San Sebastián Day One

 We had high expectations of San Sebastián after our previous visit which was only for a few hours. It didn't disappoint, from our light breakfast in a local coffee shop to a splendid meal in the evening we managed to pack a lot in without trying too hard. 

It's a really enjoyable walk along the banks of the river past several attractive bridges then around the headland to the old town. The buildings adjacent to the river were all impressive belle époque homes, such a wonderful place to live! It was high tide with a strong onshore wind so waves were crashing on the rocks and over the path in the bright sunshine with lots of little rainbows. They had a welcome cooling keeping us fresh after the heat of walking.


The Museum of the Seas was a beautiful building with a classic interior but without much content. The old town was just as we'd remembered it, a grid of busy streets with amazing Pintxos bars and tavernas. Without being too fussy we stopped at one nearby for lunch, the selection was the best we'd seen then or later. A host of small tapas style plates to choose from, every kind of seafood as well as local sausages and hams. Naturally it was a bit touristy but there were still plenty of Spanish people eating with gusto. Just for the Americans, which always made thier presence felt, were tiny hamburgers; we didnt try them.


The Basilica Nuestra Señora del Coro is like a cathedral but right in the centre of the old town. It's really impressive inside with many alters dedicated to various saints including one for Fishermen. Scattered around the old town were some wonderful traditional shops, probably a few of many that had been there. The hat shop and the pharmacy were a 1930's style delight, there was also an incredible cigar emporium with local and Havana cigars of every style.  Several interesting art shops could be found there too, I couldn't resist a stylised picture of Miles Davies.

That evening we went to the Aldendi Jehla, a small taverna that was friendly, had a great menu and not overly touristy like so many of the top restaurants that we'd been tempted to try. The fish soup proved to be a great choice, as was the Merluza. Three excellent courses for only 35 euros plus good wines for 20 euros; if only we could get this at home! What made the evening particularly memorable was travelling there by bus, which were surprisingly easy to use and efficient. They came every 15 minutes and cost only a few euros per trip. Everyone else went by bus, they were easy to identify by route and carried on late into the night.

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