Travels thru Life: 9/26 -- San Sebastian and Drive to Pamplona

We headed to the seaside resort of San Sebastian (Donostia in Basque --both mean the same thing), about an hour and a half away and only 20 minutes from the French border. It became famous after a Spanish queen who was ill was recommended to take the salt waters here and recovered. She would be carried down the hill from where she was staying to a fancy cabana on the beach and then carried into the water.

The Queen's Cabana

It is now a very pricey resort town. We drove along the beach and then up Mt. Igelda. At the top, there is now a tower and an amusement park, apparently closed for the season. The facility has wonderful views to the beach (named La Concha for its shell shape), the town (184,000 people), and two neighboring mountains. Unfortunately, the view was to the east, right into the sun so our photos do not do the view justice.

The first lighthouse in the area is here on this mountain.

Looking Northwest along the Biscay Bay coast

The semi-circular beach, La Concha

Tower at the top

Looking down at one of the little kid play areas. I really wanted
to see inside the booth labeled 'Carrera de Tortugas' (Turtle Races)

Looking east toward France. In this photo, there is another
faint point of land in the back. Beyond that is France.

Another view of La Concha with an island and another 'mountain'.

From there, we went back to the waterfront and walked in the area. This is the site of a big international film festival which ended yesterday, so they are still taking down some of the facilities for the festival. The old town LOOKS old -- mostly rebuilt after Wellington defeated Napoleon's troops and burned the city down in 1813. There are also a number of newer buildings, but nothing too radical. We walked to a public square that used to be an urban bull ring, and you can still see the seating location numbers above the apartment windows. Then we found a building that predated 1813 -- it was one that British officers used so they didn't burn it. Behind it was an old stone house and the remains of an old wall and stairs.

The addition of an entertainment center necessitated a new
breakwater, and the revised wave action results in the need
to replace the riprap annually.

Inside a rebuilt market, called "La Brexta" is
this clock that was used for tuna auctions years
ago. There was an English explanation above,
but it was still confusing. We tried cheese
and olives here.

The top of one of the sides of the old bull ring -- the symbol
of the city.


The bull ring. Each orange placard above a window has a seat number -- a little more visible on the view below.


San Sebastian is deservedly proud of this award -- in the lower left is a graphic of the city -- the shell-shaped beach and 3 big hills.

British officers housing that was saved from the 1813 fire.

Old house


Old wall and steps next to a modern church. This was for the lower classes. On the other side of this plaza and the officer quarters is another church for the upper class. The color of your clothing indicated where you fit in.

We ended up at lovely cafe, which was normally closed Mondays, but Nico talked them into opening for us. We were served several courses, starting with a gazpacho that may have had fish in it. Everything was artfully done, and the parts I liked were very tasty though perhaps more emphasis on squash than I prefer. There must have been 6 courses. We left nearly two hours later, not needing dinner at all.

Back on the bus, we headed south to Pamplona, about an hour plus south and checked into the Pamplona Catedral Hotel, which was a former convent located next to the Cathedral. On our way to find the breakfast room, Nico showed us the former nun's rectory, now a dining room. I think it could use a bit more color.

Then we started our walk around the old town. Like most, the streets are narrow and the buildings are tall. Nico took us to a chocolate shop for chocolate churros -- the churro batter is extruded into a circular deep fryer, hauled out in a long spring shape and then divided. The churros are different from ours because these are thinner and have no covering other than what you dip them in. It is sort of like a long skinny doughnut that never connects in a circle. It is served with a cup of 'hot chocolate' which is so thick that it is much better for dipping than drinking. Jim and I split a cup with one churro and were totally chocolated out for the day. Most of the rest who tried it finished way less of the chocolate than we did.

Another narrow, tall street in an old town.


We have not seen anything before that was so direct about the feelings of at least some of the Basques toward Spain. The book I read suggested that if the Spanish would just let them control their own province and not persecute them, they would be happy and maybe not need to separate from Spain.