Journey to the Basque Country

Hello again everyone! Before I start today's post, I need to make one thing clear: it's based (in part) on my parents' memories, as I'm going to talk to you about a trip we did when I was a lot younger. So let's begin...

My mother was born in the Basque Country, more specifically in the city of San Sebastián. For those who aren't from Spain, the city is located at the northeastern extreme of the Cantabrian sea. Nowadays, almost everyone refers to the city as Donostia, or as it is more commonly known - Donosti. In my family, however, we call it San Sebastián. My mother insisted on taking me there so that I could get to know the place, so she did, but I was only just over two years old!

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I got tired really quickly, so I went everywhere by pushchair. I've got photos, hundreds of them. Real, hard evidence. My mother transferred them all to slides. Maybe some of you don't really know what I mean by that. If you have ever seen the old method of developing photos, you might have some idea. A slide is like a negative, but inside a solid, white frame. The slides go into a kind of projector. The lights had to be off, or the shutters closed, if it was daytime. Using a device (a bit like a remote control, but not remote at all) you could flick through the photos one by one. In the winter especially, we would organise "viewing sessions". We could have used a white wall as the screen, but we had a kind of sheet which we used. Do I see you laughing? The most modern invention at the time was the answering machine, haha...

I was strapped into my car seat in the back of the car. Going at a moderate speed, it takes around 8 or 9 hours to arrive which, with such a young child on board, is a bit too much! So my parents decided to do the journey in two legs. They decided to stop in Burgos to have lunch and then spend the afternoon and stay overnight. My mum's car had a CD player, so my parents put on music to try and entertain me. I must have been a right pain, always asking for the same CD. I kept saying something like "Music on! " It was one of those typical classic annoying kids CD. Please note: it must have been a popular classic, because my sister Clara also went through the same phase a few years later.

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They took me around the grounds of Burgos Cathedral and we went to the Palacio de las Huelgas. I'm trying to remember doing it, but... zilch. I must have slept like a log... I was in one of those fold up beds. The next day we headed on to Euskadi or Euskalherría (the Basque Country in English), two of the preferred names used by the Basque to refer to their autonomous community. It was around September, the best time to go to the Basque Country with regards to the weather. After getting settled in the hotel, the first thing we did was to go around the city, first along El Paseo Nuevo, from the bridge that runs by the Kursaal. That's exactly the spot where those typical gigantic waves that you see on the TV or YouTube are. It's surrounded by the Cantabrian sea, but people like going when there's bad weather. The bridge is often damaged by the waves. They're always reconstructing or fixing it. To the left there's a really high mountain, or should I say one with a sharp decline. That mountain is Monte Urgull which acted as fortification for the city and came to be the home of the military governor. There is a historic museum and a famous cannon (amongst other ones), which is known as Rosita Waiker. The Castillo de la Mota is also there. My parents didn't take me to the top, for obvious reasons. At the top is a well conserved chapel with a statue of Christ (El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) which crowns the mountain. There was a lot of controversy when an initiative to take it down came about. One curious detail that I will tell you is that on the walls of the cells in the castle, markings started to appear that had been made by prisoners many years ago. Using a tracing technique, a series of reproductions of these markings were printed onto paper. We have a copy at home, which my parents look after as if their lives depended on it. The famous cyclist Induráin received another one of them as a prize a while ago now. You can just make out the drawing of a boat, a dove and the inscription La France. It's quite abstract and people always ask us what it is about or what it represents.

This route leads you to the port. That is where they film the series Allí Abajo, more specifically the scenes where you can see one of the characters, Iñaki's, bar. There were a lot of restaurants, souvenir shops and it's the place were the famous "carraquelas" and "quisquillas" are sold. There are hundreds of them, which they serve with a stick and put in a cone just like they do with chestnuts. If you buy the "carraquelas", they give you a little pin so you can get the meat out of the shell. We carried on walking (not me :P) until we reached the Real Club Náutico. A little bit ahead is where you can find the Alderdi-Eder park, in front of the city hall.

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A few years ago, they put an old-fashioned, authentic carousel. It's there all year round, in the summer and in the winter, right next to the children's play park. We stopped there, of course. They let me go in a barrel that went round and round, as I preferred that to the typical horse. You are now in the Bay of La Concha, with it's famous tamarind trees, around one hundred tropical trees that they always talk about. To tell the truth, the city centre isn't that big. We walked along the path, by the typical railing of San Sebastián. If you fancy it, you can buy a replica of the railing made into a piece of jewellery. The beach is right there, with various access paths. Right ahead you can see Santa Clara island in the horizon. You can visit the island. There are boats that go out in the summer. Many people from the city spend the day there, sunbathing and having a swim. the city is full of tourism and people who love to stroll around. We were lucky that we went when we did, because the Festival de Cine still hadn't started and it was a lot less busy than it would have been. We reached two famous buildings on the beach that make up the Caseta Real de Baños, an emblematic image of the bay, leaving behind the famous Hotel Londres. Now, those buildings house a spa, amongst other things including a nightclub, restaurant and a place to have a drink or two... Although the prices were pretty steep. Once you pass that point, you start heading towards the Playa de Ondarreta. Here, you are in the spot known as the Pico del Loro, the furthest point of the Playa de la Concha and the sports zone.

Source Sunset on La Concha.

To get to "the other side", we had to go through a kind of passageway. To the left you can see the Palacio de Miramar, the summer residence of the Royal Family. There is a garden to the left. This stretch takes you all the way to the famous Peine del Viento by sculptor Eduardo Chillida. The typical Trivial Persuit question where you know the answer and feel like a boss. The structure is formed by steel pipes, set into the rocks. On the pavement there are some holes. Here you are guaranteed a show - weather permitting. The wind blows in the holes. If the weather is bad enough, it's possible for the water to shoot out of the holes. Chillida's family home was there, on the side of Monte Igueldo.

Source Here you can see Chillida's sculpture, el Peine del Viento.

We went up the mountain after lunch. Remembering what was on the menu is asking too much of me! Tourists usually go up the mountain to visit the Parque de Atracciones.

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It's got all the charm of the Belle Époque, the time in which it was inaugurated. It hasn't changed at all, and my sister (not me), went on the rollercoaster that's there, which is right on the edge of the cliff! To get to the top, you can go by car but the best way is to go by the cable car, though not recommended for people with heart problems because of it's steep slope. One goes down whilst the other goes up. People are usually impressed by the height. At one point in the journey, the track splits into two right where the carriages coincide. When you get to the top, the whole city is at your feet. The views are panoramic, I've seen some amazing photos. The rides are like toys, compared to more modern rides. There were pony rides, where you could have your photo taken. They're not there anymore as the owners have retired, I think. You must sail down the mysterious river, where the water is pushed by a huge wheel. There's also a pond with boats, which make you feel like you know how to drive one. There's the Cosmicar, the Haunted House... Nothing like the rubbish they build these days. If you want luxury, you can stay in the Hotel Monte Igueldo. It's right there, at a height enough to give you vertigo. There is a turret, El Torreón de Igueldo, also known as La Farola. It was previously a lighthouse and then a viewing point. Now there is a restaurant for if you fancy something to eat while you're up there. People normally go up to the top because it is said that there is no other place in the world with such amazing views. If you have never been, you can find hundreds of videos and photos on the internet.

And that's all for today. The first day was an intense one, although I went everywhere by pushchair. I imagine that just pushing me around was enough to tire anyone. We headed back at sunset, towards Pasajes to have dinner and relax a bit. The next post will be dedicated to the port town of Pasajes. I hope you have enjoyed reading this. As you already know: share, comment, whatever you want. And thank you for reading!