Kind of a weird day, weather-wise - went from cloudy to spitting to drizzle to raining back to cloudy then spitting and finally after lunch sunshine but windy! But that didn’t stop us from getting out and seeing something of San Sebastián! It is a lovely city of about 190 000 in the Basque region of Spain. Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a very unique language that has no connection to any other world language. It is what they call a ‘language isolate’. Most people speak both Basque and Spanish, though interesting to note that in our generation, people were forbidden to learn or speak Basque. It has since been reinstated as an official language of the region, but there is a generation that did not learn it. Our food tour guide, Iri, said that her parents did not learn it so don’t speak it, even though she and her siblings and her grandparents all speak it.
San Sebastián, or Donastia in Basque, is a cosmopolitan city rooted in tradition but also with an internation flair in their hosting of prestigious jazz and film festivals. It is a bustling place but not like Barcelona or Madrid or Sevilla.
I had put together a bucket list for each of the places we were visiting, and my San Sebastián one was a long one! Irv and I headed out for the Cathedral which was a nice leisurely walk along the river. The cathedral is impressive, as most seem to be. Not over the top ornate, but it IS a European cathedral so the requisite carvings and gilded alters and multitude of statues. The weird thing was that there was a high pitched noise going on that was rather annoying. I said to Irv, “Maybe they play that so people won’t stay too long!” From the cathedral we headed over to the famous Maria Cristina Bridge that crosses the Urumea River. It is unique in that it has four impressive obelisks, one on each corner, measuring 18 metres high and crowned by sculptures. They are very ornate and seem a bit much for something as pedestrian (pardon the pun) as a bridge. It was opened in 1905 and is named after Maria Christina of Austria, Queen Consort of Spain who spent her summers in San Sebastián.
Irv had really wanted to get back down to the beach so that was our next stop. The rain had stopped so we took a stroll down on the sand, but opted not to join the brave souls who were actually swimming, A saunter over to the vintage carousel that dates back to 1900 and has the most interesting decorations, including replicas of famous painters’works, like Van Gogh and Monet and Picasso. By this time we had worked up a bit of a thirst, so we checked out a bar/restaurant for a coffee and some cheesecake.
Since I had barely scratched the surface on my list and I couldn’t convince Irv to join me on the 40 minute hike over to the far end of the beach to see some sculptures, we parted ways, him to do his exploring and I to do mine.
My destination was a sculpture I had read about in one of the many guide books I had got from the library. It is called La Peine del Viento or Comb of the Wind by Eduardo Chillida and is found at the far end of the main bay in San Sebastián, La Concha Bay. It is actually 3 iron sculptures placed on the rocks at the edge of the ocean. The title comes from the fact that on days when the waves crash violently on the rocks, it is as if the wind were being combed by the metal shapes.
The walk down was along the beach malecon so lots of chances for photo ops. It is supposed to take 40 minutes, but if you’re a photographer, somewhat longer. After I had had my fill of the sculptures, I decided if I had come this far I might as well go up the funicular to the top of Mount Igueldo. The views from there of the beach and the city are spectacular. There is a full amusement park, as well as a hotel and restaurant at the top as well.
Back down the funicular and heading off to go to the other side of the bay. It is a lovely walk, right along the beach. You end up at the foot of the other hill that bookends the beach -Monte Urgull. There is a great walking path, Paseo Nuevo, around the base of the hill that takes you out to the ocean side. Stopped to take a photo of another sculpture, Empty Construction. A large scale abstract made of steel that stands tall, almost in defiance of the winds that seem to trying to knock it down!
A walk back to the hotel to freshen up before our food tour. Luis had arranged for a friend of his, Iri, to guide us through a tasting of some of the best pintxos and beverages of San Sebastián. Our first stop was the place where supposedly the pintxo was born. It is called the Gilda, after a Rita Hayworth movie and consists of an olive, some peppers and an anchovy. I actually ate the olive and the peppers, but Irv got an extra anchovy! It was here that we also got to try the local beverage - cider. It comes in a tall green bottle, with a special cork that has holes in the sides. This is because you pour it from above the glass in a long stream to aerate it, and you only pour two fingers at a time into the glass so as to preserve the taste. I have to say, I prefer our Canadian cider!
We left this place bound for another famous restaurant whose walls are plastered with pictures of celebrities, because it is apparently THE place to come during the prestigious film festival that is held here each year. We had three different types of pintxos here, all very yummy. Our next stop was a place at the edge of one of the squares. Surrounding the square were buildings with apartments and balconies on the second level and each of the balconies had a number in front. At one time, bullfighting was held here and you could buy a ticket to watch from the balcony of one of the apartments. Of course to do this, you had to go through the apartment, so the residents could make a little extra cash by charging you for traipsing through their living room! It was here that we got to sample the local wine, txakoli - pronounced cha-ko-lee,with the accent on the first syllable. It is a crisp, fruity white wine, a perfect pairing with the tapas. And to end the tour, a stop at a delightful pastry shop for some cheesecake and chocolate. The perfect end to a perfect day here in San Sebastián!