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| Beautiful San Sebastian from Monte Igueldo |
San Sebastian, Spain (5/5-6/2013) – We were pleasantly overwhelmed with San Sebastian!
The jewel
of the Basque Country, elegant and romantic seaside San Sebastian is a must
visit destination with its renowned cuisine, very nice city beach, and beautiful
architecture.
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| Paseo Nuevo Promenade - San Sebastian, Spain |
.JPG "Ayuntamiento City Hall in Parte Vieja Old Town San Sebastian") |
| Ayuntamiento City Hall in Parte Vieja (Old Town) - San Sebastian |
We had a
fabulous introduction to San Sebastian walking on Paseo de la Concha along the picturesque crescent-shaped La Concha Bay. We strolled pass the
beautiful flowered Paseo Nuevo Promenade
into the San Sebastian’s old town viewing the Town Hall (see photo) that once was a grand casino before gambling
was outlawed in 1925. San Sebastian’s lovely beachfront promenade runs the
length of the bay, with old town at one end and a shopping district in the
center.
.JPG "Street in Parte Vieja Old Town San Sebastian") |
| Street in Parte Vieja (Old Town) - San Sebastian |
San Sebastian’s old town (Parte Viejo – see photo) comes alive at night. Its cobbled streets are packed with traditional pintxos bars dishing up wonderful local specialties and regional Rioja wine – see more about tapas below. Check out Constitucion Square with its numbered houses, a throwback to the bullfighting days that took past here.
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| Playa de La Concha - San Sebastian, Spain |
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| Wayne on Merry-Go-Round on Paseo Nuevo Promenade - San Sebastian |
San Sebastian's beaches capped by twin peaks at either end are a big draw. Even in early May when we visited, we had a lovely beach day on Playa de La Concha beach (see photos). It is easily among the best city beaches in Europe. Pat says the topless lady sunbathers (no photos) caught Wayne’s attention. After relaxing on the soft white sand you wander back to your hotel along the beautiful Paseo Nuevo Promenade where children can ride the merry-go-round (see photo). On the other side of San Sebastian is the laid-back community surrounding Zurriola Beach known for its good surfing.
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| Parque de Atracciones on Monte Igueldo - San Sebastian, Spain |
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| Sunday Market on Alameda del Boulvevard - San Sebastian, Spain |
Another fun
thing to do is to take the 1912
funicular railway up Mount Igeldo
for amazing panoramic views of La Concha bay and San Sebastian (see photo). There
is a restaurant and Amusement park (Parque
de Atraccones) for the kids. For the more energetic, a vigorous walk up to
the Statue of Jesus on Monte Urgull looking
the old town is worth the hike. A visit to the Aquarium is nice and you should take a walk on Ensanche Cortazar though the Centro
area to see the French influenced buildings and San Sebastian's boutique
stores. Don’t miss the Gipuzkoa Square
to see one of the most romantic city parks we have ever seen.
Travel tip... San Sebastian is a great place to base day trips to the
Basque coastal villages with easy 60-minute bus or car rides.
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| Great Food from Standard Restaurant - San Sebastian, Spain |
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| Pastel Vasco - Basque Pastry |
About the cuisine... San Sebastian’s cuisine is legendary. There are 14
Michelin-starred restaurants in San Sebastian with three rated with the coveted
3 stars including the Arzak
restaurant. That is more per square foot than any other place in the world and more
per inhabitant than Paris. Even the less expensive family restaurants are great
(see photo). The tapas, called pintxos in San Sebastian, are wonderful! Pintxos
are made of various things and you fill up on around 4 of these. It’s fun to
tapa bar hop trying one or two from several tapa bars that like good to you
(see photo). Many good tapa bars and restaurants are located in old town (Parte
Vieja).
BarParteVieja(OldTown).JPG "Tapa Pintxos Bar in Parte Viejo Old Town San Sebastian Spain") |
| Tapa (Pintxos) Bar in Parte Viejo (Old Town) - San Sebastian, Spain |
About the art of
eating tapas (pintxos)... Many tapas (see photo) are made on top of small pieces of
bread or tiny half baguettes. Some are stacked high held together with
toothpicks. Some tapa bars specialize in seafood and other have a mix of everything.
Tapas are offered on top of the bar and you point to the one you want and the
barman heats it up for you. You can also order wine or beer and pay up when you
are finished. Sometimes tapa bars have specials listed that are made to order.
Tapa bar hopping is normal and fun after having one or two at each place. We
often made quick new friends and asked them what their favorites are.
inBackground.JPG "beach bikini girl girls Playa de La Concha with Parte Viejo Old Town in Background San Sebastian Spain") |
| Playa de La Concha with Parte Viejo (Old Town) in Background - San Sebastian, Spain |
Some history... At the beginning of the 20th
century, San Sebastian experienced growth when Queen Maria Cristina moved the
court to San Sebastian during the summer. Luxury hotels, casinos, and theatres were
built putting the city on the map. The beachfront area now contains some of the
most expensive properties in Spain.
.JPG "church Iglesia de Santa Maria in Parte Viejo Old Town San Sebastian") |
| Iglesia de Santa Maria in Parte Viejo (Old Town) - San Sebastian, Spain |
More about the Basque
people... The Basque
Country is a region at the north of Spain, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and
France. It is defined as an autonomous community of three provinces in Spain
and a fourth province in France.
The origin
of the Basque people is undetermined. The Basque language is unrelated to any
other language in the world. It doesn't belong to any language family.
Grammatically, the Basque language is the most complex language in the world. Even
many Basques who speak Spanish as a first language have extreme difficulty
learning it.
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| Flag of Spain |
The Spanish
constitution of 1978 established the Basque Autonomous Region with a great
amount of autonomy from the national government (including recognizing Euskara
as an official language of the region). This has not satisfied some of the
Basque people.
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| Basque Flag |
Proud of their culture, the Basque people have had a stormy
relationship with Spain and there have been occasional violence in the name of independence.
ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna - the Basque separatist organization) announced a
permanent ceasefire at the end of March 2006, but has since reopened
hostilities with bomb attacks in 2007 and 2009. Things are calm now and tourism
is thriving.
Please see our 3 other posts about interesting Spain:
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We're intrigued by the Basque region, so I appreciated this writeup very much.
ReplyDeleteI loved my stop in San Sebastian two years ago, the food was amazing and the beach was fantastic. I can't wait to go back. I have a friend who will be organizing a culinary vacation there with a chef in the next year or so and I plan to join them.
ReplyDeleteI have been dying to visit San Sebastian and your post has certainly whet my appetite even more!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, Playa de La Concha beach is beautiful. I took a day trip down from Biarritz France as it was so close. San Sebastian is a lovely town (and I think you saw a lot more than I did!)
ReplyDeleteBasque country is the only part of Spain I have never visited and this really makes me want to go. I stayed away for years because of the violence but given the state of the world I can't imagine that it's any more dangerous there than a movie theater in the U.S. - and more fun too!
ReplyDelete