Advertisement
Published: March 1st 2011
¡San Sebastián!
"
Weekend Warrior: A person who holds a regular job during the week which restricts his/her ability to party/go on trips/partake in awesome activities, and thus plans epic weekend adventures to compensate. As much variation and quantity of awesomeness is packed into the weekends as physically possible, warranting the rest of the work week to recharge for the next weekend. These people are notorious for staying up until sunrise and wearing the same clothes into the next day. They only qualify if he/she parties on all nights of the weekend - no days off - This requires much will power and obedience."
-Urbandictionary.com
Yet another whirlwind adventure! Started the weekend early and took the midnight train to San Sebastián on Thursday. It was a 6 hour ride to Spain’s Northern coast, dropping us off at around 6:30 am. Still half-asleep, we wandered around in the pre-sunrise darkness, filling our lungs with ocean air, before finding our hostel. Besides being the cheapest we could find and getting terrible online reviews, I thought the hostel suited our needs perfectly. It was actually more of a small apartment-turned-guesthouse, owned by a laid-back Spanish woman in her mid-thirties. When we arrived,
she showed us into the “biggest room,” consisting of two bunkbeds and two couches, where we immediately crashed for a few hours.
A little while later, we got up and went in search of comida. We decided to get a big lunch (one of the menú del días- three courses for 9-10 euros), and get tapas, or pinxtos, for dinner. San Sebastián is known for being the gastronomic capital of Spain, with more Michelin stars per capita than any other city, even Paris! (Not that Michelin star restaurants were in our budget however...¡que triste!) Regardless, everything I ate in San Sebastián was absolutely DELICIOUS! If you can imagine walking into a bar and seeing the counter piled high with a profusion of delicate sandwiches, juicy kabobs, intriguing seafood creations, and other mouthwatering goodness, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect in San Sebastián. It can get a little expensive, with each pinxto costing around 1-3 euros (sometimes with drink included, if you’re lucky), but SO worth it. I’m salivating just remembering it all!
Anyway, after lunch, we followed my guidebook’s advice (those things never lie), and climbed the winding path up Monte Urgull, a sizable
hill topped with a huge statue of Christ. (We called it the Jesus Hill) It was a beautiful walk, lined by trees on one side and the ocean on the other, with increasingly better and better views! We took our time going up and down, taking pictures and enjoying the sunny weather. Then we went for a stroll on the Playa de la Concha, where I flung off my shoes and felt sand between my toes! I even ventured into the water, although it was very, very cold. After that, we went back to the hostel for a nap and a rest, before hitting the old part of town (Parte Viejo) for some pinxtos -see above- YUM!
The next day, we ran into some crappy weather, which considerably dampened our plans. We tried to do a day excursion to France, but only got as far as Hendaye before deciding we neither could nor wanted to go any farther. Problem number one: there was no afternoon bus to Bayonne, our destination (yes, it might have been a good idea to have checked before leaving, but where’s the sense of adventure in that, I ask?). Problem number two: it was cold
and rainy, making a walking exploration of Hendaye completely unappealing. So we admitted defeat and went back to San Sebastián, where we hid out in the hostel until dinnertime. At least the pinxtos never disappoint!
On our last day, we got up at a reasonable hour, that is, before twelve, and walked to the other side of the city. As the weather was considerably better, there were people out surfing, sailing, and even swimming (in speedos no less!) We took the funicular railway and scaled another mountain -Monte Igueldo- whose spectacular panoramas made the Jesus Hill look trivial. Honestly, the view was amazing! I may have even gotten sunburned up there- heck yes, Salamanca has made me so pale! We enjoyed the sun and the scenery for a good hour/45min, until dark clouds rolled in and pelted us with rain. At least it was good while it lasted! We took refuge in the Aquarium by the fishing port, and got to observe some tortugas, tiberónes, and various peces before enjoying a final round of pinxtos (mmm!) and catching the 10 pm train home. Got back to Salamanca at 4:30 am, with just enough time for a nap before my
9am class! Gotta love Spain :D
Advertisement
Tot: 0.069s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0289s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Aunt Marianne and Grandma Joyce
non-member comment
We Love and Miss Our Erin!
Hey Sweetheart, I just left you a VM message. As you know GMa has dial up (Argh!) and it is slow as molasses...sp?...anyhoo we love and miss you! Your blog's are awesome!!!!! Our little journalist:) Wish we were there to share your adventures; however, I am sure we would never in a million years be able to keep up with you!!!! I am soooooo happy that you are exploring the country (countries) and having the time of your life. Just know that your cousins, Me and GMa love you sooo much! If I could or had a million bucks I would send you a lot of it so your life wouldn't be quite so stressful...albeit Auntie M is still Unemployed but living vicariously through YOU!!! LOL! Come home safe:)