All aboard for the Night Train!

Thanks, ekscrunchy, what a great title!

ALL ABOARD FOR THE NIGHT TRAIN

When planning our 2015 trip to Spain and Portugal, we had considered taking the night train from Lisbon to Madrid, but ultimately decided that flying TAP between the two capitals would be cheaper and easier. Turned out, after the TAP pilots' strike, it was neither. So this time, when we discovered there was a night train to San Sebastian from Lisbon, we figured that this might be the perfect way to travel from Portugal to Basque country. So, here we were, climbing on board, clutching our Trenhotel tickets purchased online. Soon we found the private Gran Class compartment that was to be our little bed-sittingroom for this trip through the night.

I knew this train would not be the Orient-Express, but I was expecting something a little grander that the actual reality, I guess. Not that it was dirty or shabby, but it was just so basic and kind of drab. However, there was a tiny ensuite bathroom, which was a real bonus in the middle of the night, even though getting to it from the top bunk became a feat requiring both balance and coordination.

So we settled into the two seats in our little compartment. After a bit, the porter knocked and offered to make up the bunks. We gladly accepted his offer. Steve watched, amazed, as he turned the small space with two seats into a tiny space with two bunks and a set of collapsible steps. When he left, we wearily changed into pajamas, brushed our teeth at the little sink and climbed into bed. I should mention that we each received a little pouch of amenities, including toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, soap, and even slippers. Once our suitcases were stowed away they were not easy to access, so we took advantage of some of these handy little toiletries. In fact, stowing suitcases in this compartment, even though we only travel with carryon luggage, was a bit of a challenge, as I remember.

When I say we climbed into bed, I literally did, as I took the top berth, which seemed very high up even with those collapsible stairs assisting my assent. Lights out, we finally settled down for one of the most unusual night's sleep we've ever had. Shake, rattle, and roll became the theme song running through my head. We literally bounced back and forth and up and down all night long. I had visions of what it might be like to be trapped in a giant popcorn popper or to be the little steel ball in a very large pinball machine. Somehow, we finally fell asleep. Maybe the wild rocking became so familiar it was finally soothing. And to be fair, I think once the train crossed into Spain, the tracks became a little smoother. Then, in the pitch dark at 4:00 in the morning, Steve's cellphone started ringing. Immediately, fears of an emergency at home had us wide awake, lurching around in the dark trying to locate the phone. Thank God, no emergency, just a misplaced call from someone who was not aware that Steve had retired a year ago.

How we ever got back to sleep I'm not sure but suddenly it was 7:00 am and, opening the curtain, we saw morning dawning in Spain. With almost three hours still to go, we took our time getting dressed, a difficult feat in the top berth, then went to find breakfast. We were disappointed there was no dining car on the train, but we ended up in the bar car where we ordered a petit dejeuner. Before we knew it, the porter was warning us that we would soon be arriving in San Sebastian. We lined up with some other passengers by the exit door as we came into the station and were soon in a taxi on our way to the beautiful Hotel de Londres y de Ingleterre, where we would stay during our wonderful 24 hours in San Sebastian.

As I have said, the night train was an experience I am not sure we will repeat anytime soon. It was certainly different and it was not a bad thing to fall asleep in Portugal and wake up the next morning in Spain. If we were younger, it would have seemed like a real adventure, I think. But comfort is more important the older we get and we did not have a very comfortable night's sleep. That said, we do have the memory of a quirky ride through the night, from country to country, and I don't think we will soon forget it!

Candace, very interesting and well-written report. Portugal remains on our list of places to explore. Not sure we'd enjoy that overnight train, though! Thanks for sharing so many interesting details.

Candace, thank you for the names of the hotels and your wonderful descriptions!

Enjoyed your description of your overnight train ride! We took an overnight train once from Krakow to Prague; a very interesting experience. I agree that you don't get a good night's sleep, and at our ages, too, we are more concerned about comfort. But it's fun to do at least once!

I notice you mention that you travel with carry-ons only. How do you do that for a 3-week trip? I know I pack too much, but I can't imagine only bringing a carry-on. What size is yours? Mine is quite small. Think it would only hold a few changes of clothing and toiletries. I need to learn to pack lighter but can't imagine getting everything into a carry-on for a 3-week trip. When we go next year to Spain, we will actually be gone for a month because we will spend the first 2 weeks with our daughter in France.

Thanks, tomarkot. Portugal is a great country to visit. I just opened my December issue of Travel and Leisure magazine and found that Portugal was named their "Destination of the Year", based on its cultural riches, affordability, and everything else it has to offer.

Karen, it does take some planning to travel with carryons only, but it is worth it if you can do it. We each have a Travelpro rolling suitcase (approximately 20x10 inches) which is designed to qualify as a carry on. We also each have a small collapsible nylon backpack. Everything we need for a three week trip can fit into these four pieces of luggage. Actually, there are many Fodorites who advocate for carry on luggage only and if you search on "packing tips" you can find some great advice. I generally stick to a black and neutral color palette with a few brighter tops and accessories so everything can be mixed and matched. And it does help that we rent places on every trip that have washing machines. On a European vacation, I like to feel good about how I look and I try to dress well in order to fit in, although I know I will never look like a Parisienne. However, on this last trip, as we were strolling together in Paris, we were twice approached and asked, in French, for directions. Maybe we did look like we belonged.

Looking forward to hear about your great 24 hours in San Sebastián, my favourite since the late 1980's. Have lived here and visited almost every year the past 30 years, and for your future visit, I can give tips about most things here based on your interests.

A fun intro to the spectacular San Sebastián food scene. Starts, of course, right in front of your hotel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwmBAvqa_0U

A fine presentation of the town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C4IjsVKvAA

And more pintxos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WowXrGJdFCU

I am loving this trip report and all the detail you are giving. Am therefore very keen to hear about your next stage in San Sebastian and Basque country.

Kimhe, I really enjoyed the YouTube videos on San Sebastián. Thank you for the links. We know there is so much there we missed, especially the food. Next time, we plan on staying at least a week. I will definitely contact you when we are planning our return visit.

Loncall, I am glad you are enjoying my report. Thanks for the encouragement to keep on going with it.

LOVELY, LOVELY SAN SEBASTIAN

The city of San Sebastian reminds me of a stately and sophisticated nineteenth century lady, the kind of noble lady whose full length portrait would hang in the drawing room of a fine little palace. Elegant and refined, the city carries itself in my memory like royalty. With its balconied buildings lining the streets in perfect form, with its various bridges spanning the river with such grace, and with its many gardens so impeccably groomed and ornamented, it felt truly aristocratic to me. Then there was the brilliant sea and the curved and sandy beach, with its beautiful promenade like a necklace on the throat of the bay. The hills and the island beyond were the crowning touches, as we fell in love with this lovely, belle-epoque place.

So why were we here for only one day? Good question. When I was researching San Sebastian as a stopover on our route from Portugal to Basque country, I kept running into words of caution regarding the weather there in the spring. Chances were it would be cold and rainy in April. Except that it wasn't. It was sunny and pleasant. Except for a very brief little shower, it was sunny all day. The next morning was just as nice. I usually don't worry about weather when I'm planning our trips. I wish I hadn't worried about it in this case and scheduled more time in San Sebastian. But now that we know we love this place as we do, we will come back and see much more of it along with the rest of the Spanish Basque country we missed.

Our hotel in San Sebastian, the Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra, was our splurge hotel for this trip. The grand lobby created a great first impression which was further enhanced by the people at the reception desk who greeted us warmly. Even though it was only 11 am, they said our room would be ready in an hour, which we truly appreciated. We took advantage of the opportunity to speak to the woman at the concierge desk with questions regarding transportation to St Jean de Luz the next day. She was very helpful, and also gave us some ideas of where to go for lunch. After a walk around the promenade we made our way to the funicular, which raised us high above the city and its bay. Truly spectacular, the views stretched for miles in every direction and helped us to further realize what an amazing place this was. After enjoying the walk back around the promenade, we stopped to have lunch at a beachside cafe. We ordered a sandwich and a seafood appetizer, but there was some sort of mixup and we waited a long time after the appetizer was served for our sandwich to arrive. It was about then that the brief rain shower passed through, so we packed up half the sandwich, paid our bill and went back to the hotel to check in.

When we opened the door to our room, we knew this room was worth every extra euro we paid. A large glass door framed a superb view of the wide beach and the sea, the promenade, and the old town to the right. Outside the door, a small balcony gave us the space to enjoy even more of our surroundings. The changing scene below was endlessly fascinating. There were a few hardy souls heading into the waves for a swim. Dogs were running joyfully on the sand, among the kids kicking soccer balls. Well turned out ladies strolled arm and arm, taking advantage, along with bicyclists and joggers, of the wide promenade. When it turned out that Steve was feeling under the weather and didn't want to go out for dinner, I was not as disappointed as I might have been to be missing those pintxos I had been so looking forward to sampling. Relaxing for the rest of the day in that beautiful hotel room, watching the world go by in San Sebastian, was not a terrible fate. The sandwich left over from lunch became our dinner, and we watched the sunset turn the beach and the sea pink and gold, then deepen those colors into glorious reds and purples. If we had gone out to dinner, we might have missed that magical scene. No number of tasty pintxos could have made up for that sunset.

Steve was back to normal the next morning, and we ventured out into the old town looking for coffee and croissants. We found a very pretty little coffee shop/bakery and where we could enjoy our coffee and watch passersby rushing off to work. On our way back to the hotel, we wandered some of the side streets, past some enticing little shops and interesting restaurants which hopefully we can visit next time. Both of us kept commenting on how clean San Sebastian was. The streets had been washed down and there was no trash to be seen. The flower beds didn't have a flower out of place and the beach sand had been combed smooth and pristine. Amazing.

We decided to walk to the station to catch the train on the way to St. Jean de Luz. It was an easy walk and although we hated to say goodby to San Sebastian, we looked forward to experiencing the Basque country of France.

Candace, I LOVE your description of San Sebastian! It is better than the guidebooks! You really should become a travel writer.
I am looking forward to the rest of your report!

Thanks for your encouragement, Karen. San Sebastián is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited in Europe. Being enthusiastic as I described our visit there was so easy.

The whole time we were in San Sebastián the word "elegant" was in my head. Being an old, possibly jaded, European hand at this point, it's hard for me to squeal in delight at a new place, but we did just that in San Sebastián.

ON TO ST. JEAN DE LUZ AND OUR CIBOURE APARTMENT

The trains from San Sebastian to St. Jean de Luz via Hendaye were cheap and easy to negotiate. The only excitement we encountered was in Hendaye on the French border. Three young men, who appeared perhaps to be from the Middle East, got off the train ahead of us. One of them asked the station master for directions to the train to St. Jean. The station master waved toward a building across the street and the three were headed that way when they were stopped by two French policemen. One, an imposing blond woman, was in uniform. She could have been central castings perfect version of a modern day Jean d'Arc. Tall, large in the sense that she looked very strong, she was impressive. The other was an older man in plain clothes, with a buzz cut, a gun, and a no-nonsense demeanor. We heard them question the men about their nationalities and then ask them for their papers. We went on into the station. We got onto the train to St. Jean but those three, presumingly detained by the police, never did.

The taxi from the St. Jean station to our apartment in Ciboure on the fishing harbor took five minutes and cost ten Euros. Oh well, it would have been difficult to find on our own, so probably it was worth it for us to take a cab. The apartment was on the second floor of a building in a working warehouse zone, and I was startled at first to see that the area seemed so industrial. Forklifts traveled by occasionally on the asphalted area in front. There was a large ice machine directly across that the fishing boats used to fill up with ice on their way out of the harbor. There was a long low shed around the corner where the fishermen's wives sold fish every morning. Steve bought fish there twice, cleaning it himself and cooking it for dinner. It was morure (or hake) and it was delicious. Anyway, it did not take us long to feel comfortable living next to the fishing port. The apartment itself had large floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the water. Fishing boats left the harbor in the morning and came back in the afternoon, although some left in the late afternoon and were out all night. We had a front row seat on all the comings and goings. One afternoon we walked up to the main warehouse to watch boats unloading their catch. One man proudly unstacked his plastic bins so we could see his fish. There were several different types, carefully laid out on beds of ice.

On the afternoon we arrived in Ciboure, all the markets and little groceries were closed for lunch till 3:30, so we found a cafe in town for lunch. Steve ordered whitefish with creamy risotto on a red pepper sauce which was very good. I had a plate of ham, sausage and pickled peppers which was also good. After lunch, we walked across the bridge to St. Jean and did our grocery shopping at a little supermarket. Of course, we also had to find a bakery for a baguette and a pastry shop for some special goodies. When we were well supplied, we headed back to our apartment, where we cooked our first home cooked meal of the trip.

The next morning, we took a bus to Biarritz where we rented a car at the airport. It was a pretty straightforward drive back to Ciboure, where we found parking directly in front of our apartment building, out of the path, we hoped, of the forklifts. That afternoon, we set off on foot to explore St. Jean de Luz, which is a very walkable little town. It is also a pretty town, from the beach to the Place Louis XIV. We were lucky enough to stumble upon the street market outside Les Halles covered market and bought some beautiful produce for dinner. We also visited the tourist office where we picked up some helpful maps, etc.

In 1660, the marriage between Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Spain took place in St. Jean de Luz at the Elise St. Jean-Baptiste. The wedding was an event that lasted for months and brought all the brilliance of the Sun King to St. Jean, however briefly. From our apartment window, we could see Louis's lodging house and also the pretty pink mansion where Maria Theresa stayed before the marriage. The church tower is also visible. As the sunrise tinted everything in the morning or as the lights came on at dusk, it was fun to imagine that festive time so long ago.

Our next day in Ciboure, our plan was to drive out into the countryside to visit three scenic little Basque towns, Sare, Ainhoa, and Espellette. The circuit from town to town promised to be picturesque and interesting.

StCirq, I agree 100 percent. San Sebastián is certainly squeal-worthy. And I didn't even get to sample much of the food!

Your report is opening up all sorts of new ideas for me!! I am enjoying every word of this! Thanks so much for sharing.

Kansas, it's great to hear that you are getting new ideas from my report. That's what I like so much about the Fodors forum. It is a treasure trove of ideas and information, all so willingly shared by people who love to travel.

A CIRCUIT THROUGH COUNTRY VILLAGES: SARE, AINHOA, AND ESPELETTE

Every day in Ciboure some rain was predicted but somehow we were lucky enough to enjoy many hours of sun. We set out for Sare under a bright blue sky. The winding road meandered through some pretty countryside and shortly we were driving into Sare. Parking was easy on the edge of town next to a pelota court. Pelota is a traditional Basque sport and every town, we're told, has a court, called a fronton. The fronton in Sare looked like the townsfolk took particular care with its upkeep. I bet matches there are well attended.

But today, the stands were empty, and we walked past and up a few streets to the church with its neighboring cemetery. Basque cemeteries are decorated with porcelain flowers and commemorative plaques in pastels and purples. Real flowers and greenery were also carefully arranged around each gravesite. The combination of living flowers and painted china flowers was unusual but pretty. I wondered, was it meant to convey a subtle message of the impermanence of life and the permanence of death? Maybe not on purpose, but it had that effect.

We entered the church through heavy wooden doors. Inside, the church wore the three tiers of intricately carved dark wood balconies and the barreled ceiling typical of Basque churches. The shadowed wooden spaces were punctuated by colorfully painted religious figures, also carved from wood. Golden accents, here and there, glowed in the low light. When we left the church, the sun seemed especially bright.

The next town in the circuit, Ainhoa, was just opening up after lunch. We parked on the street opposite the church, which had a sparkling alter piece, carved from wood but painted in gold, brightening the interior. Leaving the church, we strolled past some little shops and were drawn into one selling espadrilles. I bought a colorful striped pair from an excellent young saleswoman who explained how they should be worn and where exactly they were made. (In France, of course, somewhere nearby.) These shoes made me happy whenever I put them on this summer at home.

Our last stop was the village of Espelette. I had seen pictures of Espelette over the years, with strings of red peppers always hanging everywhere. It looked so charming and I really wanted to see it. Sure enough, red peppers were all over the place, strung in garlands in shop windows, festooning buildings in layers. One hotel must have had hundreds of them, hanging all across its facade. We bought some pepper jelly and red pepper sauce, then relaxed at a sidewalk cafe with a beer and a sangria.

It had been a good day. When we got back to the apartment, we cooked a great fish dinner and researched our route the next day to our rental in Loudet, in the Midi-Pyrenees. The next morning before we left. we met our hostess, Elizabeth, for the first time. She had been traveling herself, on a tour to Iran, when we arrived in Ciboure and had arranged for a friend to meet us at the apartment . She was so well traveled and interesting, it would have been great to have more time to stay and talk, but we soon had to say goodby, and thank you, and were on our way to Loudet.

THE PYRENEES BECKON AS WE BEGIN OUR "TOUR"

The sun was shining when we set out toward Loudet and we hadn't driven far before we could see imposing mountain peaks highlighted by the sun far in the distance. The Pyrenees. Capped by snow, they seemed immense. This part of our trip had been planned so that we could drive some of the famous mountain climbs of the Tour de France. Steve is an avid fan of the Tour, and we had looked into traveling to France to watch it in person, but decided that would be too costly. We would have to make do with traveling some of the same routes in April that the Tour would follow in July. We would miss all the excitement, but at least we could see for ourselves what the terrain was really like on some of those climbs.

Watching the mountains come closer, we pulled off the highway into a rest stop just beyond the city of Pau and were thrilled to discover a huge metal sculpture commemorating the tour off on one side of the parking area. Tall steel arches soared high and monumental sculpted bikers, muscles bulging, ascended and descended in various depictions of speed, strength, and endurance. One steel biker painted yellow, with arms raised, was the symbol of victory. A circle of pictorial plaques surrounded the sculpture, outlining the history of the Tour. This memorial provided us with the perfect way to start our personal Tour de France experience.

The directions to our rental in Loudet in the region of the Midi-Pyrenees were spot on and we arrived around 4 o'clock as scheduled, after stopping for groceries at a tiny little shop in the next town. Our hosts, Marianne and Brian, were there to welcome us. We learned later that they had purchased this property with its farmhouse and outbuildings four years ago after a search of six months. That search certainly paid off, as this property is beautiful. Since they bought Le Fournil they have worked hard on renovating it, turning a little building attached to the barn into a rental cottage. I think this cottage might be the loveliest rental we have ever stayed in on our travels. Brian did much of the work on his own and he obviously strives for perfection. It is also obvious that he and Marianne believe in quality, from the materials used in the reconstruction to the kitchen appliances and the bathroom fittings. Even the fruit Marianne had arranged in a basket for us to enjoy was perfectly ripened and ready to eat.

After we settled in, we spent some time before dinner on the covered porch enjoying the view of the mountains. We were glad we didi because the next two days the mountains were obscured by clouds. Until, wouldn't you know, the morning we left, when they reappeared in all their majesty.

Still enjoying your report! Writing this report is a wonderful way to remember the details of your trip. Since you took the trip last April, did you keep notes so that you could remember all these great and memorable details?

BTW, when and where is your next trip? Just curious.

Yes, Karen , writing a trip report is a great way to relive a trip. I kept a little journal as we were traveling where I wrote down lots of details. Without the journal, writing this report would be much more difficult.

Next April, we plan to travel to Sicily for two weeks, then head up to the Amalfi Coast for a week. We will fly home from Rome.