Buenas Tardes Familia y Amigos,
Seis Semanas (six weeks) in Donostia (Basque) – San Sebastian (Spanish). I know what you’re thinking – didn’t he just do this (same locale, same length of stay) at the end of 2022? Yes, you are correct. And Donostia – San Sebastian is still as beautiful and captivating as ever. I have now visited on three separate occasions, and during parts of low, shoulder, and high seasons. My takeaways: low season has too much rain, high season has too many tourists, and shoulder season is the Goldilocks time.
San Sebastian from Mount IgueldoFor this dispatch, I will focus on a couple of places that I did not during my last trip at the end of 2022. During that trip, I posted numerous pictures from Mount Urgull and its impressive fortress. The view from atop Mount Igueldo across the bay is just as magnificent, as seen pictured to the left. Rather than stone and cannons, it features a hotel and amusement park. Check out the photo gallery to see both. The roller coaster offers some impressive visceral experiences. And no, I did not give it a ride as a series of chiropractic encounters is not in my contingency plans.
The other destination is that of Santa Clara Island which separates the two within the bay. The island has a popular beach as well as picnic areas up in the greenery. What is most interesting, however, is the Hondalea as pictured to the right. The building is referred to as the lighthouse but inside is a sculpture with rushing natural water. The attendant who offered to let me in seemed to indicate the structure was built to house the sculpture and that the water source is fresh. Other research I have done indicates the water, or at least the flow, is tidal based. Check out the photo gallery to see the sculpture and other views of the island.
HondaleaKeeping It Clean!
Lastly, check out the video to the left of the nightly efforts to keep Donostia – San Sebastian superbly presentable for the tourists. In addition, to this nightly washing of the sidewalks in the central part of town around midnight, one comes across, relatively speaking, petit one-man dry sweeper vehicles during the day keeping the sidewalks cleared of debris whether of man or nature sourced. NOTE: Chief Scientist (older grandson) make sure Chief Engineer (younger grandson) gets to check out this video.
That’s it for now. As always, feel free to share this link with anyone who expresses an interest. Please have a look at the gallery below for full-size versions of the photos above as well as additional photos of Donostia – San Sebastian. Next posts will be from the European country that receives the most tourists annually – France.
Hasta Pronto,
Papi
I’m glad you are able to see your retirement dream come to fruition. I love seeing where you visiting and add places to my bucket list.
Thanks Diana. The dream is a work in progress, but then maybe that is the definition of an adventure.
Thanks for post! I’ll be in San Sebastian the first week of September for the first time. It would have been fun to connect with you there. Happy travels to France!
Hi Paul. Unfortunately, come September, my time in the Schengen Zone will be up as I will have reached the 90 day limit. More than likely I’ll be in the UK or Ireland.