“You could make the argument that there is no better place to eat in Europe than the city of San Sebastián. There are more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita here than anywhere on Earth, but even the everyday joints are superb. The love of food, the insistence on the very best ingredients, is fundamental to the culture and to life here.”
Anthony Bourdain
San Sebastián's Santa Clara Island and La Concha Bay
I've been dreaming of vacationing in this Basque coastal city in Northern Spain for a decade. But when I finally made plans to visit in 2020 covid changed everything.
My desire to visit here puts me in good company. Celebrities and Spanish royalty have always made San Sebastián a holiday destination. Isabella II and later Queen Regent Maria Cristina returned for 9 summers living in the Miramar Palace she built for this purpose.
So let me begin with a spoiler alert, after a lifetime of travel, San Sebastián is hands down one of the most beautiful cities I've visited on our planet. It has everything all packaged in a stunning setting. It's architecture is a cool mash-up between the glamorous belle epoque architecture of French Rivera and regal Spain. It's Basque cuisine is worth the trip alone. Crystal clear water fills the bay and is served by a lovely beach that is free of litter. In fact, the whole city is immaculate and mostly graffiti free.
Oh, and the people are wonderful.
So, with only two days to visit San Sebastián, we wasted no time. Our visit to San Sebastián bookended a vacation cycling through Rioja Vineyards during harvest, dinner in Excaray's El Portal (Michelin® 2-star) restaurant, a stay in Hemingway's favorite hotel in Pamplona and a visit to Frank Gehry's tour-de-force Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao.
So good.
What my plans hadn't anticipated was becoming so engaged by the resiliency and incredibly rich history of the Basque people as they continue to emerge from the deep emotional scars inflicted during Franco's nightmarish 39 year "Make Spain Great Again!" dictatorship.
But that is a much bigger subject than I can cover in this post.
Terminal 4 Madrid's Adolfo Suárez-Barajas International Airport
Our visit, began with an arrival into Madrid's wonderful airport. For those that travel to Europe a lot, Madrid's International Airport is a treasure. Even when my plans do not call for travel in Spain I frequently begin my European vacations here. I take a day or two to kill jetlag, eat well, enjoy art at the Prado and then fly off to wherever I need to be. It all works because fares from Madrid to (almost?) anywhere in Europe are frequently less than a hundred dollars on Air Europa, Iberia or Vueling.
Arrival into San Sebastián (or "Donastia" in Basque) provided immediate clues to the soul of the city. Spacious Boulevards are filled with well tended flowers. There are monuments and tributes to its history and seaside heritage everywhere.
San Sebastián's regal personna is punctuated by occasional surfers...on bikes. Similar to the Netherlands and Denmark, the proliferation of bicycles (and separate bike lanes) reassured me I was in a good place.
Off to the Surfer's Paradise of Zurriola Beach
After a good nights sleep in a lovely AirBNB Day One was spent strolling La Concha Beach from end to end.
The View From our AirBNB
Along the lovely promenade locals and tourists enjoy cycling, sunbathing and swimming in the clear waters of La Concha Bay. Walking here is a joy.
But, also along the way are plaques and memorials commemorating the history of the City good and bad. I was stunned that the infamous Ondarreta Prison had once occupied a beachfront site just below Monte Igueldo within view of Miramar Palace until its demolition in 1948.
Upon arriving at the base of Monte Igueldo we caught the 1912 era funicular to the top of the mountain.
The Monte Igueldo Funicular
The top of Monte Igueldo delivers breathaking views in all directions set amidst a 109 year old mountaintop amusement park complete with a lighthouse that looks like a castle tower.
After 13,000 official I-watch steps evening came and we continued on to Old Town to peruse its specialty shops and famous fish markets.
Evening dinner was Pintxo's and beer. Pintxo's are Basque tapas. Here the "little bites" are bigger and elevated to high art.
Even in the era of covid, you cannot be lonely when you hop from one bar to another enjoying beer and pintxos!
Old Town is Home to San Sebastián's Colorful Fresh Fish Markets
Along the way we also found Constitution Plaza with its oddly numbered balconies. The story of the numbers was kind of amazing. The plaza was designed as the location for City Hall and its square was a place for staging special events (like bull fights). And whenever events took place those numbered balconies were sold as boxed seats to spectators. And ticket holders had the right to walk right through your apartment to gain access those balconies!
Incidentally when gambling was made illegal in the 1920's the City purchased and relocated City Hall into the 1887 Belle Epoque grand casino where it remains today.
Day Two was highlighted by a Basque wine tasting and pintxo AirBNB "Experience" hosted by Luis.
This was a highlight of our time in San Sebastián. Our experience included a lovely couple from Ireland and newlyweds honeymooning from California.
Together Luis introduced us to local Rioja wines, hard cider, an amazing 2" thick, melt-in-your-mouth, T-bone steak and a variety of pintxo's beginning with the ubiquitous "gilda". Our time with Luis confirmed once again that the true way to learn about a place is through interaction with locals.
The Steak Came Sizzling to the Table to be Shared
We learned the hallmark of Basque cooking is a reliance on the freshest of seasonal ingrediants, the use of every part of the animal, all cooked precisely with minimal spices.
Nothing is fussy.
A Delicious Oxtail Pintxo
At the end of our tour Luis escorted us into the private Gastronomical Society he has belonged for most of his adult life. There he proceeded to cook for us. His choice was a thick tuna steak with sauted peppers. All washed down with local cider.
As these clubs are restricted to invited members and their guests, this special opportunity was not lost on me.
A Local Gastronimical Society in the Era of Covid
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