summer

There were mid-terms at the Escuela de Idioma. The grading system there is so squirrely that the professora couldn't explain it to the class. She had to start over 2 times and then just gave up. Es lo que es.
However, she did indicate that I passed. Next year I will be attending another school.

There is no end to great graffiti here.

Bear Man Festival

Evil spirits mixing up the medicine.

There is no end to parades/festivals here in Basque country. It's obscene and  many times I can not figure out "the why" and "what be" the celebration. However, I adore that the Euskadi revel in their culture. The dark part of me thinks that this is some sort of way they stay trained to resist. They move in groups. They have many different outfits - many cover their face, they can march forever in formation and go all night.

Welcome spring with a new bonnet.

We had gone to our main shopping street to pick up an amazon package, have a great cup of coffee and stop at the flower shop. A typical Saturday morning. Next thing we know, there's Um-pah-pah music and dancing bears in the street. It's the Bear Man Festival - here to ward off evil spirits! Thank you. Will it help with dRump and Putiler?

Here come the Joaldunak

Giant figures spin in circles like whirling dervishes. We don't know why. A plethora of children from the sidewalk join in the chaos with joy, squirming from their mothers arms. Of course, the parade is manned with police on motorcycles.  Pedestrians erupt with cheers and dancing. Bartenders emerge from bars to join in, glasses of beer raised high. Silver Thistle adorns doorways to ward off the spirits, usually in the form of carved wood.

Just one of several bears.

 

I read somewhere that this weekend is about forest demons - you can't see the demons face but he is here for mischief. People dressed as sheep - Joaldunak - with large bells attached to their hind quarters bouncing in unison making a god-awful racket. I'm so happy. I wish my childhood had this level of craziness attached.

 

Mommy, is that you?

A shepherd holding the chains of a huge carnival ‘bear’ with ram-horn ears accompanies the Joaldunak on their march, taking swipes at the crowd and ordering the sea of monsters to step aside to let them pass.

 

I am very lucky that we live in a very Euskadi neighborhood in Donostia, as the Bear Man Festival is a bigger tradition in the small mountain villages of the Pyrenees.
Next week, which is this week, is the Día de la Candelaria, where gypsies roam the streets. Egon On, Y'all.