San Sebastian & Bilbao

After Biarritz our next stop was San Sebastian. We had heard great things about this city so we were very excited to finally arrive. San Sebastian is part of the Spanish Basque region. It is also the culinary capital of Spain and home to the second and third (and a few more spots) best rated 50 restaurants in the world. Alongside the great cuisine, the views were remarkable, the people were friendly, and our hostel, Olga's Place, is easily one of the best hostels I had ever visited!

Firs thing was first, we arrived at our hostel, Olga's Place, early in the day, where we immediately felt at home. They prepped us on all the city had to offer and recommended that the next morning we go to a tiny little Pinchos bar across the street where we could get, what they claimed to be, the best tortillas (spanish omelette) in town. So the next morning, we woke up bright and early to get our eating on. The torillas at this bar were unbelievable. It basically left my mouth watering for more. Every morning I had to pace myself, not to fill up on one thing in order to see what the whole city could offer... and yes we had one every morning at 1.60 euros a piece, pretty cheap breakfast.

After our first breakfast, we made our way into the city. The city is pretty much devided into three main sections; Old Town, Shopping Quarters, and the coastal bend. I enjoyed spending most of my time in the old town because I have no money to shop with :( Within the older city you come across many Pinchos bars, churches, and little shops. There was one particular church I fell in love with, the Basilica de Santa Maria del Coro. I love all the detailing at the entrance of the church, so extravagant and beautiful.   

As you make your way out of old town you will find yourself along the bending cost, and harbour, of which you can capture a beautiful view from atop a small mountain bearing a huge Jesus statue, similar to the famous, Cristo Redento in Brazil.

Walking up the hill was such a treat. Although it was a short walk, it provided such a beautiful view of San Sebastian. Vanja and I took a rest mid way up to sit and enjoy the view. Sometimes when traveling you are running around and trying to see as much as you possibly can that you forget to take a moment to take it all in. I often find that I rely on photos to enjoy the scenery, but I definitely need to start putting the camera down more often and really take it all in for myself.

After you descend the mountain and walk around the harbour you will find yourself on the beach. It was a beautiful day - not nice enough for tanning but definitely sunny enough for an ice cream on the beach.

While sitting on the beach we began to hear our tummies call and decided it's time to head back in the old town for some of those delicious Pinchos. Pinchos are basically little bite size portions, more commonly known as tapas costing anywhere between one to five euros. They normally have them all laid out on the bar table, ready for you to pic and choose which of the delicious, mouth watering pinchos you desire. Generally spaniards will go to bars right before siesta, grab a glass of wine and stand at the bar while they snack away, but tourists? we go bar to bar trying to stuff our bellies with as much as we can before going home for a nap!

After our long day of strolling... and eating, we headed back to our hostel for some pasta and wine. The hostel organized a casual outing every evening so for the second evening we headed out to a bar in old town for some beers and cocktails with fellow travelers.

The following day Vanja and I woke up early, got our things together, went down to grab a slice of delicious tortilla and then power walked to catch our bus to Bilbao. Bilbao, pronounced bil-BAH-o, is the largest city in the spanish basque region, it is also home to one of the famous Guggenheim Museums which is basically what we were going to see. I have a small traveling goal which is to visit all the Guggenheim museums. I have Bilbao and New york checked off, so all that is left is... Berlin, Venice and Abu Dhabi. The bus ride out to Bilbao was approximately an hour and cost 10 euros, one way.  

The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum is a contemporary art museum. The building itself was designed by a Canadian-American architect named Frank Gehry. The Museum showcases, staying and visiting exhibits by both Spanish and International artists. The architecture of the building is definitely the take away from the whole visit. It's mesmerizing. The structures outside the museum are just as intriguing as those found within. 
I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting the area. 

Above from left to right: Tulip "Balloons" by American artist Jeff Coon, The Matter of Time by American sculptor Richard Serra, Karin Thiang by Canadian parents Kee & Rachel Thiang

The Salve Bridge, also designed by Frank Gehry

Tall Tree & The Eye, by Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor

After Bilbao we headed back to our hostel for what we thought would be a night of snacking and relaxing... that did not happen. When we got to the hostel, everyone was getting ready to go out for Halloween, so being the social butterflies that we are, we immediately tossed our bag of chips aside for our dancing shoes. The wonderful owners of Olga's place proposed that they take us out for some delicious pinchos at a tiny restaurant just outside the downtown area of San Sebastian. When we got there we were greeted by delicious seafood pinchos. You're probably wondering where all the pictures of the food are but don't worry, I'm saving them all for a blog completely dedicated to foods I've been so lucky to try. After the pinchos the owner of the restaurant told everyone to pipe down, to our confusion he began to belt out some intense notes and then began an impromptu flamenco dance... or some sort of spanish dancing. 

These are, really, the moments that make spending all the money on traveling worth it! You can plan your journey, book your tickets, and hit all the famous sights but as they say "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans"

As our time in San Sebastian was beginning to wrap up, we said our goodbyes to the wonderful people we met and definitely thanked Olga's place for the wonderful accommodations and hospitality! San Sebastian is definitely going down in my books as one of my favorite cities and one of the best experiences thus far. Off to Madrid we went.