A Home Away From Home

There was a chilling wind blowing as we walked the half hour from the train station to our hostel in the Spanish coastal town of San Sebastian. I was overwhelmed with happiness as we neared closer to the town centre and was able to take in the strong, salty smell of the ocean. Despite the chill outside we were welcomed with immediate warmth when we arrived on the doorstep of Urban House, and both Nina and I took an instant liking to the place.

Initially we had thought that two days would be sufficient in San Sebastian for our much anticipated ocean swim and to explore the city, however each day we pushed back our departure date leaving only when our eurail pass was to expire. It wasn't only the place itself that seemed attractive, but also the coincidental appearance of Riley, who we knew from primary school, and Simone, who we recognized from our drama days together. 


Our first day in San Seb the clouds had clearly set in for the day and consequently the beach didn't seem overly appealing so instead we explored all four corners of the surrounding town. In the afternoon we had a peaceful few hours on the beach with our iPod and books. As Simone and Riley had already been in San Seb for two weeks, they knew the great places to go out in the evenings. Atari, an atmospheric little bar in the heart of the old town was where we we taken the first evening and, not surprisingly, each one after that. It didn't matter what time of the day or which day of the week, Atari was famous for being busy and maintaining a very traditional Basque feel.

We stood at the bar and had our first taste of the iconic Basque cider and pintxos (similar to tapas but generally with a bread base). It was also our first taste of the most amazing patatas bravas, which we then found out were only temporarily available as they are apparently very un-Basque. A truly devastating discovery for all of us.

From Atari we made our way to Zabibo, the local club similar to Atari in that it never ceases to have a crowd. After some drinks and dancing in the club we made our way home in the early evening and drifted into a deep sleep to the sound of Marcus playing his guitar.

The following few days we passed with similar movements... Simone, Riley, Nina, Bevan and whoever else we had befriended the night before made our way to the beach to lie in the sun and watch the surfers in the waves. We were often confronted by some fairly graphic scenes as the Spanish locals proudly strutted around the beach stark naked. Ryan, Pete, Kez and the rest of us then went to the edge of the pier to the sunset spot. It was a place frequented by all of the locals who discovered that it was the perfect place to watch the sun set over the ocean without the obstruction of the mountain.

After some communication via the old facey, I was shocked to discover that I was also staying in the same hostel as Bel, another good friend from home. I couldn't hold back the excitement to see another familiar face, and one whom I hadn't seen for almost a year. As she had arrived late the previous evening we made plans to meet for some dinner that night at Atari. We had an exciting few hours together where Nina and I heard all about their relaxing time on the coast of Portugal and we likewise shared our travels to date. As they were leaving the following day for the amazing coastal town of Biarritz, we said goodbye, however it would be not long before I would be meeting up again with Bel in the UK.

The next night we went on a pub crawl organized by Bevan and Kez (and therefore very low key), however as it was a Tuesday many of the pubs we visited were empty apart from the ten or so hostel guests.

Glad to mix up our nightly routine, the next night we took a taxi to the Cider House fifteen minutes from town where for €28 euros one can have a four course meal and unlimited cider. It was quite an interesting place with over twenty vats of different cider varieties, however to be honest I struggled to taste the difference between many of them. To finish the night, Marcus, Simone, Riley, Bevan, Eloise and I sat in the cute little park just below the hostel and made plans for Simone to join us on our trip to Turkey. The following day we were on the bus to Bilbao to check out the Guggenheim. An edifice of architectural wonder, it has an incredibly unique design as well as an impressive selection of art in the collection.  I was fascinated not so much by the temporary exhibitions on display at the Museum but by some of the permanent installations on the ground floor.

The hours passed quickly in the Guggenheim and as the afternoon continued we caught the tram into the old district to hunt down some food. We settled for a salad and some patatas bravas, and were predictably disappointed by the quality compared to those at Atari that melt in the mouth.

A brilliant plan was devised the next afternoon to embark on a pintxos crawl through the streets of San Sebastian. At 9pm we set out to out first destination, Bardi Berri. We were all smiling as we indulged in their house special, the mushroom risotto, however it was the cheese risotto that we sampled after that was the most tasteful.Our next stop was aesthetically a rather sad looking bar. However by this stage of our trip Nina and I had learnt not to judge a place by it's exterior, and not surprisingly it was in this rundown place that we had some exquisite garlic mushrooms and patatas bravas. 


Having overestimated the capacity of our stomachs, by this stage we were feeling rather full and so made a joint decision to head to Atari for some cider to aid with digestion and some more pintxos for anyone who still had an appetite. Christine, our new friend from America tried the beef cheek, a specialty of Atari that Nina and I had tried on our first night. 
The night ended much the same, everyone migrated to Zabibo before returning to the hostel.


Our second last day in San Sebastian was spent on the beach, and to treat ourselves further we had lunch out at a local vegan restaurant which Simone (being the vegan) had discovered. We arrived at 2:30pm to be told that they were booked out for the entire afternoon (well until 3:30 which was when the kitchen closed).Overcome with devastation we sat silently for a moment... After a minute or so we devised a great plan; to sit out on the front step in the hope that at some stage over the next hour or so a table would become available.

For the next hour we sat nervously waiting, analysing each group that entered or exited from the tiny cafe.

At 3:20 after each taking turns lingering in front of the door making sure we were seen by the waitresses we were finally given a table. The food was well worth the wait, I was treated to a delicious pumpkin and pistachio soup followed by an interesting vegan lasagna. Feeling rather full we then returned to the beach in Spanish style for a little siesta.That evening a big group of Danish hitchhikers arrived. After meeting them we learnt that they had just finished a hitchhiking race from their home (in Denmark) to San Sebastian, an incredible 1500km.We were both feeling rather glum in the morning as our fate was sealed and we had to leave, however we did enjoy a beautiful swim in the rough ocean and a few hours of sunbaking as a farewell. We also took the funicular up to the top of the hill for a great view of the two iconic bays and the wider ocean. For the lucky people who can afford it, there is a hotel that sits on the highest point of the mountain on the edge of a childrens theme park that must have some pretty special views.From the train window I watched the sun set over the Basque country of which we had so quickly warmed to, all the while accepting I'd have to return on my next trip to Spain.