San Sebastian is a place tucked away 15 miles from France and borders the Pyrenees mountains in the Bay of Biscay. Giant homes and condos on the beaches. Old stone cabanas which are now restaurants. A giant statue of Jesus from a mountaintop over looks the town. A tiny fishing port with hole in the wall places where you can grab a taste of the fresh local catch and old seamen who have not bathed or shaved in decades. And a language all their own - Euskara. Completely unintelligible but nothing a good 'point' can't get you through.
It's been raining for 2 days straight. But that does not keep anyone from hitting the shops or tapas bars. San Sebastian has 3, 5 star Michelin restaurants and some of the best gastronomy creations and tapas bars in the world. The food is beautiful, tastes like heaven and generally inexpensive. But you have to be adventurous. This place is not for the squishy fuss bucket what is this I'm eating kind of diner. At the tapas bars, you are given a plate to peruse up and down the long display of items piled high on platters and you just reach in and take what you want. If something needs to be heated, the bartender will hustle it back to the kitchen to be warmed up. And you just keep perusing, eating and drinking. Not to worry - the bartender is keeping his eye on you and track of what you are choosing. The bars are generally packed with people so you need to make your way into the food, or you don't eat. You have to see it and experience it to believe it and understand it. Tapas in the US is crap.
After we returned the car (more drama I will skip) we walked around in the rain for a while to the sea, fishing village and hit some shops in the Old Town. We are staying smack dab in the old town where there are no cars. Just narrow streets. I introduced Jud to Disco Burger. A little hamburger joint that looks like something from home and out of the 50's. Double burger, queso, fried onions, bacon and fried gooey egg on a bun. We went back twice and I'm sure based on the hangover today, we will be heading there shortly.
After siesta, we got our act together and hot the town again umbrellas in tow. Most restaurants don't open till 8 pm and the popular ones fill up quickly. I can't tell you how many we hit but there were a few memorable ones. Jud started a chat with a man who was traveling alone from Sweden. Then we bumped into a couple from Naples FL and began chatting with them. They began chatting with a couple from South Africa. Next thing you know, there are 6 of us rolling to another bar, bottles of cava all around and THE most amazing tapas so far. Nothing is displayed on the bar. There is a chalk board on the wall, it all comes from the kitchen and is hot food. Veal cheeks, giant scallop, duck magret, foie gras, chocolate gnash and orange - each plated on a different sauce. The couple from FL insisted they pay for everything. Life is too short and paying it forward. Making me wonder what was really going on there.... The South African couple (who now live in London) hung around with us for a while. Jud and his new found friend Byron finished some bottle of evil Basque spirit. I literally had to cut them off and announce it was time to go home before someone passed out. Fortunately, we were only steps from the hotel.
It's Sunday morning and the church bells are ringing constantly over and over again. There is Spanish music playing from someone's home in the back courtyard we can hear. The windows are open and the rain is still falling. Regardless, it's another beautiful day in Donostia - the basque word for San Sebastian.
Meeting people from all over the world has been a huge part of this trip. I can't wait to get out there and do it again today.
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