From my first impression of San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque)—my walk from the Amara train station to my hostel—I was in awe. The streets nearby felt like a “Hapsburg” style, a similar design to my memories of Vienna, the Czech Republic, and Trieste. This isn’t normally a style that I love outright, and it was surprising to see it in Spain, because I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else here. Streets are lined with regal 4-ish story stone buildings that share walls. Many have tiny window ‘balconies’. However, in contrast to other places I’ve been with this style, the streets were wide enough that I didn’t feel claustrophic among them. The city being so close to the sea and the river also made it feel more open, less like the buildings imposed on the street. As
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