21.​ Falling in love with the Basque Country

From Logrono we hit the hills via Vittoria towards San Sebastián. While the trip was longer than anticipated the view was incredible from the peaks and we were so glad we had hired the car and been able to experience this drive. After several wrong turns along the way and many laps of the streets searching for our hotel when we finally arrived in San Seb it was a matter of racing the bags in to the hotel and shooting off to the car hire return, making it with only about five minutes til close. My blood pressure was sky high as I ran in, only to be met by a super casual, non-plussed greeting from the relaxed Basque attendant. Opening and closing times we discovered, are merely a guide! No need to stress at all!! While wandering back to the hotel along the river bank and relaxing in to the vibe I instantly fell in love with San Seb and it only intensified in the coming days!

Pension Loalida

Another fantastic find, the Pension Loalida hotel was fully accessible, equipped with a lift and only two blocks from the Concha Beach. The foreshore that runs from Concha beach to Playa de Ondaretta is stunning and we spent so much time enjoying this part of San Seb. We loved taking in the view of the landscape, buildings on the hill behind and in particular people watching. When the sun was out there were people everywhere and so many kids playing games and doing flips in the sand. Everyone seemed so relaxed and comfortable in their own skin. Bikinis or brief swimmers were the norm for young or old and this confidence was incredibly refreshing. It really reminded us how conservative and judgmental we have become in Australia.

Concha Beach

The old town of San Sebastián is a true highlight and of course we adored it. It was always busy but the vibe was chilled and happy. Around three weeks overdue for a hair cut one of Dickeys first tasks was to find a barber. We stumbled on the most fabulous old style barber and he lined up for a cut and razor shave, getting himself into the traditional old chair! It wasn't just a brilliant experience it was a fab cut and shave too! Everything about San Sebastián was ideal. The atmosphere, relaxed vibe, the crystal clear water, green hills behind, the old town village, the incredible food, gin and tonic appertif's, the wine and the many bars. It was total bliss with the only thing lacking being sunshine for the majority of the week.

Old town San Seb. Our fave bar was at the base of the church!

On our first morning we had noticed how packed the beaches were and declared after our siesta we would head to the water. Unfortunately when we woke up it was raining and remained overcast and rainy weather for the next four days! Talking to the locals it seemed this was normal and they were used to quick changes in weather before summer started. To the Spanish and Basque the summer starts in July, not June like the rest of Europe and they are very serious when they tell you this, so we dared not contradict them! If our week of weather was anything to go by, we believed them!! In preparation for the official launch each day we watched the beach chairs, umbrellas and mats being delivered and set up. It truly is the most fabulous beach culture and during the week when the sun did make an appearance within minutes there were people everywhere. It was as if they were packed ready and waiting! It would instantly become a hive of activity and was transformed so fast. There was always so many ball games, tag, and frisbee going on. Our favorite to watch though was the flip sets up where the groups would half bury a fitball to us as a rebounder and spend hours lined up taking turns to flip and tumbled over them!! We literally spent hours people watching.

The beach was also fantastically accessible beach too, but unfortunately not open until the start of July. The roll out mats allowed chair access to the water and there were water wheelchairs available via the lifeguards through the summer. Throughout southern Spain they were available for more of the year, but limited times in San Seb. It is only since coming home that we have seen them 'rolling out' around Australia. (There is a Port Stephens Blog coming soon and I'll tell more then!) We can only hope it will get better and look at purchasing our own water wheelchair.

Sad to leave San Seb but excited for Bilbao we had another fantastic public transport experience. We took one of the many buses between the two cities that run every 30 minutes and ALL of them equipped with wheelchair lift access. With a little trouble the driver managed to get it open and working and 70 minutes later we were in Bilbao. Despite the slight delay in departing and the extra work he had to do he couldn't have been more helpful and even with our non-existent Basque and his limited English persisted in trying to direct us to the local train network. Or at least that's what we figured. With smiles and head nods we left with our luggage and no idea what he had been trying to tell us! By chance we found the tram stop while looking for the train connection and realized it would drop us 200m from our hotel plus give us a great first view of Bilbao as we traversed the city. I got my first incredible glimpse of the Guggenheim and this gorgeous city!

San Sebastián 8/06 - 13/6