I am back again after the most wonderful trip. Granted it was a long drive and maybe I am just a little bit crazy to just get in my car at 4.30 in the morning and drive a 1000 kilometers to make sure I arrive before lunch time and meet up with my folks, but boy was it worth it!

I have been thinking all day yesterday about whether I would post on my blog about this trip, since it really is a bit off-topic but hey, posting on great expensive lunches and beautiful dream holidays on a “money making” blog really isn´t all that weird LOL

My folks were going to San Sebastian last week to visit the best gastronomy fair of Spain, where all the best chefs, restaurants and products were very well presented and different classes were given by all these top chefs on how they prepare their (mainly prize-winning) dishes and I decided to catch up with them there, both to see them and to share the experiences.

Signature Dish of 2002

I have been back a few days now and fortunately I have taken a lot of pictures of all the special dishes we have enjoyed, the beautiful moments we shared, superb wines we had and all the fun we had. When driving back the 1000 kilometers all I could think was just how privileged I have been and I the feelings of gratefulness and being completely impressed by all we have seen, eaten and done are still with me.

Looking back at all those pictures I feel truely blessed.

There were some very special people I have meet this trip, all so loving and warm, full with passion for their profession. One man that really stood out was Martin Berasategui, chef of one of the few 3 star Michelin restaurants of Spain. He was one of the participants of the Gastronomy Fair, giving lectures and showing some of his excellent dishes, but he was also walking around socializing with collegues from all over the world, visitors and friends. I had already heard a lot about this chef through stories from my parents who had been at his restaurants a few times but actually being able to go myself and really live this experience has blown me away completely.

Signature Dish Martin Berasategui

Here is this guy, walking around all day, being asked to sign his books, talking to everybody and anybody, being stopped continuously to be in pictures, almost like a big movie star. And in the evening he is cooking all these great superb creations to pleasure all his guests in his completely filled restaurant. That in itself is already an accomplishment to be proud of and I could very well imagine he had to be exhausted by the time the kitchen closed. But the day hadn´t ended for him, there was yet another tv interview for him to give and while watching him answer all the questions with grace and passion, I just could not stop admiring his spirit.

When talking to him afterwards when it was time for us to go home (by then it was almost 2 am!) he was so enthusiastic, so sincere and so grateful for all the people who had come to visit his restaurant to enjoy and taste his creations… I don´t think I have ever seen such an impressive personality. You just wished some of his personality and genious would rub off on yourself when talking to him.

So if you are ever in the area of San Sebastian and want to have a remarkable experience of taste sensations exploding in your mouth, be sure to visit this guy, I won´t say another word about it right now, already starting to feel hungry myself LOL

Before leaving I blogged only a little about how driving always gives me the time to think about things but quite frankly when driving back my head was so filled with all these different impressions that it was almost impossible to put all the thoughts in the right order. Probably the most important thing I have taken away from this trip is the passion and how it can bring your to great heights in life.

Another thing is that I again learned just how important family is and how much I enjoy spending time with my parents, something I can´t do too often because we live in different countries.

My new year resolutions for 2008 were to spend more time with them and do all that is possible to achieve that, and I already know this will be on my resolutions list for 2009.

And when driving back with my car filled up with beautiful red wines, a whole load of cookbooks of all the places we ate at and a head full of impressions all I could think was just how privileged I am and grateful for all I have. So that about rounds it up for me for now.

You can find inspiration anywhere if you open yourself up for new experiences so I would love to know…

What has made a big impression on you lately?