Saturday, May 25: Day 33 – Donastia (That’s the Basque Name of San Sebastian)

When you ride the train, it is always an opportunity to charge your cell phone. They are usually in the hardest to reach locations. My seat was at a table and the plug-in was under my seat between my legs. While Rob was putting our backpacks on the overhead racks, I ducked down to plug in and my head got trapped between the seat and the table. I tried to get out and started to panic. I made a huge cranial tug and out popped my head. I must have made a BIG scene because the man across the aisle was laughing hysterically. I heartily joined in.

We were prepared for rain in the heart of Basque country but at the Bay of Biscay you can add some pretty strong winds. There are surfers riding the waves every day of the year.

We saw our share of inverted umbrellas.

Neither rain nor wind can stop us from exploring. We saw some colorful yet controlled graffitti on the way to a castle.

Is this an early form of time out??

We marched into Constitution Square which was once a bull ring. Today it is an evening meeting place with lots of restaurants. Note the numbered balconies from days of yesteryear.

Another conversion is City Hall which was originally a casino. The side has bullet holes from Basque uprisings from the terrorist group called ETA.

Thankfully, they officially disbanded in 2018 in favor of more democratic methods. I am especially fond of hands. I love to get candid photos of Rob.

Our hostel host was charming and funny. We asked him to give us some advice on where to get some delicious pintxos. He had such colorful descriptions and after four locations frequented by locals, he had to stop because he was getting so hungry telling us. At one of the places, we were treated to some down home music? Isn’t that Bruce Willis playing the accordian?Celebrity sightings are common here as there is a world famous international festival each year in September.

San Sebastion Region is a 1909 square kilometer restaurant. When someone asks about eating in San Sebastian, the response is YES. Except for Kyoto, Japan, there is nowhere else in the world with a greater concentration of Michelin star rated restaurants in the world. In fact, if you leave San Sebastian with the same weight as you arrived, you have not experienced San Sebastian.