12/9/2013

a retrospective blog as we have been doing so much walking and visiting that i have been too tired to write it up. firstly, san sebastian lived up to expectations. it is a lovely town and we crisscrossed it several times searching out places to visit and bars in which to eat and drink! the beach is magnificent and the setting sublime. i was tempted to run down to the sea and paddle but never got around to it.

instead we tramped up mont urgell and wandered its paths taking umpteen photos of the views. from there we explored the port and its restaurants before eating in a pintxos bar in the old town. that evening we returned and tried out three different bars and came to the conclusion that two bars in one evening was sufficient for our tummies! the first bar had been in the place de la constiticion, an interesting plaza in that the apartments around it have numbers on their facades from when the place was used as a bullring.

tuesday saw us off on the bus for bilbao as we decided that the bus could take the strain as i'd read that both traffic and parking were a nightmare. the weather had turned wet and grey and that lasted most of the day. however, the guggenheim was magnificent although i found the art sadly lacking and lou was frustrated that he had left his camera bag in the cloakroom but everyone was using cameras and videos despite lots of signs saying it was forbidden. none of the attendants stopped this so i took some photos of the building but not of the art, bien sur!

back out into the wet and off to the fine art museum which was a real treat. the exhibition featured an artist i hadn't heard of, francisco durrio, a sculpture, and his silver work was delightful. included in the display were some black and white sketches by gauguin of breton women that i found enchanting. the museum was virtually empty and it was a relief after the bustle of the guggenheim where everyone was looking at the building but not the artwork! we had been recommended by the tourist office to go and look at a refurbishment of a large building by philip stark. it was truly bizarre but very impressive and we spent some time wandering its gloomy ground floor peering up at the underside of the swimming pool in the roof!

back on the bus to san sebastian and an evening spent inhouse as we couldn't face going out into the rain again! next morning we checked out of our lovely room in the silken amara. a great place to stay but make sure you ask for a room on the opposite side to the bus station. very useful and a well placed hotel but the buses leave all night and even on the top floor the noise kept me awake if we left the window open. we left the car in the hotel car park so we could go and visit the san telmo museum which had been closed on the monday. this museum has a permanent exhibition of the history and development of san sebastian and was very interesting. by the time we finished we were ready for a pintxos lunch in our now favourite bar. i tried to scribble down some of the toppings as ideas for future meals chez nous! a last walk back through the handsome town to the hotel car park and off to biarritz. the campanile felt like a real comedown after the amara but then the price is a lot less! biarritz was bathed in sunshine and the beach was glorious as we walked along from the car park by the grand plage. rocky outcrops at either end make for a pretty bay and the sea was a lovely navy blue with white breakers.

people were swimming and sunbathing but we went exploring. we walked along the length of the promenade past the casino and the port des pecheurs. around the port vieux we stopped to eat icecream before wandering up through the old town and back to the car. the old town has pretty streets, mostly filled with surf shops and fast food restaurants. we saw 'fish and chips' on one menu board!

today we have used the bus, a very good service, only one euro for an hour's duration. in town we went to the historical museum in the old anglican church built for the large british colony back in the day and now houses a collection that features the history and development of biarritz from a whaling community to a posh resort. a lunch of moules frites in the place eugenie and then a wet and windy walk to planete chocolate which was not as impressive as it sounded but good enough to while away an hour looking at an eclectic collection of chocolate related artifacts even if lou did bunk off to watch the chaps playing boules under the tamarisk trees along the road! we walked back to town past the surfers on the beach, brave or foolhardy and caught the bus back to the campanile where i finished my novel while lou dozed. a pleasant dinner in the restaurant here and home tomorrow. friday the 13th! now who planned that?