The Almost Day 1 in San Sebastián / Donostia
Our first day in San Sebastián included a lengthy train ride here from Salamanca, where we connected in Valladolid. By the time we arrived it was later in the day, around 5:30 pm, and after checking in we grabbed a dinner for which there are no pictures. Hint, it was McDonald’s.
But that’s okay! I strongly recommend the trains here in Spain, they are easy to get to and you don’t have to do too much driving. You will miss out on some cute, small villages, but can find a way to supplement with some private tours.
The Real Day 1 in San Sebastián / Donostia (Day 2)
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t drive Laura into the ground with a hike up Mont Urgull, located a short distance from our hotel, the Sarriegi Pensión. The views from Urgull across the cove that makes up San Sebastián are spectacular, and the old coastal batteries and fort are nothing to sneeze at either. The hike is not too arduous, and you’re rewarded with crashing waves and delightful vistas. There is a castle at the top, but it appears to be a small museum, and one we did not pay to enter.
Afterwards we went to a local restaurant and indulged in pintxos, the Basque equivalent to tapas. Unlike tapas however, the food is recently made and placed in viewing containers, kind of like a bakery. You pick out what you want and typically eat standing up in the restaurant, and we picked some great ones. A hot dog sandwich with mayonnaise and onion strings, a saucy chicken and spinach sandwich, a cod, tomato, and onion flatbread that serves as a microcosm of Laura’s favorite dish, and a chicken tomato pesto flatbread. Absolutely delicious stuff.
We went out later that evening to Bar Iguana for a couple beers and to watch France and Belgium absolutely butcher the sport of soccer. Portugal and Slovenia managed a better showing that night but Ronaldo’s tears at his own impotence were so delicious, sorry to his fans.
What I failed to mention is it was a rainy day, and tomorrow is looking about the same, a shame in a resort town. We’ll see how it works out.
Day 2 in San Sebastián / Donostia (Day 3)
It is indeed a rainy one, and the weather will be clearing up right as we leave tomorrow. Laura and I grabbed a decent breakfast from a local place, and then headed to the San Telmo Museoa, a Basque culture and history museum, rounded out with a bit of European art.
This was actually a very fun museum! Basque history tells a very unique story about Spain, and San Telmo covers everything from the Neolithic to the modern day. Particularly interesting was the temporary exhibition focused on Eduardo Chillida, a noteworthy Basque sculptor and local son to San Sebastián, who made some thoughtful explorations of the use of space through his work. One of the fewer modern sculptors, painters, etc. who I really like.
The San Telmo spends a lot of time on the relationship between Francisco Franco, the Basque people, and San Sebastián. That is, he was a pretty big dick to the Basque. The bombing of Guernica (Gernika in Basque) is legendary in history, particularly with Picasso’s painting serving as a permanent reminder. The Spanish Civil War is a conflict too complex to discuss here, but both Basque Country (which is itself not Basque Country in some places like Navarre) and Catalonia sought to assert their individuality. This typically took the form of siding with the Republican government, working towards their own ends, or conducting guerilla warfare depending on the context. The end result, of course, was a brutal regime instituted by Franco and his cronies to extirpate Basque culture.
But the asshole took up residence! The San Telmo indicated he spent at least two years worth of his life on vacation in San Sebastián. It seems like a good time to mention the city is known as Donostia in Basque, and the two are analogous. What a scumbag. I have, to no one’s surprise, zero patience for dictators. Unless I’m in charge probably.
After we finished up at the museum, sunlight broke through the otherwise rainy morning and afforded us a couple of hours at Playa de La Concha, or Kontxa in Basque. Laura tanned and I foolishly went in the water, which was about 68°. But Laura will tell you I’m crazy about cold water, which is true. Nothing is too cold! The rain threatened to break out again so we made haste for shelter.
We finished our time in Donostia with dinner at Sirimiri, an absolutely delicious restaurant that we found while searching for rice because Laura was desperate for an infusion of such grains. A quick walk across the bridge and to another beach, this one popular with surfers, closed out our evening.
Tomorrow we leave for Bilbao, another iconic Basque city.
