As I start this article I’m on a RENFE train, Basque Country bound. My expectations are high. Pretty much every chef I’ve ever met has either wanted to go to San Sebastian or waxed poetic about the city, having visited often for inspiration. I know already that there are more Michelin stars per square foot…

It was raining in Vienna when my plane took off. The sun was ablaze where I landed; in Spain. On my way to my temporary home in the mountains of the Priorat, I made a stop in Benidorm, Alicante to celebrate my mother’s 50th birthday with her et familia at my aunt’s vacation home. The dates just kind of worked out…