yestravel

Sounds like a very nice trip!

Treesa

Santa, do not fret. You have a following.

santamonica

France is very nice but Spain is especially nice. We took a train here from Bordeaux.

We're staying two nights in the parador in Hondarribia. It's a hotel in an old castle. It's very nice, but no pool (que barbaridad!). It's a very nice view to france on the other side of the harbor.

DW has a bad foot, so we took a cab to the beach. Very few people on the beach, although I noticed a few women without tops. Not that I care about that sort of thing.

Anyway, after a quick swim and sunbathing for a while, we walked back, stopping at two or three places for pintxos (tapas) and red wine.

The bars set out a variety of tapas on the counter, you drink your wine, tell the bartender how many pintxos you ate, pay, and head for the next bar. Crab dip, tortillas, croquettes, ham, chorizo, etc. Really, really good, and fun. Everybody strolling, kids everywhere.

DW remembered, once back at the parador, that we had left our beach towel and wet suits in one of the bars, so I had to retrace our steps, this time without the wine and pintxos. It was still fun. And I found the stuff.

Bought an apple and cookies for desert, and went to bed. Maybe we'll dream of pintxos.

Micheline

Hi santamonica - I'm very much enjoying your blog. We stayed in the same square in Hondaribbia in a little hotel I think it was called San Nickolas. There was a wedding in the square just below our hotel. Such fun. From there we took the boat to Hendaye, about 10 min. Wonderful beaches in that area.

santamonica

It's noon. The bells go crazy here at noon, right next to the parador, right next to our window. It's great, like being in another time, but yet at the same time (noon).

We saw a bride and groom posing for pictures this morning. I wished them 'felicitaciones' which I think is better than 'bon chance'.

I was curious about the San Nicolas. They said yesterday they were 'completo' both days we're here. I liked those big windows on the square, but we're very happy in the parador. Morning coffee on the terrace watching the people and boats, and the ferry to Hendaye. Maybe we try the french beach today.

It would be difficult for a cat to climb through the window here and wake us up.

HappyTrvlr

We spent a week in Hondarribia, a special spot. Make sure you drive over to the villages in Pays Basque which are not far, Ainhoa, Saré, Espellette, etc.

Micheline

If you go to the beach in Hendaye don't eat at the San Marco. Worst meal we had ever. Nice place though. Outside seating looking at the beach. Dh said I shouldn't discourage you from eating there as maybe we just ordered the wrong thing - paella.

santamonica

Thanks for the suggestions. However, we are without a car now, traveling to San Sebastian and Bilbao by bus. So no drives to wonderful little towns, lamentablemente.

This afternoon we took the little ferry to Hendaye and walked to the beach. Once at the beach, it's a long walk to the water. But the waves are fun.

We didn't eat in Hendaye, so can't say whether or not only the paella was bad.

I have a blister on my foot from being stylish and not wearing socks, so now both DW and I are limping around with bad feet. I feel like I have walked a mile in her shoes.

Tomorrow, San Sebastian.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1527317?s=23

Michael

For vegetarian restaurants or restaurants with vegetarian choices in the Dordogne, google ""restaurant vegetarien dordogne"

Micheline

Traveling to San Sebastián and Bilbao"

Lucky you! We loved both places but especially San Sebastián. If you are not tired of them the pintxos are the best. And the beach is great.

kimhe

Not a good idea to have paella in the Basque Country, nothing at all to do with the local cuisine.

Casa Urola is my favourite not Michelin star restaurant in San Sebastian, have been going here almost every year since 1987. A place that locals will take new visitors to show what the food culture here is all about. http://www.casaurolajatetxea.es/es/portada/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...e_Country.html

Also great pintxos in the ground floor bar: http://allaboutfoodmag.com/de_pintxos-en-casa-urola/

And when going for pintxos, be sure to order the warm pintxos directly fom the kitchen, usually here you'll find the house specialities, and normally more interesting than the cold pitxos on display in the bars.

All about going for pintxos in San Sebastian: http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en

Enjoy the food capital of Spain!

Micheline

Kimhe - we ordered paella because it was the special of the day and everyone around us was eating it. And because we always like a good paella.

Everything was good in San Sebastián not only the pintxos

Passing on Casa Urola rec to my daughter who will be in San S. this week.

kimhe

Spent a couple of very strange days in Hendaye many years ago, so I should perhaps not be surprised to learn they're now into paella ;-)

Can't wait to go back to Urola myself in a few weeks.

santamonica

This afternoon, after taking the E27 bus from Hondarribia and checking in at our airbnb in San Sebastian, which seems very nice, we went out for pintxos at Gandarias and Txepetxa, both delicious. So much good food. Maybe I like best the crab and very delicate mayo sauce. But it's too early to decide, I need many more samples. We will look for Urola.

There is a film festival here in San Sebastian. Red carpet and everything. I got us tickets for tomorrow night to Eva Doesn't Sleep, a movie about embalming Eva Peron. Why, you ask. Well, I didn't know what I was doing. DW, my guide, was still on the beach. I had had enough beach, although the beach is very nice. There are naked people on the beach here. That takes some getting used to.

Anyway, I needed a new adventure, so she sent me off to explore the film festival. These tickets were available. Oh well, how bad can it be?

kimhe

Naked people on the beach in San Sebastian is a novelty for me after living here and some 25 visits. Was a French guy here some years ago who made it into the news for cycling naked along La Concha bay, but he fast ran out of fashion back then. But maybe he has succeeded in the long run. Probably from Hendaye...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne6XtXB-S1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smrhog1W-wA

santamonica

No naked bikers but today there was a naked guy with a beret (I don't make this stuff up) who walked energetically up and down the beach, engendering very little notice, other than a few smiles.

The real excitement was the film festival and Eva No Duerme, which turned out to be a blast, complete with actors and photographers and excitement. And the movie, with Gael Garcia Bernal, was pretty good (he wasn't at the festival but his costars were).

Then DW and I went back to the apt and cooked up stuff we got at the market this morning.

This is a great rental, nice view of the river and surfer beach, right across from the film festival, and in a beautiful old building (you should rent this apartment if you come to San Sebastian).

We're still having fun.

kimhe

Then you're staying very close to Bodega Donostiarra, very popular with the locala: http://www.bodegadonostiarra.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...e_Country.html

santamonica

We've let our fodorite advisors down. We went on a bike ride, then to the San telmo museum, and then to a pretty dumb comedy movie (gypsy king), part of the festival, and didn't get across the river to your place kimhe, or to the casa urola in our neighborhood, which was closed today. So we had pintxos at a couple other local places and came home. We leave tomorrow for a couple nights in bilbao. We're using Google maps for the bus connections, so wish us luck.

http://www.basqueboutique.es/

santamonica

To those of you sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear if we arrived safely at our little hotel in bilbao, we did. Now we rest a tad before setting out for the Gugenheim. It's raining here. It doesnt bother DW and me because we are strong people. Although I thought it rained mainly on the plain.

yestravel

We too had rain during our stay in Bilbao. Enjoyed Bilbao a lot in spite of it. Hope you do too.