We took the highway most of the way, and had to pay a toll as we got close to Bilbao- it was almost 22 Euros! We were definitely not expecting that! Come to think of it though, the roads were definitely well maintained and clean, and we passed through a bunch of tunnels and over many bridges on our way, so that must be why. It takes a lot of work and engineering to build and design all of those bridges and tunnels!
We didn't have a good detailed map, or any help from cell phone GPS as neither of our cell phones work here, and so we had a somewhat hectic drive through Bilbao. We had to stop and ask a couple of women on the side of the road, one older and one younger with bright pink lipstick, who were very friendly but couldn't help us, and then another very friendly man at a gas station, who pointed us in the right direction. It was long past lunch by the time we got through Bilbao, and we stopped at a restaurant on the side of the road for some Cocido- very different from the one we had at Magali's house in Madrid- richer and with red kidney beans instead of garbanzos, and with the addition of more fat and Murcilla, blood sausage. More like a stew than a soup. Very tasty but a little heavy.
Driving over the hills to the coast is really a breathtaking experience. The first town you hit is Bermeo, a larger fishing town, at the very edge of the Atlantic, that you reach after winding down from the mountain roads toward the most picturesque view you ever did see, and to top it all off, it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set which always produces the most beautiful light.
After driving through Bermeo, you hit Mundaka. One would never suspect that this town is home to a world class, world renowned surf break- it is very unassuming and humble. There are only a handful of bars and restaurants and hotels in the town, and more than half of them are closed this time of year. There isn't even a gas station or convenience store. There are, however, two shops selling surf gear and clothing open.
We stayed in Hotel El Puerto- chosen largely because the other hotels in town weren't open at the time of our visit, and also because of it's location- right at the edge of the harbor or port. It was nice! We had a small, simple room, but it was clean, and downstairs had a little bar to get coffee and breakfast in the morning. It was very modest, but it was all we needed, and it was close to the surf, and restaurants. Overall we had a pretty good experience there.
Mundaka, first sunset
We went out to dinner both nights there, and went to lunch once- all of the meals were good, but our second night was the best. The first night we went to Asador El Bodegon, in the bottom floor of a large building located right next to the main square next to the port. We had Merluza a la plancha (Grilled Hake) which was good if somewhat unremarkable. The people at the table next to us however, had some great looking cuts of beef and had a mini grill at their table that was used to cook the meat. Had we known that it was an option we would have ordered it!
Beef from El Bodegon in Mundaka
Merluza a la Plancha at El Bodegon Mundaka
Foggy morning, Mundaka
Morning surf, Mundaka
Next day we drove along the winding coastal roads towards Donostia-San Sebastian, the next place on our agenda. Wow. We passed some of the most stunning scenery that I have ever seen. Rolling hills and lush vegetation everywhere. It is very green, and the ocean is visible almost the whole way. The drive is definitely a little bit treacherous though and the roads are very narrow and windey, not to mention the spanish drivers constantly tailgating. We had to pull over a ton of times to let people go by, even though we thought we were going as fast as safely possible.
Hills on our coastal drive
Basque coastal views
Break wall in the distance, Basque Coast
Our rental car
We arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian in the afternoon, disoriented as to where we were going at first. Cities are always the hardest to navigate. After some stressful driving around and some argument, we figured it out and found a nice hotel on the river and the ocean that would allow us to park our rental car free. It was called Hotel Parma. Again, nothing too snazzy, but nice and clean with an ocean view, and in a great location. It was an easy walk to both the city center and the Parte Vieja, or old town, which is the part of the city that's more lively, vibrating energy at almost any time of day with tons of tapas bars.
Church, Parte Vieja, Donostia-San Sebastian
One of many pintxos bars in San Sebastián
La Mejillonera, pintxos
La Mejillonera , Donostia-San Sebastian
Once you order, they give you a basket of bread and your beverage, and shortly after, bring you your order. Not the healthiest food, but very tasty, and obviously fresh and good quality. This place is a must try if you enjoy seafood and are San Sebastián. We were full after this one though, and didn't have the appetite to try any more pintxos bars!
The next day was el 6 de Enero, a holiday, los Reyes Magos, or Epiphany. The shops were all closed but many of the bars and restaurants were still open. We spent the day going for a lengthy walk around the cliff on the south side of the river in the fog, which was a beautiful walk, although probably nicer in the sun! (I'm sure the whole city, in fact this whole coast! is different in the summer). We were craving some more familiar comfort food, and went to eat at an italian restaurant, and had some of the best pesto pasta I have ever had, and some carpaccio with this crispy bread. The pizza looked great too. It was a much needed break from the rich spanish food that however good, is not what we are used to eating.
Walk along the river, San Sebastián
Beef carpaccio, San Sebastián
Before I forget, and we are about to leave Spain for a few days, one of our favorite parts of our day in Spain has been the morning coffees (Cafe Cortado, usually, espresso with a little bit of milk) and the fresh squeezed orange juice, available at whichever cafe you choose. It's amazing how such a simple thing as a glass of fresh squeezed juice can immediately brighten your whole day! And yes, we have had this every morning in Spain!
Another thing I should mention before leaving Spain, is how great is it for me to be able to speak the language, even if I'm not as fluent as I used to be. I can pretty much understand everything, and although my speaking is slower and less fluid than it used to be, I can still communicate what I need to. And it gets better every day that I spend in Spain! I don't know if I realized how great it was, or how much I took it for granted until our next chapter, France!
Last morning in San Sebastián
We stayed in Hotel El Puerto- chosen largely because the other hotels in town weren't open at the time of our visit, and also because of it's location- right at the edge of the harbor or port. It was nice! We had a small, simple room, but it was clean, and downstairs had a little bar to get coffee and breakfast in the morning. It was very modest, but it was all we needed, and it was close to the surf, and restaurants. Overall we had a pretty good experience there.
We went out to dinner both nights there, and went to lunch once- all of the meals were good, but our second night was the best. The first night we went to Asador El Bodegon, in the bottom floor of a large building located right next to the main square next to the port. We had Merluza a la plancha (Grilled Hake) which was good if somewhat unremarkable. The people at the table next to us however, had some great looking cuts of beef and had a mini grill at their table that was used to cook the meat. Had we known that it was an option we would have ordered it!
Next day for lunch we went to a restaurant called La Fonda, which was good as well. We got fish soup, one of the dishes that is supposedly a specialty of the town, and an Ensalada mixta, mixed salad. The salads in Spain usually have iceberg lettuce, cured tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, onion, and sometimes white asparagus. Something like a Niçoise salad I suppose. There are not a whole lot of veggies eaten in Spanish cuisine, which is always something that's a little hard for me to get used to. Of course if you have a place with a kitchen there are plenty of veggies to be found at the local markets, just not at the restaurants. The fish soup tasted nutritious and salty, and consisted of fish and fish broth, nothing fancy.
Veggie stall at a Madrid market
Second night we went to a restaurant upstairs in the same building as the night before, called Casino de Mundaka. Josh had a tenderloin with fries- impeccably cooked, and I again had the Merluza a la Plancha which was better than the night before.
We had fun walking around this pretty little town and checking out the surf... Josh surfed a couple of times in surf that was not the best ever but was definitely pretty good compared to what we're used to. There were definitely a lot of people in the water though which made it a less enticing. Even though it was the off season there were a handful of tourists and you could definitely feel the excitement that the wave creates among its spectators.
We had fun walking around this pretty little town and checking out the surf... Josh surfed a couple of times in surf that was not the best ever but was definitely pretty good compared to what we're used to. There were definitely a lot of people in the water though which made it a less enticing. Even though it was the off season there were a handful of tourists and you could definitely feel the excitement that the wave creates among its spectators.
Next day we drove along the winding coastal roads towards Donostia-San Sebastian, the next place on our agenda. Wow. We passed some of the most stunning scenery that I have ever seen. Rolling hills and lush vegetation everywhere. It is very green, and the ocean is visible almost the whole way. The drive is definitely a little bit treacherous though and the roads are very narrow and windey, not to mention the spanish drivers constantly tailgating. We had to pull over a ton of times to let people go by, even though we thought we were going as fast as safely possible.
There are a handful of little towns along the way, nestled between the hills and hosting in most cases hundreds of little boats. The main source of income in this region is fisheries. Every harbor is shielded by an enormous break wall, looking like a big fort, which is necessary to block the harbor and the town from all of the winter storms that bring huge surf to this part of the coast.
We passed through a handful of memorable towns along our way, one of which was Gernika-Lumo, the town that Picasso's famous painting Guernika was named after. Inspired by the April 26, 1937 bombing of the town, one of Nazi Germany's first bombings by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), the painting depicts a scene of the suffering and tragedy of war. The Germans attacked the town during the Spanish civil war, in support of Francisco Franco and his efforts to overthrow the basque government. Now, it is a flourishing, quaint little town at the entrance to an estuary.
We passed through a handful of memorable towns along our way, one of which was Gernika-Lumo, the town that Picasso's famous painting Guernika was named after. Inspired by the April 26, 1937 bombing of the town, one of Nazi Germany's first bombings by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), the painting depicts a scene of the suffering and tragedy of war. The Germans attacked the town during the Spanish civil war, in support of Francisco Franco and his efforts to overthrow the basque government. Now, it is a flourishing, quaint little town at the entrance to an estuary.
Another town we enjoyed was Lekeitio, whose narrow cobblestone streets and harbor we wandered through, checking out the old Spanish architectire and the mostly red, blue and green painted little fishing boats, safely sheltered behind the break wall.
Lekeitio harbor
We arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian in the afternoon, disoriented as to where we were going at first. Cities are always the hardest to navigate. After some stressful driving around and some argument, we figured it out and found a nice hotel on the river and the ocean that would allow us to park our rental car free. It was called Hotel Parma. Again, nothing too snazzy, but nice and clean with an ocean view, and in a great location. It was an easy walk to both the city center and the Parte Vieja, or old town, which is the part of the city that's more lively, vibrating energy at almost any time of day with tons of tapas bars.
San Sebastian is a beautiful city. There is a big open bay with dark blue water and a curving yellow beach, a beautiful old cathedral and churches dotted around it. Accross the river on the eastern side of the city, connected by a bridge, the part our hotel looks over, is the surfing beach, playa Zurriola, and the Gros, another part of the city. It is a relatively small city, with the center, gros, and parte vieja all within walking distance.
The first night, we went out for Pintxos! San Sebastian has some of the best, and the greatest number of pintxos bars in Spain. It is a little bit overwhelming at first, to attempt to figure out where to go. We looked some up online, and also decided to wing it. First one was just OK.... I guess we didn't realize that we could have our pintxos warmed up! It was also not as crowded as some of the others which was nice cause there was no waiting involved, but perhaps a bad sign as the busiest also tend to be the best.
The second one however, was one that came highly reccommended, and lived up to the hype! La Mejillonera, a mussel bar (as in, the shellfish). Super crowded, but worth fighting for a spot at the bar. Such a fun experience. They have few items on the menu, and four sizes of beer. The menu included Calamari con pimientos, Calamari a la Brava, Patatas Bravas, Mejillones al marinero, mejillones a la brava, pimientos de padron, mejillones al tomate. You order from one of four guys working, and then the guy you ordered from shouts out the things you ordered in a very particular shout. I'm not sure how else to explain it! It is a small place and even though crowded their shouts rise above the noise. It crossed through my mind what training for the job must be like.
Once you order, they give you a basket of bread and your beverage, and shortly after, bring you your order. Not the healthiest food, but very tasty, and obviously fresh and good quality. This place is a must try if you enjoy seafood and are San Sebastián. We were full after this one though, and didn't have the appetite to try any more pintxos bars!
The next day was el 6 de Enero, a holiday, los Reyes Magos, or Epiphany. The shops were all closed but many of the bars and restaurants were still open. We spent the day going for a lengthy walk around the cliff on the south side of the river in the fog, which was a beautiful walk, although probably nicer in the sun! (I'm sure the whole city, in fact this whole coast! is different in the summer). We were craving some more familiar comfort food, and went to eat at an italian restaurant, and had some of the best pesto pasta I have ever had, and some carpaccio with this crispy bread. The pizza looked great too. It was a much needed break from the rich spanish food that however good, is not what we are used to eating.
Before I forget, and we are about to leave Spain for a few days, one of our favorite parts of our day in Spain has been the morning coffees (Cafe Cortado, usually, espresso with a little bit of milk) and the fresh squeezed orange juice, available at whichever cafe you choose. It's amazing how such a simple thing as a glass of fresh squeezed juice can immediately brighten your whole day! And yes, we have had this every morning in Spain!
Another thing I should mention before leaving Spain, is how great is it for me to be able to speak the language, even if I'm not as fluent as I used to be. I can pretty much understand everything, and although my speaking is slower and less fluid than it used to be, I can still communicate what I need to. And it gets better every day that I spend in Spain! I don't know if I realized how great it was, or how much I took it for granted until our next chapter, France!
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