Donostia, Basque Country

Donostia-San Sebastian is Basque Country. A coastal city in the North of Spain, just a hop, skip and jump away from the South-West border of France. During our six days camped in the eastern beach car park, I saw a very cool seaside town mastering the balancing act between old world and new. Think: bustling street markets and Balenciaga, cobblestone alleyways and opulent architecture. We thought it was fantastic...and apparently, we're not the only ones. San Sebasian has been dubbed the European Capital of Culture for 2016. During this time, the city will host a multitude of events celebrating the similarities and diversities across European culture. 

Kane and I were lucky enough to roll into town on the fifth day of the International Film Festival. I've always wanted to attend Cannes, so saw this as a 'warm-up', so to speak. We managed to snag tickets to a midnight screening of Steve McQueen's 'Shame' - a very raw drama about the life-shattering emotional struggles faced by a man with uncontrollable sexual urges and an addiction to pornography. Although the cinematography is very clever and the film received rave reviews, I have to be honest, in that I found it far too confronting. On day 2, I bought a pair of Tom Fords to replace my six-year-old sunglasses, which for the past year, had served the sole purpose of keeping hair of my face. In amongst the red carpets, blinding flashes, all-important festival ticket holders wearing lanyards, and cityscape swarming with paparazzi, I couldn't help feel just a little bit famous. Well - why not?

Our camp in the Eastern beach car park

But it wasn't all glitz and glamour. I mean, we were in San Sebastian. The major attraction?  Surf, sun and sand.  Having set up camp in the eastern beach car park meant that every day, we could wake up, whack on some togs and trot down to the beach (yes, with me, its all about the 'trot'). Once one became accustomed to dodging the White Pointers, it was easy to meld in with the crowds of people going about their way...sunbaking, picnicking, building sand castles and hitting the surf. It is during times like this that I wish I'd jumped aboard the 2002 Blue Crush phenomenon and been one of the those girls who learnt how to surf, just so that they could feel  a little like Kate Bosworth riding her first wave. 

For the lover of baked goods, San Sebastian is home to hundreds of gorgeous pit-stops overflowing with sweet treats. Everybody develops a favourite. For us, it was Barrenetxe. The family's link to confectionery and baking can be traced all the way back to the late 1600's  - and the hard work has paid off. Their San Sebastian establishment is an absolute temple of confectionery - with macaroons, croissants, truffles and miniature cakes piled high on the counter-top, in constant view (and easy reach) of the coffee bar dwellers. We visited every day. Possibly excessive - but that's the way I roll. My absolute favourite was Txintxorros, almond and candied orange peel cake miniatures, topped with a thin layer of crushed almonds - made with eggs, sugar, flour butter, almonds, candied orange and water...ONLY to be found in Barrenexte. As a friend recently pointed out to me, cake for breakfast, is so underrated. To top off the entire experience, the manager (and barista) made a killer coffee. He had mastered the knack of steaming milk. How could I tell? Not only through the creamy, perfectly aerated result, but through the staccato bursts of air - a rhythmic, tightly-pursed-lips kissing sound, which occurs every second or two, when the jug is tilted ever so slightly. He always delivered a deep golden crema and, each shot was timed down to the second, resulting in nothing less than a perfect start to the morning. It wasn't all roses though. I should mention that on the occasion that his employee made our coffee, it was nothing to write home about.

Barrenetxe cabinet selection

Txintxorros @ Barrenetxe

As this is a blog about Basque country, I suppose that I should follow suite and mention the traditional Pintxo (pronounced 'pincho'). At home, this is what we would refer to as 'tapas', except, Pinxto are served in line with the Spanish translation of their name - 'Pincho', meaning 'spike'. That is, skewers are used to fasten typical Basque favourites such as croquette or stuffed peppers, to small pieces of bread. Pintxo are served from the bar. I love the idea of this style of dining, however, from our experience, pricing is not for the faint hearted. At around two euro a pop, it's easy to rack up an enourmous bill without noticing. For much better value, we dined at Restaurant Urbano, where I ate pan fried foie on green beans and a bed of mashed potato with truffle oil, followed by the most incredible squid done three ways (ink, with onions and grilled). Kane had an egg cooked at thirty degrees, served on a bed of fried peppers with sea salt. Sadly, I can't recall his main! This particular find has a few bad reviews on TripAdvisor but honestly, other than my pineapple and rum soufflé which was not a soufflé in any way shape or form, the service and quality were fantastic. If you want to escape the bars and get out for a nice dinner in San Seb., I would definitely pay Restaurante Urbano a visit. 

View from our camp site and the picnic wall

When not dining out, we enjoyed simple picnics by the sea. One evening we  picnicked on the rock wall overlooking the eastern aspect of the beach. Nothing compares to taking in the ambience with a bottle of red, locally marinated artichocke hearts, fresh bread, olive oil and balsamic. It was actually a very bizarre experience. Within five minutes of us settling on the wall, about twelve wild cats emerged from the shelter of the rocks. They sat just meters from us, watchful, proud and ... judgemental? I felt as though I had been teleported to a fairytale hearing and my case was being presented to a jury of cats. I wondered if their shiny coats were a result of  a diet rich in omega-3. You know, from swiping sardines living solitary existences in rock pools. BAM. Mraauuuw!! Just like that. 

On our final evening, we utilised our wheels to explore the rugged coast line. After taking a few turns too many, we ended up off the beaten track, on a road set into the cliff face. We managed to find a spot to pull off the road and set up our dining room (a tiny fold out table, 2 tripod camper chairs and a double hob gas burner). Overlooking the ocean, with what looked like Christopher Robin's Hundred-Acre-Wood behind us, the location couldn't have been more perfect. It was here that we cooked salted pan fried green peppers and a first attempt at paella. I am ashamed to say that we used frozen, pre-packed seafood, because we had been too late for the fishmonger! Despite the fact that I felt at risk of chipping my dentition on sand excreted from the cockles, it was an experience in itself - homemade paella, overlooking the San Sebastian coastline  - complete with crashing waves, a beautiful sunset and the silhouettes of parachuters, making their way back to land. It was  a surreal evening and the perfect end to our San Sebastian experience.

Preparing and snacking on salted green peppers. Note the incredible backdrop!

San Sebastian sunset on the final evening of our stay

The following morning, we were sad to say goodbye but make no mistake - next Summer, we are SO there!

Hasta pronto amigos!