San Sebastián - Gourmet Capital of Europe!

San Sebastián is a Basque town, on the northern coast of Spain, only 12 miles from the French/Spanish border. I'd never heard of the place before this year but it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. Green and breezy with a beautiful golden beach and azure waves it's a surfer's paradise (the food's not bad either but more on that later...). Also, being in the north and on the coast, San Sebastián can generally be relied on to be several degrees cooler than the stifling Madrid in summer. After a 6 hour coach ride Annie, Cat and I arrived expecting to find the grey clouds and drizzle of spring but were pleasantly surprised. The weather was beautiful!

 

 

If a little windy...

 

 

 

 

The beach is truly lovely and after a stop off in a café to grab some huge ali oli smothered baguettes full of chicken or fried squid we sat on a bench to eat and enjoy the view.

That afternoon we walked along the sands and then along the beach road round to the funicular railway to take us up to the top of the headland.

 

 

 

The carriages were a little rickety with slatted wooden benches but the views got progressively better as we rose up the hill to the top.

 

 

 

I've never been to the Caribbean but la Bahía de la Concha or "Shell Bay" really reminded me of pictures I've seen of Caribbean islands. The intense greens and blues with the misty mountains in the background looked beautiful from so high up and there's even a mini Corcovado mountain with its very own "Christ the Redeemer" statue!

 

 



 

 

 

 

After a siesta in our hostel room we headed out that evening to sample the other thing that puts San Sebastián on the tourist map - pintxos! These tiny bite size portions of loveliness are the Basque version of tapas and I have to say I think I prefer them. As the gourmet capital of Europe, San Sebastián is home to the most Michelin starred restaurants per inhabitant of any city in the world bar Kyoto, Japan and it shows. You can hardly order a salad without it being exquisitely presented on its snowy white plate and drizzled with some jus, foam, "reduction" or coulis.

 

If you're interested in trying the famous pintxos head to the old part of town along the bay and just pop into any bar that takes your fancy. What they have to offer will be laid out along the counter ready to be enjoyed. It's best to ask for the ones you'd like as some are whisked away to be heated up and it also helps the bar staff know how much you've had.

 

 

 

 

 

Each little mouthful is perfectly crafted with a mix of flavours and textures. There were tiny skewers of roasted pork with juicy green peppers,  sweet garlic prawns drizzled in lemon juice, spider crab tartlets, sundried tomatoes and goat's cheese tostadas, delicate smoked salmon swirls and many, many more. Most of the time you're hardly sure what you're eating but that's part of the fun!

 

 

 

 

 

The region is also famous for its cider which comes in bottles like wine and is poured from a great height into the glasses to aerate it and release the dry fruity flavour.

 

 



 

 

On Saturday morning we got up late and went to find a breakfast pastry in the city. The architecture is very different to anywhere I've been before with what looks like some Eastern European/French influences

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found a small park on the way complete with swans:

 

 

 

 

 

We then headed round the bay in the other direction on a quest to climb the opposite headland and get closer to Jesus (hehe). The sea was absolutely beautiful; deep blue and dotted with little sailing boats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bay was full of boats, paddle boarders and windsurfers.

 

There were several near misses as they tacked across each other and out to sea:

 

 

After quite a steep walk with a scramble up a small slope and a secret entrance we eventually got to the summit and Jesus.

 

 

 

That evening we watched the first hour of Eurovision in our room with several magdalena cakes snaffled from the table in the corridor, then headed out to enjoy more pintxos. The next day dawned a bit dull and grey so we spent the morning in the impressive Museo San Telmo which is full of Basque culture throughout history. Our coach back to Madrid left at 5pm and deposited us at Avendida de América bus station. I had a great time with some great friends and would throughly recommend San Sebastian to anyone. Whether surfing, hiking, history or food is your thing you'll find something to keep you interested and, with the weather of Cornwall and the bar culture of Spain, a better long weekend away would be hard to find.

Sevilla - A Spanish Dream!

Sevilla - the last leg of our Andalucían journey and my favourite city we passed through. There's something in the air in Sevilla; the streets are full of the scent of orange trees and jasmine while the sound of flamenco guitar drifts through the city.

Arriving in the first week of May meant that there was still a hint of feria in the air but that the sheer madness of the fiestas had died down. That didn't mean that there weren't any people about though! On our first night we left our things in the apartment and set off to find dinner through squares crowded with people talking and laughing. Out of all the cities I've visited so far this year Sevilla is the only one apart from Madrid where I felt I could have stayed for the year and been happy - the atmosphere is brilliant.

 

 

Everywhere you looked there were signs for fresh snails or caracoles in garlic oil and people were picking them out of small bowls to suck them from their shells.

 

 

 

 

We found some tapas and went home to discover that our hosts not only had a dog called Rufino but also a tiny hedgehog called Tomás who was allowed to run around the patio at night (he lived in the ensuite bathroom during the day).

 

Next morning we headed to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla (what seemed like our millionth alcázar but Andalucía is full of them!) and spent a couple of hours wandering around the gardens and courtyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next room with the incredible guilded ceiling was inside the Casa de Contratación where all trade and commerce with the new world was discussed at the time of Isabella and Ferdinand. Christopher Columbus met the royals inside the chapel adjoining this building to present the results of his second voyage to the Americas in the late 1400s (let it out fellow history students, let it out - I won't judge!)

 

 

 

 

Later on when the sun was starting to set and the light turned gold we set off on a quest to find the famous Plaza de España. The city at dusk is just beautiful with tumbling bougainvillea, ornate balconies and the horses stamping in the square - a Spanish dream come true!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would seem that the Fiesta de Las Cruces was celebrated here too - we returned to this square later in the evening for a delicious meal of crispy grilled sea bream.

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By following the sound of a pretty bombastic brass band we finally emerged at the edge of the Plaza de España and stood in awe. I have to say that this is without doubt one of the most beautiful spaces I've come across in Spain. The sunset was casting shadows on the rippling water, the stone was turned fiery orange and the silver-grey mist from the fountains floated on the breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some girls added to the moment by rowing backwards round the lake unawares...

 

 

 

 

The last day of our trip was scorchingly hot with temperatures nudging 40 degrees. We unashamedly did absolutely nothing all day but hop from bar to bar in the shade letting the cooling mist sprayed from the awnings wash over us. An air conditioned taxi ferried us to the train station and after a fairly relaxed two hour journey we arrived back in good old Madrid. That night pizza, a film and sleep were in order - we'd seen so much and had a great time but 3 different cities in 6 days requires a certain amount of energy!

 

In the time it's taken me to post this last section of our Andalucía trip I've actually been lucky enough to go on holiday again. This time I spent a lovely weekend in San Sebastián with Annie and Cat - all our adventures and pictures coming soon!