A couple of quick trains and a bus later we had made it the 40km or so to Spain. After a spot of lunch and a brief tour of the city we were grateful for the pick up to take us 20mins from town to our surf camp, home base for the next two nights.
We settled in well to the small group and were pleased to find our tent already pitched. After some 5euro all you can drink sangria and beer we joined the bus back into San Seb for a night out. The jazz festival was in town and BB King was playing on the beach which was great fun. Unfortunately we lost our group after the event and struggled to find a taxi back when the rain came down.
The next day was to be our first and only surf lesson as we failed to master the art. It looked simple enough and the waves were apparently well suited however i never quite got the hang of standing up - a particularly crucial part of surfing! Nevertheless we had an amazing, yet exhausting time trying to catch the waves and playing in the surf. We were extremely grateful for a packed lunch on the beach and a chance to rest. The weather was insanely good and we spent the next few hours soaking up the sunshine.
The next day we awoke to extremely sore limbs from muscles not often used so chose to avoid the long haul of the surf boards and the sense of failure and headed into San Seb for the next few nights. We ended up having another cracking day so made for the huge swimming beach and set up camp for a bit. Si made it all the way out to the pontoons while I enjoyed bathing closer in! It was surprisingly quiet despite the great weather and warm temperatures of the sea.
In the evening we started the first of many pixtos (Basque tapas) crawls. In the pubs there is a multitude of fab looking food including potato tortillas, chorizo, ham baguettes and other delicacies resting on the bar. You simply help yourself to a plate with your sangria and pay at the end. We visited a few bars, having a small bite to eat and drink at each.
Unfortunately the next day brought some poor weather although we managed to hike up to Jesus, for the best view of the bay in a clear spot. After some more bar hopping and resting in coffee shops we realised we were exhausted but had throughly enjoyed our spell in the Basque region!
Learning to surf is hard on the knees. Well, strictly speaking you aren’t supposed to use your knees, so that should serve as some indication of what kind of a surfer I turned out to be.
I’ve always wanted to learn to surf. I love being in the ocean and I’ve never been afraid of big waves, readily throwing myself at them at every opportunity. I fancy myself as a pretty good body-surfer, too, so I’ve always figured surfing would be something of a natural fit.
A natural I was not. I didn’t have too much trouble catching a wave, but standing up was another matter entirely. I know what you’re all thinking – you’re wondering if I managed to stand up, aren’t you? Well, I did. Nicola may not have seen me, but for something like 1.5 seconds I was standing on the crest of a wave. Gnarly.
When we weren’t surfing we were drinking. Both nights that we stayed at the surf camp, sleeping in tents for the first time in years, we paid £5 for all the beer and sangria we could drink. The first night we went to see a BB King gig on the beach, as part of the local jazz festival. It was a fun night out until it started raining, like it did every night in San Sebastian. The rain in Spain falls mainly at night, or so it seemed on this trip.
San Sebastian has not one but two decent beaches within walking distance of the city centre – one for surfing and the other for swimming, complete with pontoons. The old town is a quirky place filled with places to drink a few sangria and eat pinxtos, which are delicious little bar snacks. Apparently San Sebastian has the highest number of Michelin star restaurants per capita anywhere in the world. Naturally, we were too busy eating pinxtos to notice.
Pics are here
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