Credit: Carol Antman
This was the moment I began to fall in love with San Sebastian, Spain: Mark and I were enjoying our seafood dinner on a cafe-lined street; the Gothic church at the corner had just chimed the hour. And then … a charanga band marched in.
Suddenly, we were surrounded by musicians and dancing “big heads”: 14-foot-tall costumed characters with traditional papier-mâché masks. Giggling children scattered as shorter characters with grotesque heads swatted them with bladders. A moment later, they marched off, and all returned to normal.
Just another magical moment in the town’s Semana Grande festival. Parades popped up to surprise us all week. “Fire bulls” raced down streets, shooting sparks and chasing people. Fireworks filled the skies at night, and concerts and tournaments took place each day. So colorful.
Everyone falls in love with the food in San Sebastian. It has more Michelin restaurants (19!) per capita (200,000) than anywhere in the world! Since it was our anniversary during our two-week stay, we treated ourselves to a tasting menu lunch at a scenic hillside restaurant, Mirador de Ulia. Every dish was a precious artwork of local seafood, produce and sweet creations.
One night, we went on a pintxos tour. It’s their version of tapas, and it’s traditional to go from one bar to another eating them. Our guide, Raphael, explained that local chefs went to France in the 1980s and came back with recipes to elevate bar food. It became so popular that every bar serves some.
Credit: Carol Antman
“This street is 250 meters long and has 50 bars,” Raphael told us as we enjoyed tender mussels, ham, cheeses, codfish, sausages and local wine. It’s a dry, slightly fizzy white wine called txakoli that’s poured with a flourish to aerate it.
And the bakeries! Do the Basques really eat that much pastry every day? Everyone seems to be walking around with a loaf of French bread under their arm. The panaderia downstairs from our Airbnb had fabulous coffee. But the bakery a half-block away had better croissants. The one another block away had the best jamón ibérico sandwiches. There’s a popular local cheesecake that can’t be missed and a cream-filled turnover we just had to try.
A 15-minute walk took us to the town’s historic center. It’s nestled at the foot of Mount Urgull, with a picturesque port and cobbled streets, remnants of the town’s walled city. Gothic and Baroque buildings surround squares filled with flowers, musicians and vendors. The beautiful San Telmo Museum, inside a former convent, exceeded our expectations for learning about Basque history.
As people do in Europe, the locals walk everywhere. They wheeled shopping carts, pushed wheelchairs, walkers or strollers. Lots of bicycles and buses that could take you anywhere for pennies.
One of our biggest surprises was the weather. Our intention is to leave Charleston every August and stay somewhere cooler. That’s getting harder to do. We began in Barcelona, where temperatures approached 90 degrees. Our Airbnb in San Sebastian had no air conditioning. I almost canceled, but the landlord assured me it would be fine. And it was. There is a weird microclimate there due to the location on the Bay of Biscay.
Most of all, I fell in love with the beach. What a special city to have a perfect swimming beach right downtown, plus another one around the bend that’s perfect for surfing. Signs at the entrances say (in Spanish and Basque), “Every summer, breathe and listen to the ocean. No phones or smoking on the beach.”
Credit: Carol Antman
As I took off my shoes one day, the woman next to me nonchalantly changed into her bathing suit without modesty. A moment later, a group of robed women in abayas walked into the surf fully clothed. And most wonderfully, as I surfaced from each wave, the view of the historic city filled the horizon.
Excursions were a short cab ride, ferry boat or walk away. Santa Clara Island, just offshore, has a site-specific installation built inside an abandoned lighthouse. At Chillida Leku, we strolled through a monumental sculpture garden. The awesome Guggenheim Museum in nearby Bilbao was a highlight. And we spent a relaxing day at La Perla, bathing in the hydrotherapy pools and Jacuzzis.
Can you tell that I fell in love? Who wouldn’t!
If You Go:
San Sebastian is in northern Spain, just south of the French border. We arrived via train from Barcelona. Flights from the U.S. require flying to Madrid or another European hub and then to Bilbao. There is also a small airport in San Sebastian.
We booked the Bellas Artes apartment from Always Easy (alwayseasyrental.com) and loved it.
