Everyone should see San Seabastian

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The train from Paris doesn´t cross the border into Spain because they made their tracks narrower so invading armies couldn´t enter by train, must have got that from George Bush´s play book. Anyway I had to get off in Irun and board another train for the last 10 miles; took for ever, tons of people going to San Fermins, late on thursday evening and to really complicate things lots of people didn´t speak Spanish or English. Finally got to San Sebastian and decided to stay, I´d been traveling on trains for 30 hours, asked a taxi to take me to a hotel, not expensive but nice, and he did. I stayed in Hotel Plaza Zaragozza for two nights one block off the ocean and when you see the pictures you can see why.

Love San Sebastian!! You can walk everywhere and for as big as it is it has a great town feel. Two beautiful half moon beaches separated by a rock point, old forts and churches to explore, places to hike along the coast or just lay on the beach, very easy to BE in San Sebastian. Like most European cities it has burned many times over the centuries and now is mostly stone. Centuries ago when the king of Spain needed help in fighting the Moors he came to Navarra, Basque country, and asked for their help and with their help he defeated the Moors. For their services the king granted Navarra special rights that they still have today.

Took the bus to Pamplona and San Fermins. Oh my gosh!! hundreds of thousands of people dress in white with red kerchiefs and sashes, as far as the eye could see. Ernst Hemingway wrote about the San Fermins and so the whole world comes to the Running of the Bulls. I got up early to get a place along the route and still was too late, people were lined up four deep everywhere. I found a place to stand on a rock and thought I might see something, but when the bulls caming running by everyone infront of me raise their arms to take pictures and I didn´t see anything. San Fermins are eight days of fiesta with fireworks every night. There isn´t much down time for the bars and resturants during fiestas. Bull fights start every evening at 6 pm, six bulls are slained. Did got no pictures.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=uYF0y3vq_b4 click here to see a Running of the Bulls.

I stay with Juan Jose and Teresa and had loads of fun. Juan Jose was a big help in getting my blog started, down loading pictures and using his computer, drinking his wine, and pretty much abusing him any chance I got - had to catch up after six years.

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Photos

cathedral
San Sebastian Cathedral viewed down the city street

San Fermins
The four of us again, as you can tell we are not having any fun

San Fermins
Me and Teresa with her brother Fernando and Lerye

church
City Hall in San Sebastian

beach 1
Check out the beaches in San Sebastian, doesn´t take very long getting used to this

beach 2
One of the beaches in San Sebastian

city
View of the city from the look out on the hill by the ocean

beach3
Cann´t have too much of a good thing, the men are playing Peloton on the beach

beach4
One of the lookouts at the end of the beach, great place to hike and see the sites

motos
Motos lined up on every corner of the intersection. Perferred mode of transport of young people, always zipping in and out of traffic and passing between cars.

motos
Mid day at San Fermins, people gathered in the square to start the procession of the kings the are lined up to the left of the ballons

san fermins
Procession of the kings, you can see their heads above the crowd, they are like tall puppets that someone is inside carrying

juan jo
Juan Jose enjoying a drink in fiestas

San Fermins
We were the quietest group in the street, of 100,000 people