Climbing and swimming: today's goals achieved!

On our last day in SS we had two goals: to climb to the highest point possible (Ewan) and to swim in the Atlantic Ocean  (me).

For those familiar with previous blogs you may remember that Ewan considered it a failure if he didn't climb to the highest point possible in every town in any country we visited.  And in every town in Turkey the was a Citadel with a flag flying,  so off we would trudge in the 40 degree heat,  until finally Erin and I went on strike and Ewan traipsed off alone.

Anyway there is a Castillo and fortress here which of course we had to climb. It was worth the views as we ascended to the top through green and shaded paths. A very lovely local explained the history of the place to us as he thought we were English, and they had been one of the adversaries of the local Spaniards a couple of centuries ago.

Almost at the top was a lovely small museum with free entrance and audio guides (I rated them 8 - Ewan said the commentary was so long his hand got pins and needles holding the audio guide! ). The history was fascinating as the locals had been exceptional whalers and fishermen and had traded with Canada and South America just across the Atlantic.  I was impressed because they traded so well for cocoa beans in the 17th century that everyone drank cocoa as part of the staple diet here.

At one point Ewan disappeared and with great pride told me he had found a tiny staircase that had led him even higher up the steep hill so that made his day!

The Castillo and fortress were very impressive stone buildings and many of the  old cannons were still on display. At one point in the early 1800s Napoleon and the French army occupied the Castillo whilst the Portuguese  and the English eventually razed SS to the ground. Consequently most of the place had been built over the past two centuries.

After we negotiated the downhill path we found ourselves in the old town and decided to take advantage of tbe famous pinchos available for lunch.  Ewan basically chose seafood tapas, including some giant mussels, so he had no bread, whereas I went for some very tasty pinchos. My favorite was some local spicy sausages and one with some very light superb pate.  Delicious!

We strolled home, put on our bathers and headed for the beach.  It was a bit cloudy but still very warm so a perfect time to join the masses at the beach. We managed to find a spot to sit easily as there appeared to be less sun lovers than the day before. The water was warm and the waves large but the swim was very refreshing.

It was fascinating watching the beach goers. Fortunately there were a few tourists with pale skin so we were not so conspicuous, although we were a long way from blending in! Some of the larger women with rolls of fat and skimpy bikinis seemed to look acceptable because of their tanned skin. After soaking up some sun and trying to pretend that our tans were as good as everyone else we headed for home.

After some fried fresh calamari, mushroom kebabs and oiled and salted fresh tomatoes at our favourite bar it was time for a stroll along the beach Boulevard.  The temperature was still close to 30 so there were lots of people strolling along withus trying to make the most of the sea breezes.  We sat on the beach wall and watched the surfers until it was to dark to see them and they gradually glided into the shore.

Another great day in the Basque country of Spain,

From your slightly sunburnt but slightly more tanned correspondent

Dianne

Sun sand and bicycles in San Sebastian

Today I bowed to the inevitable and went cycling .........and on a bike WITHOUT a motor!

San Sebastian town is built on the flat and everything is squeezed in before the steep mountains behind it start.

Off we went to the bike hire place and, equipped with a very natty basket and a 'turistico' map of the scenic tour, we pedaled away. .....for about 6 hours!! The bike paths were truly great for most of the way although some stupid pedestrians seem to think they could use them. I did some clanging of my bell and muttering under my breath and a few "Los sientos!" (Sorry!) when I almost sent someone flying.

It was very flat so not hard to get around, and I only fell off once when I miscalculated a kerb: no injuries were sustained I am pleased to report. 
We did have one hair raising moment when we had to pedal through a road tunnel alongside buses, motor bikes & cars. I'm not convinced we should have been there at all!

Despite that we both thought this was a lovely liveable city. If has lots of apartment blocks due to the limited space but no sky scrapers. Everywhere there are squares filled with playgrounds,  cafes or bars,  or well-kept floral gardens for people to relax in, as well as the beach of course. The DIY scenic bike  tour took us along the beaches and past the University which seemed very nice. The river which divides SS is the color of the ocean: a beautiful aqua blue. And the architecture  of the bridges which cross it varied according to the age of the bridge, with the older ones being very ornate.

Despite it being quite warm - somewhere in the low 30's - there is always a cool sea breeze, so it was perfect for cycling.

We took a break from cycling to go up the funicular railway to see the best views. And stopped for some sushi for lunch for a change. The funicular took us up a very steep slope and the views across to the beaches and the small islands that make up San Sebastian were stupendous.

The good news for me was that my sore leg was fine with cycling - it really is only a problem with walking.

Although it did require a giant G&T to restore me after we returned the bikes. This time they were even served in special blue Bombay Sapphires glasses - I was so impressed!
One of the quirkiest things Ewan noticed was the number of derelict bikes chained to the bike parking poles everywhere. There were lots of bikes that had flat tyres , missing tyres,  gears that had fallen into pieces etc. at every bike parking station. Some of them didn't seem that old.  Very odd!

Then we came across a Council public bike hire rack, just like the ones in Melbourne: the only problem was the lack of any  bikes at all! We saw two of these racks with the sum total of one bike available! Weird!

I was on a mission to conquer the  pinchos tradition. Apparently the old town is the place to do the bar crawl as its supposed to have the best pinchos anywhere. Our host Paula told us we needed to go to one bar and have one drink and one pinchos, and then move on to another bar.  At that rate we would be very drunk very quickly, although Ewan noticed that they don't quite fill the beer glasses to the top.

During our bike tour we had pedaled through the old town and the number of bars was certainly impressive ranging from tiny dark hole in the wall ones to larger more modern well-lit ones. However we decided it was quite a distance away so we'd peruse the ones closer and attempt to do more than one bar - our previous night's score!

I am pleased to report that we managed three! It's hard to judge which one to go to, as the ones with the most people standing outside are also the most crowded so it's difficult to get close enough to the bar to choose your pinchos from the ones on display.  Some of them are works of art as you can see in the photos, and we haven't had one that we disliked. Red wine and beer is cheap here but I have to admit that I had a Coke zero at one place as I wasn't sure I could cope with any more alcohol.

The last bar we went to specialised in baccala which is white fish. They had huge platters with it cooked about 6 different ways so you choose the ones you fancy and they heat up just a small portion for you - no bread involved. One had prawns and a tomato sauce and the other had a cheese sauce - both very tasty. All in all pinchos and tapas are a  great way to taste lots of different local delicacies including marinated anchovies, sardines, grilled octopus & calamari, pate, traditional sausages, grilled peppers and so much more.

It was great fun to watch the locals too. Clearly a lot of elderly Spaniards retire here, most of them women.  In the evenings they seem to gather in groups at particular bars,  all of them well-dressed and carefully groomed.  The one distinguishing feature is that they are tiny:  most of them are a head shorter than me!  The next generations seem considerably taller than their tiny grandmothers. And here everyone - young and old - are very tanned and brown in comparison to us.

Your pale pinchos reporter

Dianne

From underground caves to the crowded beaches of San Sebastian

We've had a very busy couple of days but have definitely improved our ratings for the Perfect Tourist Awards.

In summary we have:

- mooched around the mountains near Santillo del Mar: very steep with isolated villages every few kilometres and complete with cows toting enormous clanging cowbells. Lots of ancient houses made from local stone many with good old geraniums or pelargoniums  - see the red ones in the photo Dad!

- finally visited some real caves. Forget that Altamira faux cave made from polystyrene: these were real caves and they were stunning.  The first we went to, called El Castille had four enormous chambers and lots of cave paintings dating back to Paleolithic times. We would have been better informed if the Spanish guide spoke any English at all: we spent 50 minutes listening to commentary and jokes we couldn't understand and no audio guides at all!
After an impromptu lunch of biscuits cheese and fruit we entered the La Montanes (the money) cave which had the most beautiful stalactites and stalagmites as well as columns where they still joined.  The colors and the intricacy of them was wonderful. The colors changed according to the presence of various oxides: iron for red, manganese for black etc. The guide who spoke English but was only supposed to give the tours in Spanish (!) was really helpful. Some of the paintings were the clearest we had seen, especially a horse drawn with charcoal - difficult to believe it was drawn centuries ago.

- Tasted the local delicacy - cocido montanes. It's a white bean stew made with black pudding  (I didn't eat that! ) ham and chorizo. It was delicious.  It was part of the Menu del noches (menu of the night). The menu said it came with three courses, bread, water and wine. We assumed that 'wine' meant a glass each, but no, we got an entire bottle! We staggered back to the hotel trying not to trip over the cobblestones.

- dragged ourselves out of bed the next day to return the hire car. It would be fair to say that we had a few navigational difficulties and it seemed to take us quite a lot longer than the previous journey. A couple of times Gloria, the  GPS voice, seemed to be a bit distracted and failed to say anything at important moments. She might have gone off to do her nails or something? ! And then there were times when the tangle of freeways resembled entwined noodles and we ended up on the wrong bit of the noodle altogether. Terrifying, given that the speed allowed is 120kms per hour! Somewhat the worse for wear we managed to negotiate the one way streets of Bilbao and returned the hire car (and us) in one piece.

- restored our sanity with strong coffee and a fresh croissant before setting off for the bus station to get a bus for San Sebastian for a few days of beach time. There was good news and bad news: the next bus with available seats left in 3 hours time BUT that did give us time to catch the Metro to the Museo de Belles Artes, which had been closed when we were in Bilbao a few days ago. We did the speed version to make sure we didn't miss the bus.
The most outstanding exhibition for me (but definitely NOT for Ewan!!) was an absolutely superb collection of French couture dresses from the 50s. This was the period when all of the most fabulous French fashion houses were in their heyday: lots of original evening dresses and cocktail dresses by Christian Dior, Balenciaga, etc.  The work in them was remarkable and it was great to get so close to the originals and admire the styling, fabrics, beading and embroidery. Gone are those days!!

- jumped on the bus for a trip of almost two hours. Some sleep, a bocadillo (roll filled with ham tuna egg and mayonnaise - an odd combination!) and some viewing of the surprisingly green and mountainous countryside ended with us being deposited at the bus stop in Donastia San Sebastian. We had a rather forgettable introduction as it took us a couple of hours to find the airbnb after the taxi driver and Google maps deposited us at the wrong San Francisco Street.  Eventually we found the right one which turned out to be a room In an apartment only two blocks from the beach.  Hooray!

- swam in the Atlantic Ocean: well Ewan did.  I lounged on the sand feeling  totally overdressed in my one piece bathers. The seems to be two rules at the beach: keep tanning until you are a burnt brown color & wear as little as possible regardless of your age, size or shape. Being covered up is not an option so my perfectly age appropriate bathers looked ridiculous, but on the other hand. ...my body in skimpy bikinis - I don't think so.

The other noteworthy aspect of the Zurillo beach was the crowding - see photos! Ten times worse than Rosebud at Christmas. It is summer holidays here so I guess that explains it but it was really difficult trying to find anywhere to sit!

- ate more pinchos/pinxtos. SS is famous for these bar snacks. Usually they are on a base of a piece of French stick and can consist of anything savoury from cheese to raw salmon to prawns to grilled peppers or all of the above assembled like a small tower and skewered with a toothpick.  The theory is that you have a drink and a couple of them and then go on to the next bar and choose a few more and keep going until you are full or so drunk you can't go any further.
For our first foray into pinchos territory we stayed at one big noisy Bar which had a huge number of them displayed on the bar.  We tried some hot ones too: potato tortilla and a ham croquette. Will have to get more mobile to get with the tradition!

After a busy couple of days we were happy to collapse in bed.

Your weary and waistline increasing writer,

Dianne

On the road again....

24/08/2015
As we seem to have been using a very limited number of modes of transport we have decided to diversify and hire a car.

And where else would the hire car office be but at the main train station in the centre of town?

To get there we had to roll our bags over water drenched streets not because of rain but because of the enthusiastic army of cleaners in luminous overalls and their bright green trucks. Men with huge hoses spray the streets and you are in danger of having a second shower if you aren't careful!

After the partying last night there were still some young things who had yet to make it home staggering along the wet paths with their shoes in their hand. Oh the joys of being young!
10.00am
I approach the whole concept of driving in a foreign country with some trepidation I have to admit. It is certainly a test of a marriage when the navigator and the driver and Gloria the GPS all disagree and you end up going somewhere you didn't actually intend to go. We have come to the conclusion that it is better for Ewan to drive and me to navigate especially when it involves driving on the right hand side of the road.
I will report in later! !

6.00pm
The good news is that we negotiated the Bilbao traffic in our shiny blue SEAT Ibiza and  managed to arrive safely at our destination more than an hour later still speaking to each other. It only involved one u-turn which Ewan accomplished without incident. So far so good!

We sped along the freeway for most of the time: I relaxed when Gloria told us to proceed for 83kms because I didn't have to do anything for quite a while. The speed limit was 120 for most of the trip which is a little frightening when there are lots of trucks,  and a lot of drivers who seem to think that 120 is the minimal speed and they should speed by much faster!

Our destination was Altamira - a small rural town whose claim to fame is a Paleolithic cave with well preserved drawings. It's a very picturesque town with cobbled streets and stone houses and churches and lots of hotels full of visitors who have come to  see the cave. The only fly in the ointment is that only 5 people at a time are allowed in the real cave and you have to jump through hoops to claim a ticket (or perhaps bribe a few officials!). So the reality is that you have to book online to get a specific time when you can see the replica cave known as the  Nuevo Cuevo.

You can walk to the locked gate of the real cave if you are desperate to get close!

We went on the tour of the replica cave and checked out all of the roof paintings which were very beautiful if they at all resemble the real ones.  They were predominantly animals of the time: bison and deer.There is a museum attached with lots of information about Paleolithic times and some bone tools etc. One section described the making of the replica cave and it was a bit disconcerting to find that we had been oohing and aahing over something made of polystyrene, wax and limestone  powder!!

Apparently when a local shepherd and his young daughter stumbled across the cave in the early 1800s noone believed it was truly Paleolithic. Then the French found a few of their own not far away and suddenly it was verified as the same era.

Ewan assures me that the two caves we visit tomorrow will be real so we shall see!

The Hotel Cuevas in Santillio del Mar is quaint and very old fashioned: that's a euphemism for it doesn't have a lift and we're on the second floor! It does have WiFi on the ground floor though so Ewan is coping, but only just!

Soon we will wander into the old village with our sturdiest shoes on to cope with some very uneven cobblestones. Lunch was some tasty pinxtos so dinner should be good.

10.00pm

We are gradually learning to untangle the complex food vocabulary of Spain. Tonight we had some raciones for dinner with some cidreria follower by a slice of quesada.

Raciones are large tapas plates: ours were local anchovies on grilled peppers and a plate of local cheeses served with crusty bread.  We asked for a bottle of cider which we couldn't finish as it seemed very alcoholic,  and the waitress suggested we drank a little at a time.  It came in a weird contraption where we had to press a button to get it to come out, to aerate I think. 

Then we wandered around looking at lots of local delicacies: cheeses seem to feature and particularly something called quesada. I wasn't sure if it was sweet or savory so had to read the label which included sugar in the ingredients.  Eventually we bought a slice and ate it strolling along the streets.  It was stodgy and not very cheesy but had some lemon in it so a nice flavor.  We haven't seen it anywhere else so will have to try it again I guess,  so I will take a photo.

Your well fed and historically enriched correspondent

Dianne

Dali and Guggenheim: art in all it's diversity

Finally it was our turn to enter the weird and wonderful world of Salvador Dali through spending a few hours in the Art Museum he designed and built. It was full of endless surprises ranging from some beautifully executed paintings and sketches (particularly those of his wife Gaia) through to some really bizarre sculptures and architecture - who could have thought that an old touring car, complete with dummies, with a pole made of tyres and a boat with huge blue drops of water hanging from it could be art? Well Dali would of course!

At every turn there was something else to challenge your ideas about art and make you laugh or cry, as he endured the death of his wife and the political turmoil around him.

When we visited his garden at Port Lligat we had watched a short film of Anton Pixtot , a friend and fellow artist of Dali, talking about his own work and the invitation he received from Dali to display his work in his Museum, so it was interesting to see his work in situ. He used rocks as his inspiration but turned them into figures and landscapes. Very beautiful I thought.

It's impossible to describe Dali's work so I have included lots of photos so you can make your own Judgement! Note the picture frame made of espadrilles! And the stunning jewellery too.

I don't wish to sound obsessed with certain parts of the male anatomy but have a close look at the sketches!!?? Weird or what??

After a few hours of wandering around trying to make sense of it all  we finally left and packed our bags for a train trip and then a short flight to Bilbao. But not before a final lunch at Le Lloc: tuna sald and croquettes for me. Delicious!

As we approached our Hotel in Bilbao late at night in a taxi, the streets became seedier and I noticed a girl on every corner: well many of them no longer girls! Ewan was totally oblivious of course! After getting to our room we heard loud fireworks and realised that we had arrived in Bilbao at the start of the Aste Nagusia Festival week. We wandered through to the old town to get some pinchtos and a drink, only to find every bar filled to overflowing with people wearing blue scarves. These relate to being Basque as we are now in the fiercely Basque province of Spain. This is the week when everyone celebrates this heritage.  Mostly with a lot of drinking and noise. As I write this fireworks are banging overhead and tonight we saw 'duelling' groups: one of drummers and the other people of all ages singing what I presume are patriotic  Basque songs very loudly.

Apparently there is quite a movement among the young to emphasise being Basque and all of the street signs, menus etc. are in both Spanish and Basque, which just confuses us completely! Many of the children today had the same blue scarves and the girls wore dark blue skirts with white petticoats.

Our mission for Bilbao was to see the Guggenheim Museum which was as stunning as I expected. From the moment we entered it was one of those buildings that makes you feel great: soaring curved pillars of stone with lots of curved walls of glass and a wonderful glass atrium too. A beautiful shallow pond extended towards the river and blended the building into the river. Some huge artworks outside  (one which emanates fog at regular intervals!) added to the serene feel. The outside is covered in shiny titanium metal scales which change colour as the sun moves. Truly superb.

The artwork was two exhibitions by Jean-Michael Basquiat , a NY graffiti artist, and the other by Jeff Koons, a Canadian. Both of them with some challenging pieces - a collection of vacuum cleaners is art??? - but with some interesting and powerful pieces too. No photos allowed except at specific  photo points with little green dots on the floor.

Oops - I almost forgot - the audio guide was so detailed and the explanations so long that we didn't get through them which was a pity really. I think if we had listened to them all we would still be there. Numbers were too small for oldies like me but I'd give it a 9.

The other permanent exhibition, that I loved and Ewan hated, consisted of huge brown sheets of steel curved into spirals and paths. I just wanted to run my hands over the sheets of steel and follow them but Ewan thought it was a waste of time!

After several hours we finally left and had much needed coffee and pinchtos in their outdoor  bistro before heading off to wander through the gardens and back along the river to collapse for a siesta.

But first we had to stop and admire 'Puppy' a huge dog made from begonias. The local joke is that it needed a kennel so they built the Guggenheim.

We seem to have moved easily into the habit of a siesta just like the locals. When in Rome.........

We headed off for dinner at about 9.00pm and found the drummers and singers blocking the narrow streets and the bars and restaurants. Eventually we found a table and ordered the menu del noches: menu for the night. It means you choose an entree, main course and dessert, and in this case it came with water, bread and, to Ewan's delight, a bottle of Rioja ( local red wine)! Even I had a couple of glasses!

your art appreciating correspondent

Dianne