San Sebastian - Donostia - Pais Vasco - beach, spa, 10 cheeses, croissants, funicular, and Basque!

Hello!

I've just returned from my long weekend in San Sebastian, which is in Pais Vasco (Basque Country) right up north next to France. It was beautiful!! It also is called Donostia, in Basque language.

I took the midnight train Thursday night, about a six hour ride, and arrived early Friday morning. Friday was mostly cloudy, and I enjoyed hanging out on the beach and relaxing. The city is really beautiful - it has 3 beaches! All of the buildings are really pretty, and it seems kinda like a mini-Paris, it has a river that runs through the center of the city and it has a really nice feel to it. It also has a lot of tourists from all of Europe and the world, and you can hear a lot of different languages spoken here. Also, the Basque people speak Spanish, and also, their own Basque language, which is unique and unlike any other language. Many people from Pais Vasco wish to secede from Spain and create their own country. Many people, however, are also content with being part of Spain. Just depends on who you talk to.

Yesterday, we got up, and after our amazing breakfast (eggs!! - I haven't had eggs for breakfast in the whole month we've been here. Spaniards don't eat eggs for breakfast)we went to the spa! It's supposedly a top destination spa, and it was incredible. It's right on the water, and it was unlike anywhere I've ever been to. We did the Circuito talasoterapia, which is basically a water circuit including 13 different possibilities. All of the water was sea water, and my favorite spots were the panoramic jacuzzi which faced the beach and sea, and the relaxation pools. They would have jets that would target specific parts of your body for massage, and it was the single most relaxing two hours of my life. Also, it was only 24 euros! An experience in the US like this would cost hundreds of dollars. I've put the link in here, because I couldn't take pictures there. Check it out, it's worth the trip to San Sebastian just for the spa!!

Then after that, it was nice and warm and sunny, and we went to the beach for a few hours! Perfect beach afternoon. Then we went to the top of Monte Igeldo in the funicular (like a cable car) and seeing the views of 2 of the beaches (Ondarreta and Las Conchas)in addition to the background of the green hills and mountains of Pais Vasco was beautiful.

Then we stopped at the grocery store where we bought 10 different kinds of cheeses! They came in variety packs, and so we wanted to try as many as possible for our pack lunches. They also make a lot of artesanal cheeses in the area, but since they are not pasteurized, I unfortunately did not try them since I try to be really precautious against sickness while I travel.

Then we wandered around the city into some of the shops that were still open, and ended up on the beach (Zurriola)where there was a concert going on. We happened to be here in San Sebastian during the annual music fest, and so that was nice, relaxing, and fun. Also, we had some artesanal ice cream, one of the popular flavors here is made of cheese, membrillo, and nuts.

This morning it was cloudy and a bit drizzly, so we walked over to the sculpture El peine del viento, which is a really famous work by Chillida. After that we walked along the beach and into the city, where we indulged (again) in the best croissants I've ever eaten in my life (no exaggeration). :) Then we took the 1:30 pm train back to Salamanca. Great weekend.