Everyday Encounters: A friendship that started in Tiburon and spans continents

Pep Gubau (left) and Brian Suchodolski, both 22, stand at the corner of Tiburon Boulevard and Beach Road in Tiburon on Aug. 26 before walking to Lola’s Taqueria. The two grew up in Tiburon and became friends through soccer; Gubau moved from Barcelona at age 7 and returned there for his junior and senior years of high school. (Francisco Martinez / The Ark)

Brian Suchodolski and Pep Gubau reminisce about a childhood friendship as they walk to Lola’s Taqueria from the corner of Tiburon Boulevard and Beach Road on Aug. 26. Both call the Mexican restaurant a favorite, and both say they’re fans of its burritos.

The two are more than lifelong friends. As Suchodolski puts it, Gubau is practically his brother. Obstacles to that friendship, including some 5,950 miles between two continents, are easy to overcome.

“When we see each other, it’s just like we haven’t been apart at all,” Suchodolski says.

The two 22-year-olds, who grew up in Tiburon, were separated when Gubau returned to Barcelona for his junior and senior years of high school. That, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, kept them from seeing each other for about 18 months, Gubau says.

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