(the second half of the Bilbao post has been updated)
The bus was a little late leaving Bilbao so we got in around 4 after lunch time and had a hard time finding somewhere to eat. We slowly made our way from the new town into the old, and ended up at a restaurant that was really good. We both wanted fish, specifically cod, and specialties from the region so we ended up sharing baby squid cooked in its own ink, cod stuffed peppers and another cod dish. All very delicious especially the squid ink.
Then we headed to our hostel. We got there and rang the doorbell but it didn't ring and no one answered. We tried a couple other times, and tried calling the number we had but it didn't work. We asked the guy at the bar across the street if he knew the owner and he said yes but hadn't seen her in a week. Uh oh. We were about to go and try to find another hostel but Emma called one more time and the lady answered and we were let in. We had signed up for a group room with 5 beds but were lucky and got a private room with a full bed instead. It is pretty much this lady's apartment with her husband where they live there too but have changed all the other rooms to rooms with a bunch of bunk beds.
(the street of our hostel in the middle of the day when everyone is taking a siesta)
After that we headed out and walked over the river to explore the east side of town known as Gros where there is the Zurrida Beach which is smaller and always has a lot of surfers. We walked along the promenade which was very pretty as watched as the sky dimmed and lights turned on. Then we wandered back through the town and the streets there. It is a very beautiful town and many people say that it is either the best looking or at least up there.
Around 10 we met up with Sarah (from our program in Madrid) and her friend Emily from high school who has been living in Vienna for 3 years and is going to a music conservatory there. Our hostel is located right in the middle of the old town on the street with the most bars. There aren't really any bars that are just for drinks here, they all have pinxos and then the drinks go along with them. So we met up with them and went pinxos hopping staying a while at one place enjoying a pinxo and a small glass of wine and then heading to the next place. I don't remember how many different places we went to because I'm writing this a while after but it was a lot of fun. I have a class with Sarah but we don't really see each other that much and they are both really cool people and fun to hang out with.
(those glasses aren't all from us- we took over the table when other people left)
Sunday was Halloween but there wasn't really much going on here for it. In the morning we got breakfast at a little cafe and then met up with Sarah and Emily again. San Sebastian has a large crescent shaped beach that it is known for with a large hill on each side of it. The west side hill is a little bit larger with a venicular that takes people up to the top, then the other hill has a fort and a giant Jesus statue at the top. To the east of that hill is the beach we explored yesterday and then the town stops when it runs into some other large hills.
This morning we stared by meeting up in the more modern area and then heading to the Jesus hill. There weren't any paths that went straight up so we meandered around going this way and that until we reached the fort at the top. There was a battery of cannons half way up and great views of the city from all over. San Sebastian is definitely a beautiful city.
After that we followed the promenade along the long and beautiful beach heading toward the other hill. Half way there we stopped to check out the outside of a giant mansion just a little bit up and then continued. This would definitely be an amazing place to be when it is a little bit warmer and you can just relax on the beach and go swimming in the water. Probably why it is the off season now.
When we made it to the other side of the beach we took the venicular up the hill which was short but still a lot of fun. Half way up we passed another tram going down using the same track except for a little bit where it separated for them to pass. It was very steep and venicular trams are ones that use gears to bring them up the mountains/hills.
The view from the top was absolutely amazing! The hill didn't look that much higher than the other one from sea level but we could see a lot more. In the picture below you can see an island in the middle, the beach, town and other hill with the Jesus statue. Just on the other side of it is the surfing beach. One of the things that is so beautiful about San Sebastian is the mix of ocean, beach, town and mountains all so close to each other and running into each other.
At the top of the hill there was also this little theme park with a ride with a little boat that goes along a fake river getting different views from the top of the hill. We walked down a beautiful winding road instead of taking the venicular down and then headed back along the beach. Emma and I sat with Sarah and Emily as they ate lunch on the beach, and then headed back to our hostel where the lady who runs it made us free paella for lunch. Not the most authentic because of the use of sticky rice but still very flavorful and delicious. And it saved us 10-15 euros for lunch because it is the largest and most important meal of the day.
So by midday Sunday we had already done most of what there is to do in San Sebastian and since it was a Sunday everything was closed. Except for places to eat, but I mean everything else. Emma and I decided to just wander around and see the town a little bit more. We wandered to the cathedral and saw the outside of that which was very grand and beautiful and ran into Kevin and his parents in a cafe where we went in to get a coffee for Emma. I had no idea that he was going to be there and so we chatted with them for a bit.
We were going to head to a really cool sculpture museum a 20 minute bus ride out of town that my parents said would be cool if we had time, which we had, but when we went to the tourist office to figure out how to get there they told us that it closes at 2:30 on Sundays. Bummer.
There was a really interesting looking building next to the surfing beach that we had seen before that is sort of like giant legos and is illuminated from the inside at night. I looked it up in my guide book and found out that it is a conference center and has art exhibitions. We headed there with nothing else much to do and saw an exhibition about a tradition sport from the area which is kind of like racquetball but one form just uses hands and the other form used curved wicker baskets type things on peoples hands to catch and throw the ball. There was one room with paintings and another had old artifacts and 2 10 minute videos about it.
We ran into Sarah and Emily there, its a small place, and went around with them and then went across the street and each had a glass of wine with some olives since it was still too early for dinner being only 8 pm. After that we went pinxo hopping once again but with more specific places in mind based on recommendations from Kevin and his parents, my guide book, and a handout Emma got from the information office.
We saw Kevin and his parents at the first place. All of the food I ate all night was absolutely delicious, and one of the good things about going from place to place is getting to try the one thing that looks best at that bar. Only a few times two pinxos if the first is incredible and there is something else that looks just as good. I don't remember how many different places we went but Emma and I went to two more places after Sarah and Emily were done because it was out last night there and we just wanted to try a few more since it will probably be our only time there and they are famous for their food. I didn't get a drink at all of the places which isn't how you're supposed to do it, but I'm a student wanting to not spend too much money and still be able to enjoy the food. All night it was raining really hard so we almost ran from place to place in our rain jackets and it was a lot of fun.
Our bus left Monday at 1 pm to head back to Madrid. We were able to be there until Monday because it was a holiday so we didn't have school, but that also meant that everything was closed yet again because it was a holiday. With our bags on our backs after checking out we wandered around the new part of town again going a bit farther out than we had before, and wandering along the river some. In the end we ended up killing time doing homework in a cafe before getting bocadillos for lunch and then heading to the bus.
It is a very beautiful town, it just would have been nice to be able to do more there during the day. The best time to visit San Sebastian would be during warmer weather. They have amazing food during lunch and at night, but there isn't a whole lot to do during the rest of the day so it would be perfect to be there when things are open and be able to do some of that but also be able to relax on the beach and in the water and just hang out. But I'm not complaining. It was a very wonderful trip and I'm so happy that we went. Everything that I've done in Spain so far has just been so amazing and wonderful and I'm so happy and thankful that I'm able to be here and do all of this.
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