San Sebastian, Spain

Shane and I flew into Bilbao mid-day Monday and hopped on a bus to San Sebastian to meet up with Brett & Mary. Brett & Mary were the first people that we met in London. They moved back to the U.S. about a year ago but luckily planned a holiday to Spain (and Greece) that we were able to tag along on for a bit.

We met Brett & Mary at our airbnb located just outside of the Old Town. After we settled in, we set out for lunch all partaking in the menu of the day. After lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring the town and walking along the beach. Brett & Mary spent time in Rioja prior to meeting us in San Sebastian, collecting wine bottles away along the way, so before heading out for the evening we enjoyed one of their bottles in our apartment. After enjoying the wine, we set out to the old town for a pintxos crawl. Pintxos, similar to tapas, are individualized small snacks typically served on bread when you order a beverage. The region is known for its pintxos so we had to partake.

The next morning we set out to hike a portion of Camino de Santiago. We hiked approximately 8 miles from San Sebastian to Pasajes, a small port city. The hike spanned along the coast and one view was better than the next. At some point along the hike, we must have taken the wrong way at a fork because we found ourselves on a very narrow path on a steep incline. Once we reached the top, we were happy to see that a seemingly easier trail was located right next to the tree opening we emerged from. We had a bit more to go before we reached the small port city but we were all thrilled when the village came into view. We grabbed a relaxing lunch on the water before catching a bus back to San Sebastian. A bit worn out from the hike, we headed back to the apartment for a siesta before heading back out that evening.

Refreshed and well rested, we headed to Monte Igueldo to watch the sunset and view San Sebastian from above. After the sunset, we headed back to the old town to indulge in more pintxos.

On our last day in San Sebastian, we decided that we would attempt surfing. After a pintxos breakfast, we headed to the beach to scope out surf shops. We found a shop that included everything we needed - surf boards, wetsuits and an instructor. We signed up for an hour and half lesson with the option to stay out longer if we wanted. Our instructor gave us a quick tutorial on the beach and then we were out in the water. Mary was the first up - on the first wave! - and eventually we all managed to get up on our boards. By the end of our lesson, we were exhausted.

After our surf lesson, we grabbed lunch and then hopped in Brett & Mary's rental car to set off for Saint-Jean-de-Luz!