1/8 - 1/11: San Sebastián, Spain

January 22, 2019

1/8 - 1/11: San Sebastián, Spain

Mike's Time to Read: 4 minutes, 13 seconds

Celebrity Foreword, by Linda Steiner: Titled "My first ever blog"

"At first glance San Sebastián, Spain is seen as a vibrant city on the northern coast of Spain near the border of France. Beautiful beaches and resorts line the Bay of Biscay. Michelin Star restaurants and small bars featuring pintxos, tasty snacks similar to tapas, fill the Old Town. Spectacular views from the four hilly areas surrounding the city are breathtaking. Drummers practicing nightly in the open air for the special celebration “Tamborrada”, celebrated annually on the 20th of January, surprise the tourists. On closer examination there is the realization that the city owes its name to St. Sebastián, an early saint of the Catholic Church and the opportunity to explore the religiosity of the city abounds. One jewel of the city is the city’s close proximity to the famous Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James. As tourists to the city we had the opportunity to walk the path along the coast in either direction from San Sebastián thereby tracing the footsteps of the Apostle James as he spread the Good News of the Gospel in the early years after Christ’s death and resurrection. A symbol of the Camino de Santiago, a shell, is seen frequently along the trails. The shell is seen on posts and signs along the Camino in order to guide pilgrims along the way. The route is challenging and you can be met with significant elevation changes and treacherous terrain. But the beauty and significance of the path made the opportunity worthwhile. Our journey along the Camino was a chance to enjoy the beauty of San Sebastián and reflect on the adventures that lay ahead for Andrew and Mike as they made their way to Dublin for what will surely be a “craic” of an experience. Buena Suerte Andrew and Mike!"

Thanks Mom.

In Brief

When most people think of visiting Spain, they tend to plan trips to the major cities of Madrid and Barcelona. Traveling to San Sebastian came on a recommendation from a friend of Mr. Steiner and, after spending several days in the Basque beach city, we would recommend a trip to San Sebastian to any and all of our friends and family as well. Even though this idyllic town would probably be at its peak in the summer, its beauty was not lost during the chilly days in January in which we visited. In this small resort town there was so much to do and each day brought us a new flavor of the area. Whether it was taking a drive along winding roads through the mountains to the southeast of San Sebastian, hiking the Camino in the mountains surrounding the city, or hiking to the top of the mountain at the eastern point of the city and walking around a closed amusement park in order to take in the scenery of the region, the breathtaking views can only be fully appreciated in person.

A major component of the Basque culture is spending quality time with friends and family over good food and drink. We dove right into the local custom and indulged ourselves every night trying different types of pintxos (Basque finger food) and wine. Even without the local foods, all of the hikes and walking trips we took were in the spirit of the community emphasis of the Basque people.

Highlights

Route of the Three Temples: After walking around the city a little bit and grabbing breakfast at a small cafe, we took a tour of the Basque countryside along the route called the Tour of the Three Temples. We stopped at Loiola, birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits; La Antigua; and the Arantzazu Sanctuary. Our driver, Carlos, spoke little to no English, so Mike was able to put his experience from four years of high school Spanish (Thank you Sra. Joubin, Campbell, and Nieves!) and three summers of working in construction to good use and attempted to serve as a translator. Though half of the sites were closed, the scenery of the Basque countryside was beautiful enough.

Rating: Do It for the Blog

Pintxo Food Tour: We took a tour around San Sebastian with a local food guru named Lourdes to six different pintxo (pronounced “pin-cho") bars to try the local phenomenon. Pintxos were originally described to us as any type of meat on bread, but they seemed to be considered any type of small plate of food. We tried pintxos made of shrimp, spare rib, squid, barnacles, and, our personal favorite, beef cheeks. At a pintxo bar, it’s traditional to wipe your fingers with small napkins and then throw them on the floor. We took great pride in being able to throw our waste on the floor without risk of being scolded by our dear mothers. Each pintxo bar visit we made came with a glass of wine at Lourdes’ recommendation, including a grappa at the last one to get our digestive systems moving. We finished the night with Jimmer-sized gin and tonics, as well as a quick trip to the hotel bar.

Rating: Must Experience

Walk on the Camino: The famous pilgrimage through the Spanish countryside, the Camino de Santiago, runs through San Sebastian and we hiked four miles of it on our second full day. The trail went along the coast of the Bay of Biscay and through the mountains surrounding the city. We saw incredible views of the country and had great conversations along the way. Despite the over-30,000 steps we took that day, closed-toed shoes (to Andrew’s delight) remained optional and cuffed pants (much to Mike’s chagrin) were mandatory. The trail route ended in a small town, which we took a small boat ride to get to, and we finished our journey with a beer at a local cafe.

Rating: Must Experience

Segment(s)

Guess That Pintxo!: Choose from the following (answers at bottom): Barnacles, Squid, Shrimp, and Beef Cheeks. Good Luck!

The Last Word

Even though it might not be the first place one thinks of when planning a European vacation, San Sebastian should become a required stop along a tour of Western Europe. It’s a delightful little city right on the water with plenty of culture and activities to keep yourself busy. To top it all off, the food was delicious, despite the questionable main ingredients. Even Joey Spencer would come around to try the barnacles from San Sebastian.

Cheers!

Mike and Andrew