Sensational San Sebastian!

September 15 2024

Picture in your mind's eye, beautifully dressed women and handsomely attired gentlmen strolling along the waterfront promenade in passed the belle epoche artchitecture that lines the Playa de la Concha in San Sebastian.  In the late 1800s and early 1900s San Sebastian was the glorious getaway for Europe's rich and famous.  But before that it was a strategic stronghold that played a key part in the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the site of a major battle and seige involving the famous British military figure the Duke of Wellington who would go on to defeat Napoleon three years later at Waterloo. 

We spent a full day in San Sebastian and while we certainly could have easily spent 2 or 3 days here with plenty left undone, we feel we did a lot and got a flavor for this magnificant city.  

Our day began at the vintage amusement park at the top of Mount Igeldo.  With spectacular views of Playa de la Concha and some fun rides and games, this was a perfect way to start the day for the kiddos.  The "roller coaster" was a uninamous favorite and the "La Casa del Terror" was one we felt we could have missed.  The kids also enjoyed smashing into each other on the bumper cars. The log flume was a bit disappointing given there was no drop, but the views were stunning. 

We had read that public parking was expensive in San Sebastian so we planned to use a park and ride just outside the city, but at the last minute decided to forego that hassle and park as close to the beach and the Old Town as possible to minimize the walking for Francesca's mother who had joined us in Spain for a few weeks.  We're glad we did as it ended up not costing too much (15 euros - around $17) for the day. 

We let the kids play around at the beach for an hour or so and they really enjoyed having a soft sand beach after the mostly rock and pebble "beaches" we encountered in Greece and the Balkans.  The weather was perfect (about 71 degrees) and the water was shallow and warm with just a few small waves.  Perfect for the young kiddos. 

When it was time for lunch we took a brief walk to the Old Town and engaged in the time honored tradition of Pintxos Hopping.  Pintxos (pronounced "pinchos") are essentially like tapas or small plates  There are dozens (if not hundreds) of restaurants offering a variety of these food items which is usally a meat or fish with a vegetable on top of a slice of baguette bread usually stuck together with a toothpick, hence the name (pintxo means stabbed in the Basque language).  We also had some of the local cider for which they make a big presentation stretching up their arms to pour from a great height.  Something about aerating the cider, but it's probably mostly just for show. 

Now all of this is a very large part of the Spanish culture, or at least the Basque culture.  While I would say we had fun hoping from restaurant to restaurant choosing various pintxos and sipping cider, Francesca and I both confided that we didn't find the pintxos all that spectacular and found the cider to be downright nasty.  We hada  similar experience in our "home town" or Orduna as well.  But don't take our word for it, we encourage you to try for yourself if you find ourself in Basque Country. 

After lunch we walked around the Old Town and had a drink in the sun overlooking the Bay of Biscay. But the kids and their grandma were tired so they decided to park themselves at the playground area near the beach while Dan took on the 20 minute hike up Mount Urgell to the Castilla de Mota that offered more amazing views and rich history of this castle fortification. 

In 1813 the French, headed in this region by Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte, held San Sebastian as a strategic part of it's empire. The British and Portuguese forces, led by the Duke of Wellington, sought to take San Sebastian on it's way north to defeat Napoleon.  Given the military advantages of the Castila de Mota, Wellington assumed he couldn't take the fort, so he opted for a seige of the city and fort.  His initial seige failed, but later, under Wellington's Lieutenant Thomas Graham, they were successsful and French General Louis Emmanuel Rey surrendered.   This took place a little over 100 years after the French took San Sebastian from Spain in 1719.  Wellington would go on to defeat Napoleon at Waterlook a few years in 1815.

We wished we could spend another day or so in San Sebastian, but given it's close proximity to our home base of Orduna, we may come back again before we leave for our next destination.  Adios for now San Sebastian!