Day 80 Pintxos in Basque Country

So far for all but 7 days of our trip we have been in non-English speaking countries. With all the difficulties associated with this, we have managed really well, mostly due to the patience of many locals and the willingness of so many to share whatever English they have. San Sebastian to us has been particularly interesting because we are not even sure what language the locals are speaking. We had assumed as we were in Spain that they might speak Spanish, but that was our first mistake. As we are close to the French border we thought they might speak French, wrong again. Apparently most of the locals speak the Basque language or at least some form of dialect. Nonetheless people are very friendly and as usual we manage to get by somehow.

As has been our custom Day 80 included a lot of walking. We began by climbing a small mountain behind our Pensione, which is topped by a fort and huge statue of Jesus. The view was amazing and after taking the longer scenic route down we then walked the entire length of the two beaches, which circle the bay. We really enjoyed paddling our poor tired feet in the cool but refreshing ocean. At the other end of the second beach we rode up 185 metres on a one hundred year old funicular, which took us to the top of another hill where we were afforded a complete panorama of this elegant coastal city.

Later we could not resist a visit to the vibrant shopping district made more exciting by the July sales. However the real highlight of the shopping was the fresh food market in the centre of town. We have enjoyed many colourful markets in many countries but the fresh food including the seafood from the local fishing boats completed this culinary picture. In spite of not having a fridge at our Pensione we bought bread, cheese, salami, cold Spanish omelette, salad, brownies, Madeira cake and cherries to afford us an exotic picnic.

Dinner was even better. Spain is famous for Tapas, the name given to a wide variety of appetizers, which are a highlight of Spanish cuisine. These appetizers became delicious meals for us in Barcelona. In San Sebastian they have a local version called Pintxos. Basically all the bars and cafes have large selections of Pintxos on the counter and you simply load your plate and pay for what you eat. The variety, colour and taste of these delicious Pintxos, most of which include some type of seafood, is quite amazing. We chose six different types in one café and then another six at a noisy pub. Do we eat to travel, or travel to eat? We are not sure. What we do know is that San Sebastian deserves its reputation for unique and wonderful fresh food.

Finally our day ended as it had begun with another long walk to the third beach and back to town around a headland that we had not previously discovered. At 10pm on a cloudy evening we watched the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.