San Sebastián, Spain (Part 1)

We arrived in San Sebastián without too much trouble, there may have been some confusion with our luggage and Chris having to run through the entire airport to ensure it made out connecting flight. But we weren't even the last ones on the plane and we made it, so in hindsight, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but at the time... super stressful. Maybe I'll write more in a separate post.

We made it to our AirBnB around 4 p.m. We dropped off our stuff and headed out to see this beach town we had heard so much about. We rented a bedroom that was really close to the beach and not too far from the "Old City" which is where all the food and stuff to see is. We walked around a bit and then sat in a really pretty park for a long time and just watched the people. Two things struck me right away: 1) There were a lot of young families here, clearly on vacation (also clearly didn't have a 12 hour flight to get there) and 2) everyone looked so relaxed. We also noticed that short-shorts were in style and jean overall skirts had made a comeback too. Regardless of what they wore or how many children they had in tow, everyone seemed really relaxed.

For dinner we headed over to the Old City and walked the narrow streets taking in all the variety of places to pick from. We had read that tapas were the thing to eat here along with cheap beer and wine. So, we loaded our plates with everything from deep fried cheese balls to ham sandwiches. At this first place we tried, it seemed like bar food -- mostly fried stuff. But each day we tried new places and found that there are really a wide variety of foods offered here. Some had steak or chicken kabobs, there were salmon fillets on bread with a yummy sauce and sardines and even octopus (we didn't try that one though). They did half pints of beer for 2 Euro and wines for between 3 and 4 Euro. It was hard to pass up!

The next morning after breakfast (It was delicious -- eggs, tomatoes, avocado on tortillas) we took a hike up to Mount Urgull, which has a huge statue of Jesus at the top of it. I couldn't quite understand the whole history of the mountain or the building at its peak, but I think it was a monastery or church at one point. English was not used on any of the signage for this site! It was so gorgeous. Yes, the statue of Jesus was awesome but the views were breathtaking. You could see so much of the coast and the water was the most amazing blue.

**If you click on the photos, they will enlarge to full screen. You can barely make out all the people covering the beach! It was packed.

On our way down the hill we stumbled onto a cafe and stopped for a drink. It was fun to just chill and take in the beauty . . . and cool down in the shade with a cold drink. It was hot! 

After lunch (pizza and a tuna/avocado salad above) we went to the beach. I enjoyed sitting in the sun watching all the activity on the beach and in the water. There were so many people in the water (not like San Francisco) it looked like it was one huge party. Everyone was laughing, jumping over waves, running into the water, etc. And on the sand, we watched little naked children making pools out of the sand. Parents seemed so chill and relaxed. Eventually we made our way into the water as well, it was colder than I would have thought but it felt amazing after sitting in the heat. It was clear but also full of little pieces of dirt/bark so it didn't really feel "clean." Different than I had imagined; still fun though and I laughed and smiled more than I remember doing in a long time.

We tried a meat-heavy place for tapas that night and it was better than the first night. Steak kabobs, meat balls, fish with bread. And we had learned the first night that places don't really start getting busy until close to 8 p.m. This time we were in the crowd!

The next morning we decided to go for a long walk around the beach. We had contemplated riding bikes to get to our destination but it was going to cost 16 Euro for a 10 minute ride... me, being the frugal one, thought we should just take the 30 minute walk and save our money for ice cream! In the end, my feet started hurting more than I had expected. But it was a beautiful walk and we got some great photos.

At our destination was an art installation called "Wind Cones." I have no idea what it's meaning was. The three metal structures looked to me like chain links. It was quite a common item to see printed on souvenirs. 

It was a beautiful scene with the green hills, blue water, waves crashing and breeze in your hair. And the other tourists . . . but we got a few photos that made it look like we were the only ones there!

After lunch we headed back to the beach. The clouds had come in and there was a chance of a storm passing in the afternoon but it didn't end up hitting us until the middle of the night. We had hoped to spend more time on the beach on our last day in this city but it rained through the night and through the rest of the next day. So this was our last time on the beach. It wasn't nearly as crowded or warm, but it was still entirely pleasant and enjoyable.

Dinner that night was more of the seafood faire. The counter was covered in tapas ranging from sardines to octopus but I stopped in the middle and had mostly salmon and crab. It was all really tasty. Ham sandwiches were also a common tapa -- they were everywhere!

So, we woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like hail to me but was really just rain drops hitting the tin roof and metal pots outside our window. It rained all day, letting up only a few times. We ended up buying umbrellas because I failed to remember to pack them.

We had a big lunch at the most bizarrely decorated restaurant ever (and failed to take photos) before heading to the airport. The restaurant served a variety of foods - salads, wraps, burgers, hummus, drinks .  . . and was decorated with teal booths on wheels and metal fence/gates above each booth back, there were plants everywhere and dark wood floors. The kitchen was in the back down some stairs and the bathroom was on the third level which you had to take a catwalk to get to. Strange. But also delicious. 

And that ends our time in San Sebastián. If I decide to share the transportation horror stories I'll do so in a separate post. At this point, we have had the most wonderful time enjoying warm weather, a beach, lots of wandering (and meeting my step count goals), delicious food and each other. One day of rain and a few hours lost sleep is not worth complaining about.

We arrived in San Sebastián without too much trouble, there may have been some confusion with our luggage and Chris having to run through the entire airport to ensure it made out connecting flight. But we weren't even the last ones on the plane and we made it, so in hindsight, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but at the time... super stressful. Maybe I'll write more in a separate post.

We made it to our AirBnB around 4 p.m. We dropped off our stuff and headed out to see this beach town we had heard so much about. We rented a bedroom that was really close to the beach and not too far from the "Old City" which is where all the food and stuff to see is. We walked around a bit and then sat in a really pretty park for a long time and just watched the people. Two things struck me right away: 1) There were a lot of young families here, clearly on vacation (also clearly didn't have a 12 hour flight to get there) and 2) everyone looked so relaxed. We also noticed that short-shorts were in style and jean overall skirts had made a comeback too. Regardless of what they wore or how many children they had in tow, everyone seemed really relaxed.

For dinner we headed over to the Old City and walked the narrow streets taking in all the variety of places to pick from. We had read that tapas were the thing to eat here along with cheap beer and wine. So, we loaded our plates with everything from deep fried cheese balls to ham sandwiches. At this first place we tried, it seemed like bar food -- mostly fried stuff. But each day we tried new places and found that there are really a wide variety of foods offered here. Some had steak or chicken kabobs, there were salmon fillets on bread with a yummy sauce and sardines and even octopus (we didn't try that one though). They did half pints of beer for 2 Euro and wines for between 3 and 4 Euro. It was hard to pass up!

The next morning after breakfast (It was delicious -- eggs, tomatoes, avocado on tortillas) we took a hike up to Mount Urgull, which has a huge statue of Jesus at the top of it. I couldn't quite understand the whole history of the mountain or the building at its peak, but I think it was a monastery or church at one point. English was not used on any of the signage for this site! It was so gorgeous. Yes, the statue of Jesus was awesome but the views were breathtaking. You could see so much of the coast and the water was the most amazing blue.

**If you click on the photos, they will enlarge to full screen. You can barely make out all the people covering the beach! It was packed.

On our way down the hill we stumbled onto a cafe and stopped for a drink. It was fun to just chill and take in the beauty . . . and cool down in the shade with a cold drink. It was hot! 

After lunch (pizza and a tuna/avocado salad above) we went to the beach. I enjoyed sitting in the sun watching all the activity on the beach and in the water. There were so many people in the water (not like San Francisco) it looked like it was one huge party. Everyone was laughing, jumping over waves, running into the water, etc. And on the sand, we watched little naked children making pools out of the sand. Parents seemed so chill and relaxed. Eventually we made our way into the water as well, it was colder than I would have thought but it felt amazing after sitting in the heat. It was clear but also full of little pieces of dirt/bark so it didn't really feel "clean." Different than I had imagined; still fun though and I laughed and smiled more than I remember doing in a long time.

We tried a meat-heavy place for tapas that night and it was better than the first night. Steak kabobs, meat balls, fish with bread. And we had learned the first night that places don't really start getting busy until close to 8 p.m. This time we were in the crowd!

The next morning we decided to go for a long walk around the beach. We had contemplated riding bikes to get to our destination but it was going to cost 16 Euro for a 10 minute ride... me, being the frugal one, thought we should just take the 30 minute walk and save our money for ice cream! In the end, my feet started hurting more than I had expected. But it was a beautiful walk and we got some great photos.

At our destination was an art installation called "Wind Cones." I have no idea what it's meaning was. The three metal structures looked to me like chain links. It was quite a common item to see printed on souvenirs. 

It was a beautiful scene with the green hills, blue water, waves crashing and breeze in your hair. And the other tourists . . . but we got a few photos that made it look like we were the only ones there!

After lunch we headed back to the beach. The clouds had come in and there was a chance of a storm passing in the afternoon but it didn't end up hitting us until the middle of the night. We had hoped to spend more time on the beach on our last day in this city but it rained through the night and through the rest of the next day. So this was our last time on the beach. It wasn't nearly as crowded or warm, but it was still entirely pleasant and enjoyable.

Dinner that night was more of the seafood faire. The counter was covered in tapas ranging from sardines to octopus but I stopped in the middle and had mostly salmon and crab. It was all really tasty. Ham sandwiches were also a common tapa -- they were everywhere!

So, we woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like hail to me but was really just rain drops hitting the tin roof and metal pots outside our window. It rained all day, letting up only a few times. We ended up buying umbrellas because I failed to remember to pack them.

We had a big lunch at the most bizarrely decorated restaurant ever (and failed to take photos) before heading to the airport. The restaurant served a variety of foods - salads, wraps, burgers, hummus, drinks .  . . and was decorated with teal booths on wheels and metal fence/gates above each booth back, there were plants everywhere and dark wood floors. The kitchen was in the back down some stairs and the bathroom was on the third level which you had to take a catwalk to get to. Strange. But also delicious. 

And that ends our time in San Sebastián. If I decide to share the transportation horror stories I'll do so in a separate post. At this point, we have had the most wonderful time enjoying warm weather, a beach, lots of wandering (and meeting my step count goals), delicious food and each other. One day of rain and a few hours lost sleep is not worth complaining about.