That’s “peen-chos” for the uninitiated – basically basque for tapas but with its own San Sebastian flair. But more of that later.
We arrived in San Sebastián on Sunday on an early flight from Barcelona and were immediately impressed with the beauty of the whole area. Our apartment was not ready until 3:00pm; which was also when Sally’s sister Marg and her husband Brad were due to join us (after driving from France). So, we decided to explore the city.
We strolled along magnificent tree-lined streets, many of which are pedestrian only and bordered by parks, the wide boulevards beside the beach, and then into the old town with its narrow streets full of clothes shops, shoe shops, gelaterias, bakeries AND ……pintxos bars.
We had noticed a huge statue of Jesus overlooking the town, on top of a large hill. Of course, as we neared the end of the marina, below the big hill, Sally used one her favourite phrases when we are travelling, “I wonder where these stairs go”. I can tell you that they joined on to many hundreds more and meandered through beautiful gardens, all the way to the top of the hill… and Jesus. Well, it was Sunday.
And the view was spectacular.
After a light lunch and a drink to recover from the walk, we checked in to our AirBNB apartment, and we are really slumming it… here’s our street and the building and few shots inside.
There is more to San Sebastián then beaches. There is a lot of history – like the fact that Napoleon commandeered the fort under the aforementioned statue of Jesus and dominated the seas around San Sebastián with cannons, many of which were still in the fort. The many churches and the cathedral are also magnificent, San Marta being a standout.
Talking about the beaches, the relatively quiet beach we saw in the morning was transformed in the afternoon to something like a giant sandy frying pan, with probably thousands of people vying for that perfect Spanish tan.
And then there are the pintxos. There are hundreds of bars to choose from and the better ones are probably the ones with the most people crowded inside. The idea is to muscle your way to the bar which is covered with the pintxos, order a drink and select your desired delicacy. Quite simple once you get the hang of it.
My photos are a bit blurry, which I can assure you was to be expected – each pintxos is meant to be accompanied with a drink. Well, when in Rome. We enjoyed two nights of this with our favourite bar having the rather un-Spanish name of Bar Sport. On the second night, we enjoyed the company of a rowdy group of guys from Liverpool celebrating a 40th birthday, and group of Australians from Dubbo.
We thoroughly enjoyed out stay in San Sebastián and will certainly try to return in the future. On Tuesday, Marg and Brad begin three days driving through Galicia, and we head for La Rioja!
