Pintxos and Pouilly-Fumé: A San Sebastian and Paris Trip Report
Jun 18th, 2010, 07:48 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pintxos and Pouilly-Fumé: A San Sebastian and Paris Trip Report
Please join me and my mom on another one of our travel adventures. Caution: if you enjoy reading detailed trip reports including experiences on flights, hotels and especially food and restaurants this trip report may be one you enjoy. Please note, I do tend to have difficulty self-editing so this may grow to be a long winded report...I apologize in advance! 
How or maybe more importantly why did I concoct a trip to a Basque Country beachside city with the City of Light?
Here’s the back story:
It all started when mom and I decided we wanted to go to Paris for a week. We had been in Paris for a few days in 2008 and felt we needed to give Paris more of our time.
Once we decided we wanted to go to Paris it was time to discuss where to stay. Since we had rented an apartment in Rome last year and loved it we thought it was a no-brainer for us to rent an apartment in Paris. We like the extra room an apartment provides, along with feeling like we were part of a neighborhood, even if it is just for a week. Based on recommendations from the Fodors message board we decided to book an apartment with Paris Perfect Apartments ( www.parisperfect.com). We booked the Meursault apartment and were not disappointed, but more about that later.
After we booked the apartment and started looking at airfare mom tosses out the idea… what if we look at some of the Rick Steve’s tours (which we’ve done in the past) and see if the dates of any tours coincide with the apartment rental, this way we can get a real bang out of our airfare buck. As luck would have it, the 7 day Basque Country tour matched perfectly, it ended the day our apartment rental started. Plus I was very eager to explore the Basque Country…the food being a very big draw, and we were not disappointed there either, but more about that later too.
The next step was to book airfare. Since we have silver elite status with Delta airlines I wanted to fly Delta or one of their partner airlines. We decided to fly into Bilbao and when I first queried the Delta website I was not getting any options into Bilbao, so I called Air France, a Delta partner, and was able to book reasonably priced tickets directly with Air France. Ultimately we flew from Savannah, GA to Atlanta to Paris and finally into Bilbao. After our week in San Sebastian we flew from Bilbao to Paris and on our return home we flew from Paris to Atlanta to Savannah.
Day 1: Thursday, May 13th
As happens in the airline industry, our flight times were altered slightly between when we booked the tickets and when we actually flew. So, my nice cushy 2 hour lay-over in Atlanta was changed to a 1.5 hour lay-over, do-able, but a little close for comfort for us. Yes, we are “students” of the “get to the airport early and wait” school of thought.
On the Air France website it stated passengers can check in 30 hours prior to departure. I think, “wow, that’s great”. At the allotted time I log on and begin the check in process, only to hit a snag. As often as I tried, no luck with the online check-in. My next thought was to call Air France. I spoke with a very pleasant agent who informed me that since the first leg of my itinerary was on Delta (because Air France doesn’t service Savannah) I could not check-in on line, I had to check in at the airport. OK, this puts me in hyper-travel mode and instead of getting to the airport at my usual 2 hours early I decide we need to get there 3 hours early to make sure everything goes smoothly. That’s just how I roll.
We arrive at the Savannah airport, approach the ticket counter, and begin the check in process. We are handed only the boarding passes for the Savannah to Atlanta leg and are told because the other legs of the ticket are with Air France the Delta agent cannot issue the boarding passes. Ok, now I am just about ready to hyper-ventilate. Fortunately security is a breeze at the Savannah airport and we head to the gate to wait.
Since we are so early there are 2 flights going to Atlanta before ours. Try as I might (and I will say the gate agent boarding the planes was a pleasure to work with) I could not get on an earlier flight, but I was able to get our seats moved from the back of the plane to the front of economy (every minute helps). So we watch the 2 flights prior to ours board and take off on time. I’m starting to relax thinking this will be ok, we’ll make the connection and after all, I was able to get our Paris-bound seat assignments when I booked the tickets (or so I thought).
Our flight to Atlanta boards and we are ready to go on time, then we sit and sit and sit at the gate. Apparently there was a lot of traffic at the Atlanta airport and our flight was held in Savannah for 40 minutes, 40 valuable minutes ticking away. When we landed in Atlanta we rushed to Terminal E. We arrived at the gate and it was a madhouse, as I make my way to the ticket desk to get our boarding passes I hear my name being called over the loudspeaker ( I never like that!). I identify myself and the agent hands me our boarding passes. As I look down at the boarding passes I think, hold on a minute….these are not the seats I picked. In fact, these seats aren’t even together; I’m talking not even close. One in row 22 and one in row 61 and worse yet, only one is an aisle and one is the dreaded middle seat! I hoof it back to the gate agent and miraculously we are given seats, closer, but still not together and still one middle seat.
Being the good daughter I am, I give mom the aisle and I take the middle. By now they are boarding zone 9 and that is us. We get on the plane and get settled in. The plane has a 3-4-3 seat configuration. I have to admit after all this brouhaha my seat-mates were very pleasant to talk with and it ended up that I was in the middle of a mother and her teenage daughter. The teenager asked if I would mind sitting by the window so she could sit next to her mom and I jumped at the chance to switch, it wasn’t my coveted aisle, but they were great about asking me if I needed to get up and stretch during the flight.
Now settled on the plane the flight attendants continually walk up and down the aisle counting, counting, and counting. Finally the plane door closes and we back away maybe 2 inches (ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it wasn’t much more than that) and we stop and we wait and then the door opens again. The pilot announces they are waiting for 2 passengers. Ten minutes later the pilot announces we are not waiting for passengers, the door closes and we really back away from the gate this time.
In the end, the flight departs about one hour late. I sit back, chat with my seat mates and when I look at the economy class dinner menu I had to smile…yes Air France serves aperitif, even in economy…hello glass of champagne…”Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”!
The food and the service on the flight were good, and before I knew it I was dozing off and on for the entire flight.
Day 2: Friday, May 14th
The pilot did make-up some time in the air and we landed at CDG only 30 minutes late. After getting off the plane we found the Air France customer service desk to get our boarding passes for the flight to Bilbao. Interestingly I did try to use the computer kiosk to get the boarding passes but it would not print them, I had to go to a live human .
With boarding passes for the Bilbao flight in our hands we got in the short line for passport control. Passports were stamped and then we had the long walk through the terminal to the shuttle bus to take us to Terminal 2G. We went through security at Terminal 2G and waited to board the flight to Bilbao. I specifically allowed a 4 hour lay-over at CDG because I knew we had to go through passport control and didn’t know how long the lines would be. Fortunately from touchdown to arriving at Terminal 2G it was just over an hour.
The flight to Bilbao was delayed a few minutes but we landed on time. Since we did only carry-on bags we did not have to wait at baggage claim. We did walk through the construction site that was the Bilbao airport and found the stop for the Pesa bus (www.pesa.net) which goes directly to San Sebastian. The bus comes once an hour and we had about a 40 minute wait, the weather was beautiful and it felt great to be outside and stretching our legs. The bus ride took about 60 minutes, the ticket price was €15.30 each and drops off at the bus station (and I use the word station loosely) in San Sebastian. There is a convenient taxi stand next to the bus station and we took a taxi to the Hotel Parma (www.hotelparma.com) at Paseo de Salamanca, 10.
We had a very friendly, warm welcome to the Hotel Parma, the staff was wonderful for the entire time we were there and we really liked the location of this hotel, just a few minutes walk from all the pintxos bars of the Old Town. We arrived 2 nights prior to the tour beginning and we got a rate of €101 per night for a twin room with a view of the promenade and beach. The room and bathroom were very clean and comfortable and I would say spacious for European standards. Our room did face the street and there was some noise but it did not prevent us from sleeping peacefully.
After getting settled in, it was about 6pm. We went out in search of an open pintxos bar to have something light to eat. We found Atari (www.atarigastroteka.com), at Mayor 18 Nagusia. They bill themselves as a gastroteka. We had a couple torillas (omelets), crouquettas, and a ham & cheese plate and since we were in San Sebastian we had to start the trip off right with a couple glasses of the local wine, txakoli. The total cost of our first meal in San Sebastian was €40. We really enjoyed Atari and did go back a second time during our week-long stay.
After dinner it was a short walk back to the hotel and we were sound asleep by 9pm.
How or maybe more importantly why did I concoct a trip to a Basque Country beachside city with the City of Light?
Here’s the back story:
It all started when mom and I decided we wanted to go to Paris for a week. We had been in Paris for a few days in 2008 and felt we needed to give Paris more of our time.
Once we decided we wanted to go to Paris it was time to discuss where to stay. Since we had rented an apartment in Rome last year and loved it we thought it was a no-brainer for us to rent an apartment in Paris. We like the extra room an apartment provides, along with feeling like we were part of a neighborhood, even if it is just for a week. Based on recommendations from the Fodors message board we decided to book an apartment with Paris Perfect Apartments ( www.parisperfect.com). We booked the Meursault apartment and were not disappointed, but more about that later.
After we booked the apartment and started looking at airfare mom tosses out the idea… what if we look at some of the Rick Steve’s tours (which we’ve done in the past) and see if the dates of any tours coincide with the apartment rental, this way we can get a real bang out of our airfare buck. As luck would have it, the 7 day Basque Country tour matched perfectly, it ended the day our apartment rental started. Plus I was very eager to explore the Basque Country…the food being a very big draw, and we were not disappointed there either, but more about that later too.
The next step was to book airfare. Since we have silver elite status with Delta airlines I wanted to fly Delta or one of their partner airlines. We decided to fly into Bilbao and when I first queried the Delta website I was not getting any options into Bilbao, so I called Air France, a Delta partner, and was able to book reasonably priced tickets directly with Air France. Ultimately we flew from Savannah, GA to Atlanta to Paris and finally into Bilbao. After our week in San Sebastian we flew from Bilbao to Paris and on our return home we flew from Paris to Atlanta to Savannah.
Day 1: Thursday, May 13th
As happens in the airline industry, our flight times were altered slightly between when we booked the tickets and when we actually flew. So, my nice cushy 2 hour lay-over in Atlanta was changed to a 1.5 hour lay-over, do-able, but a little close for comfort for us. Yes, we are “students” of the “get to the airport early and wait” school of thought.
On the Air France website it stated passengers can check in 30 hours prior to departure. I think, “wow, that’s great”. At the allotted time I log on and begin the check in process, only to hit a snag. As often as I tried, no luck with the online check-in. My next thought was to call Air France. I spoke with a very pleasant agent who informed me that since the first leg of my itinerary was on Delta (because Air France doesn’t service Savannah) I could not check-in on line, I had to check in at the airport. OK, this puts me in hyper-travel mode and instead of getting to the airport at my usual 2 hours early I decide we need to get there 3 hours early to make sure everything goes smoothly. That’s just how I roll.
We arrive at the Savannah airport, approach the ticket counter, and begin the check in process. We are handed only the boarding passes for the Savannah to Atlanta leg and are told because the other legs of the ticket are with Air France the Delta agent cannot issue the boarding passes. Ok, now I am just about ready to hyper-ventilate. Fortunately security is a breeze at the Savannah airport and we head to the gate to wait.
Since we are so early there are 2 flights going to Atlanta before ours. Try as I might (and I will say the gate agent boarding the planes was a pleasure to work with) I could not get on an earlier flight, but I was able to get our seats moved from the back of the plane to the front of economy (every minute helps). So we watch the 2 flights prior to ours board and take off on time. I’m starting to relax thinking this will be ok, we’ll make the connection and after all, I was able to get our Paris-bound seat assignments when I booked the tickets (or so I thought).
Our flight to Atlanta boards and we are ready to go on time, then we sit and sit and sit at the gate. Apparently there was a lot of traffic at the Atlanta airport and our flight was held in Savannah for 40 minutes, 40 valuable minutes ticking away. When we landed in Atlanta we rushed to Terminal E. We arrived at the gate and it was a madhouse, as I make my way to the ticket desk to get our boarding passes I hear my name being called over the loudspeaker ( I never like that!). I identify myself and the agent hands me our boarding passes. As I look down at the boarding passes I think, hold on a minute….these are not the seats I picked. In fact, these seats aren’t even together; I’m talking not even close. One in row 22 and one in row 61 and worse yet, only one is an aisle and one is the dreaded middle seat! I hoof it back to the gate agent and miraculously we are given seats, closer, but still not together and still one middle seat.
Being the good daughter I am, I give mom the aisle and I take the middle. By now they are boarding zone 9 and that is us. We get on the plane and get settled in. The plane has a 3-4-3 seat configuration. I have to admit after all this brouhaha my seat-mates were very pleasant to talk with and it ended up that I was in the middle of a mother and her teenage daughter. The teenager asked if I would mind sitting by the window so she could sit next to her mom and I jumped at the chance to switch, it wasn’t my coveted aisle, but they were great about asking me if I needed to get up and stretch during the flight.
Now settled on the plane the flight attendants continually walk up and down the aisle counting, counting, and counting. Finally the plane door closes and we back away maybe 2 inches (ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it wasn’t much more than that) and we stop and we wait and then the door opens again. The pilot announces they are waiting for 2 passengers. Ten minutes later the pilot announces we are not waiting for passengers, the door closes and we really back away from the gate this time.
In the end, the flight departs about one hour late. I sit back, chat with my seat mates and when I look at the economy class dinner menu I had to smile…yes Air France serves aperitif, even in economy…hello glass of champagne…”Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”!
The food and the service on the flight were good, and before I knew it I was dozing off and on for the entire flight.
Day 2: Friday, May 14th
The pilot did make-up some time in the air and we landed at CDG only 30 minutes late. After getting off the plane we found the Air France customer service desk to get our boarding passes for the flight to Bilbao. Interestingly I did try to use the computer kiosk to get the boarding passes but it would not print them, I had to go to a live human .
With boarding passes for the Bilbao flight in our hands we got in the short line for passport control. Passports were stamped and then we had the long walk through the terminal to the shuttle bus to take us to Terminal 2G. We went through security at Terminal 2G and waited to board the flight to Bilbao. I specifically allowed a 4 hour lay-over at CDG because I knew we had to go through passport control and didn’t know how long the lines would be. Fortunately from touchdown to arriving at Terminal 2G it was just over an hour.
The flight to Bilbao was delayed a few minutes but we landed on time. Since we did only carry-on bags we did not have to wait at baggage claim. We did walk through the construction site that was the Bilbao airport and found the stop for the Pesa bus (www.pesa.net) which goes directly to San Sebastian. The bus comes once an hour and we had about a 40 minute wait, the weather was beautiful and it felt great to be outside and stretching our legs. The bus ride took about 60 minutes, the ticket price was €15.30 each and drops off at the bus station (and I use the word station loosely) in San Sebastian. There is a convenient taxi stand next to the bus station and we took a taxi to the Hotel Parma (www.hotelparma.com) at Paseo de Salamanca, 10.
We had a very friendly, warm welcome to the Hotel Parma, the staff was wonderful for the entire time we were there and we really liked the location of this hotel, just a few minutes walk from all the pintxos bars of the Old Town. We arrived 2 nights prior to the tour beginning and we got a rate of €101 per night for a twin room with a view of the promenade and beach. The room and bathroom were very clean and comfortable and I would say spacious for European standards. Our room did face the street and there was some noise but it did not prevent us from sleeping peacefully.
After getting settled in, it was about 6pm. We went out in search of an open pintxos bar to have something light to eat. We found Atari (www.atarigastroteka.com), at Mayor 18 Nagusia. They bill themselves as a gastroteka. We had a couple torillas (omelets), crouquettas, and a ham & cheese plate and since we were in San Sebastian we had to start the trip off right with a couple glasses of the local wine, txakoli. The total cost of our first meal in San Sebastian was €40. We really enjoyed Atari and did go back a second time during our week-long stay.
After dinner it was a short walk back to the hotel and we were sound asleep by 9pm.
Jun 19th, 2010, 11:40 AM
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have to apologize for the link listed above for Atari Gastroteka. When typing the trip report last night I copied the website listed on the business card I picked up but when clicking on the link today it takes me to a Portuguese web browsing site. I will try to locate the correct information for Atari and post it later.
Jun 19th, 2010, 07:03 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here you go...
Day 3: Saturday, May 15th
When I opened my eyes this morning I did not have a good feeling when I peaked through the gap in the curtains to see cloudy skies and rain. But I did not let the glum weather dampen my spirits. I left the hotel while mom got ready, and I found the Bretxa Market. Wow…what a great market and all kinds of fish, meat, cheeses and several bars with delicious looking breakfast items displayed. I poked around the market and found a bar that looked promising for breakfast.
I head back to the hotel to get mom and we walked back to the market for our first breakfast in the Basque Country. When we got to the bar the crowded that was there 45 minutes earlier had moved on and we had our pick of bar stools. Mom had a great potato tortilla (omelet) and fresh squeezed orange juice, which was fantastic. I had an tortilla sandwich on a fresh roll with a slice of ham on top and a café con leche to wash it all down. This was the perfect breakfast and for €8.30 a great deal.
Feeling pleasantly full we walked about the market marveling at the gigantic hams hanging from what seemed like every vendor’s stand. We wandered through the fish section of the market, it was very clean. While wandering about the market there was a marching band playing throughout the market. All the musicians were in street close, I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence or this was some special event.
There was also a table set up in the market where churros and chocolate were being given out for free. All of a sudden great memories of my college days traipsing through Spain and clamoring for this tasty treat came back to me. Mom had never experienced this Spanish liquid indulgence and I quickly scooped up a cup and had the pleasure of seeing the smile spread across mom’s face after her first taste of this chocolaty delight. It was so hot and thick and lip smacking good.
We spent the rest of the day walking and exploring the town between the rain drops. By the time we arrived at The Good Shepard’s Cathedral the skies opened and the rain began to pour so we dashed into the church to take cover from the rain. After about 30 minutes we decided to brave the torrential rain and dashed from the church across the street to the covered sidewalk. We made our way back to the hotel and spent a few hours catching up with emails, relaxing and watching the rain. By this time it was so windy it was raining sideways and I was glad we decided to take the afternoon easy in our dry hotel.
Earlier in the day we asked the front desk staff to make a 9pm reservation for us at Casa Urola located at Calle Fermin Calbeton (http://www.restauranteurola.com/english/index.html). We decided we wanted to try some pintxos hopping so we left the hotel at about 7pm. Our first stop was Bide Bide on Calle 31 de Agosto. It wasn’t too busy and the pintxos were ok. We each had a tart shell one filled with mushrooms and bacon and the other filled with mushrooms and artichokes. After one pintxo we were ready to move to another bar. We strolled over to Plaza de la Constitucion and the rain started to subside and we stopped to watch folk dancers perform. Then we made a beeline for Tamboril at Calle Pescaderia, 2.
At Tamboril we expanded our pintxos selections and each had 2 cold pintxos, toast with anchovy, hardboiled egg and shrimp and a tart shell filled with creamy/eggy concoction topped with shrimp. While we enjoyed these pintxos I noticed little menus scattered along the bar, this was the hot pintxos menu, so I took a gander. They had bacala croquettas that were hot and made to order, so we enjoyed some.
It was still raining off and on as we walked to La Cepa located on Calle 31 de Agosto. Here, we ordered more hot pintxos. Mom had the gavilla, which is cheese, lomo (fish), ham, and béchamel dipped in batter and fried. I had a mushroom and bacon skewer. Both were ok but not stellar choices. Hind sight being 20/20 we probably should have had a ham plate here because as I looked around at the other patrons who were having ham and it looked absolutely spectacular.
We ended our pintxos hop at Atari, where we had been the night before. The bar was packed and we decided instead of more pintxos (we still had a dinner reservation) we would just have a couple glasses of wine. We couldn’t beat the price here, for a glass of the house white we paid €1.00 for each glass, I think that may qualify as the best deal of the trip!
Just before 9pm we walked to Casa Urola for our dinner reservation. Dinner was good, but now looking back it was not anywhere near the best meal we had in San Sebastian. I am glad we had a reservation because although upon entering the restaurant at 9pm and finding half the tables empty, within 20 minutes every table was full and the waitress had to turn away at least 4 parties that entered without reservations. The dining room itself was pleasant, but nothing remarkably memorable, maybe about 15 tables.
We started with a bottle of white rioja. I had the spider crab Donostia style, which I had read was a local specialty and I don’t recall seeing it on any other menus. I had this as a starter, but it could have easily been a main dish. It was delicious, full of crab flavor. Mom had the local fish soup similar to bouillabaisse, I can’t remember the local name of this soup. The soup was good, but not spectacular. For my main dish I had the hake with clams in a green pepper sauce. It was very good, the fish was tender and the broth it was served in was very tasty. Mom had roasted leg of lamb with salad. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. With 2 espresso the meal was €82.
We waddled back to the hotel, it was almost midnight and as our heads hit our pillows we were fast asleep.
Stay tuned sunny skies ahead!
Day 3: Saturday, May 15th
When I opened my eyes this morning I did not have a good feeling when I peaked through the gap in the curtains to see cloudy skies and rain. But I did not let the glum weather dampen my spirits. I left the hotel while mom got ready, and I found the Bretxa Market. Wow…what a great market and all kinds of fish, meat, cheeses and several bars with delicious looking breakfast items displayed. I poked around the market and found a bar that looked promising for breakfast.
I head back to the hotel to get mom and we walked back to the market for our first breakfast in the Basque Country. When we got to the bar the crowded that was there 45 minutes earlier had moved on and we had our pick of bar stools. Mom had a great potato tortilla (omelet) and fresh squeezed orange juice, which was fantastic. I had an tortilla sandwich on a fresh roll with a slice of ham on top and a café con leche to wash it all down. This was the perfect breakfast and for €8.30 a great deal.
Feeling pleasantly full we walked about the market marveling at the gigantic hams hanging from what seemed like every vendor’s stand. We wandered through the fish section of the market, it was very clean. While wandering about the market there was a marching band playing throughout the market. All the musicians were in street close, I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence or this was some special event.
There was also a table set up in the market where churros and chocolate were being given out for free. All of a sudden great memories of my college days traipsing through Spain and clamoring for this tasty treat came back to me. Mom had never experienced this Spanish liquid indulgence and I quickly scooped up a cup and had the pleasure of seeing the smile spread across mom’s face after her first taste of this chocolaty delight. It was so hot and thick and lip smacking good.
We spent the rest of the day walking and exploring the town between the rain drops. By the time we arrived at The Good Shepard’s Cathedral the skies opened and the rain began to pour so we dashed into the church to take cover from the rain. After about 30 minutes we decided to brave the torrential rain and dashed from the church across the street to the covered sidewalk. We made our way back to the hotel and spent a few hours catching up with emails, relaxing and watching the rain. By this time it was so windy it was raining sideways and I was glad we decided to take the afternoon easy in our dry hotel.
Earlier in the day we asked the front desk staff to make a 9pm reservation for us at Casa Urola located at Calle Fermin Calbeton (http://www.restauranteurola.com/english/index.html). We decided we wanted to try some pintxos hopping so we left the hotel at about 7pm. Our first stop was Bide Bide on Calle 31 de Agosto. It wasn’t too busy and the pintxos were ok. We each had a tart shell one filled with mushrooms and bacon and the other filled with mushrooms and artichokes. After one pintxo we were ready to move to another bar. We strolled over to Plaza de la Constitucion and the rain started to subside and we stopped to watch folk dancers perform. Then we made a beeline for Tamboril at Calle Pescaderia, 2.
At Tamboril we expanded our pintxos selections and each had 2 cold pintxos, toast with anchovy, hardboiled egg and shrimp and a tart shell filled with creamy/eggy concoction topped with shrimp. While we enjoyed these pintxos I noticed little menus scattered along the bar, this was the hot pintxos menu, so I took a gander. They had bacala croquettas that were hot and made to order, so we enjoyed some.
It was still raining off and on as we walked to La Cepa located on Calle 31 de Agosto. Here, we ordered more hot pintxos. Mom had the gavilla, which is cheese, lomo (fish), ham, and béchamel dipped in batter and fried. I had a mushroom and bacon skewer. Both were ok but not stellar choices. Hind sight being 20/20 we probably should have had a ham plate here because as I looked around at the other patrons who were having ham and it looked absolutely spectacular.
We ended our pintxos hop at Atari, where we had been the night before. The bar was packed and we decided instead of more pintxos (we still had a dinner reservation) we would just have a couple glasses of wine. We couldn’t beat the price here, for a glass of the house white we paid €1.00 for each glass, I think that may qualify as the best deal of the trip!
Just before 9pm we walked to Casa Urola for our dinner reservation. Dinner was good, but now looking back it was not anywhere near the best meal we had in San Sebastian. I am glad we had a reservation because although upon entering the restaurant at 9pm and finding half the tables empty, within 20 minutes every table was full and the waitress had to turn away at least 4 parties that entered without reservations. The dining room itself was pleasant, but nothing remarkably memorable, maybe about 15 tables.
We started with a bottle of white rioja. I had the spider crab Donostia style, which I had read was a local specialty and I don’t recall seeing it on any other menus. I had this as a starter, but it could have easily been a main dish. It was delicious, full of crab flavor. Mom had the local fish soup similar to bouillabaisse, I can’t remember the local name of this soup. The soup was good, but not spectacular. For my main dish I had the hake with clams in a green pepper sauce. It was very good, the fish was tender and the broth it was served in was very tasty. Mom had roasted leg of lamb with salad. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. With 2 espresso the meal was €82.
We waddled back to the hotel, it was almost midnight and as our heads hit our pillows we were fast asleep.
Stay tuned sunny skies ahead!
Jun 19th, 2010, 11:34 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great report! The soup at Urola was the typical Sopa de Pescado a la Donostiarra (Fish soup San Sebastián style)Served in almost every restaurant, gastronomic society and home in the region. A simple but authentic signature dish. Used to be fantastic at Urola, but you should try around to find your favourite. When it hits, you are stuck! I still dream of the one they served in Restaurante Clery on Plaza de la Trinidad in the mid 90's.
Jun 21st, 2010, 07:03 AM
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for reading. I'll work on getting more posted tonight. In the meantime, below is a link to a Kodak Gallery album for a few pictures from days 1-3.
http://tinyurl.com/22ph3eh
http://tinyurl.com/22ph3eh
Jun 21st, 2010, 04:30 PM
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for telling me about the photo album link. When I posted it earlier today it worked. Let's try this link:
http://tinyurl.com/22ph3eh
http://tinyurl.com/22ph3eh
Jun 21st, 2010, 05:23 PM
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks Johanna...not sure what's going on. I've done what I've done in the past and sent myself the Kodak invitation and then took the link in the email and converted it to a tiny url. Maybe something has changed on the Kodak end of things.
Jun 21st, 2010, 05:25 PM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Day 4: Sunday, May 16th
We woke up to sunshine today! Yay! Being a Sunday there weren’t too many breakfast options and in hind-sight we probably could have made a better choice, but at least it was an experience.
While walking around the old town yesterday we came across a restaurant, actually more like a greasy spoon, called Santa Lucia. Typically this wouldn’t be a place on my “go to” list. The façade of the building had pictures of all the menu items along with a corresponding number plastered all over the entrance of the restaurant. However, there were lots and lots of pictures of churros and chocolate…in my mind I was thinking, “How bad could it really be?”
We opened the door and stepped up into a brightly lit dining room that could be compared to Mel’s diner (of the TV show Alice fame), as we took another step it became crystal clear that if we didn’t watch our step we would be sliding across the floor and make quite an arrival at the cash register/ordering area. I will say that since I did study the picture menu board outside I was able to tell the cashier exactly what I wanted, in Spanish, before he even had time to slide the laminated picture menu in front of me. At least this got a little smile out of him!
Even though the surroundings left a little to be desired, the hot chocolate was fantastic and the fresh squeezed orange juice mom had was excellent. I can’t recall the exact price of the breakfast but it was somewhere around €10.
We spent the rest of the morning walking along the Paseo de la Concha watching a children’s soccer championship, a sailing regatta and a rowing race. They certainly make the most of the beach in San Sebastian. I had never seen so many soccer fields set up on a beach and the children playing were all ages from the really little tikes to teenagers. And families were out in force to cheer on their soccer champs. The whole paseo was filled with families watching the games and just strolling enjoying the sunshine. Once we made our way around the big curve of the paseo we could also see there was a road race going on…it was a busy day in San Sebastian!
The walk along the Paseo de la Concha to the Palacio Miramar took about an hour and when we got to the palacio I headed up the hill to take some pictures of the grounds, the palacio is not open to go in, but the gardens surrounding it are lovely.
We walked back along the paseo tracing our steps from earlier and headed to the elaborate town hall building and then stopped at an outdoor café for a little lunch in the sunshine. Two egg, ham, and cheese sandwiches later we wandered back through the streets of the old town. We stopped to make a dinner reservation tomorrow night at a restaurant called La Fabrica. My pre-trip research did not turn-up this restaurant but we checked out the menu, liked what it offered and we also liked the looks of the place, plus on a Sunday at lunchtime the place was packed, it seemed like a good option.
We woke up to sunshine today! Yay! Being a Sunday there weren’t too many breakfast options and in hind-sight we probably could have made a better choice, but at least it was an experience.
While walking around the old town yesterday we came across a restaurant, actually more like a greasy spoon, called Santa Lucia. Typically this wouldn’t be a place on my “go to” list. The façade of the building had pictures of all the menu items along with a corresponding number plastered all over the entrance of the restaurant. However, there were lots and lots of pictures of churros and chocolate…in my mind I was thinking, “How bad could it really be?”
We opened the door and stepped up into a brightly lit dining room that could be compared to Mel’s diner (of the TV show Alice fame), as we took another step it became crystal clear that if we didn’t watch our step we would be sliding across the floor and make quite an arrival at the cash register/ordering area. I will say that since I did study the picture menu board outside I was able to tell the cashier exactly what I wanted, in Spanish, before he even had time to slide the laminated picture menu in front of me. At least this got a little smile out of him!
Even though the surroundings left a little to be desired, the hot chocolate was fantastic and the fresh squeezed orange juice mom had was excellent. I can’t recall the exact price of the breakfast but it was somewhere around €10.
We spent the rest of the morning walking along the Paseo de la Concha watching a children’s soccer championship, a sailing regatta and a rowing race. They certainly make the most of the beach in San Sebastian. I had never seen so many soccer fields set up on a beach and the children playing were all ages from the really little tikes to teenagers. And families were out in force to cheer on their soccer champs. The whole paseo was filled with families watching the games and just strolling enjoying the sunshine. Once we made our way around the big curve of the paseo we could also see there was a road race going on…it was a busy day in San Sebastian!
The walk along the Paseo de la Concha to the Palacio Miramar took about an hour and when we got to the palacio I headed up the hill to take some pictures of the grounds, the palacio is not open to go in, but the gardens surrounding it are lovely.
We walked back along the paseo tracing our steps from earlier and headed to the elaborate town hall building and then stopped at an outdoor café for a little lunch in the sunshine. Two egg, ham, and cheese sandwiches later we wandered back through the streets of the old town. We stopped to make a dinner reservation tomorrow night at a restaurant called La Fabrica. My pre-trip research did not turn-up this restaurant but we checked out the menu, liked what it offered and we also liked the looks of the place, plus on a Sunday at lunchtime the place was packed, it seemed like a good option.
Jun 21st, 2010, 06:14 PM
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Day 5: Monday, May 17th
We started the day with breakfast at the hotel, which was included with the tour. It was a basic breakfast we’ve found in other European destinations, bread, fruit, yogurt, cheeses, coffee and juices. It was just enough to get us going in the morning.
Our day got started around 9:30am with a walking tour of the San Sebastian with Augustin, a local guide. We spent about 3 hours with Augustin and he was a good guide and it was interesting to hear a local’s perspective on living in San Sebastian.
At about 12:30 we left the hotel and boarded a mini bus for a 30 minute drive to the fishing village of Getaria. It’s a very picturesque village and we did a short walk around and had a fantastic lunch.
Earlier in the day Robert (our guide) asked us if we were interested in trying hake cheeks, a local delicacy. Mom and I jumped at the chance to try this and we went to lunch with Robert and a few others at Iribar in Getaria. This lunch was a favorite of the trip. We had the hake cheeks, a mixed salad and grilled squid. All were fantastic. We also had a couple bottles of the local cider, which had a nice light flavor.
After lunch we drove to the town of Guernica. This town is significant to the Basques, not only because of the events during the Spanish Civil War but also because this town is the seat of Basque government. The Basque Assembly House in Guernica is definitely worth a visit, not only to the see the Guernica oak tree but also to see the beautiful stained glass ceiling windows and the assembly room.
We left Guernica at about 6pm and were back in San Sebastian at about 7:30pm. Mom and I decided to go to Astelena Taberna for pintxos. We decided to start stepping out of our pintxos box and ordered a couple hot pintxos here and they were excellent, as a matter of fact all the hot pintxos coming out of the tiny kitchen looked incredibly delicious. The 2 pintxos and 4 glasses of txokoli were €12.50. At 9m we walked to La Fabrica for our dinner reservation. The restaurant is located at Calle Puerto, 17
Being a Monday night the restaurant wasn’t too crowded, maybe because it was a Monday night. But we had an excellent 3 course meal with a bottle of wine for €49.22, that’s total for the two of us.
I started with the mushroom risotto and mom had the goat cheese salad. Both were very good. I had the cod for my main dish and mom had another fish dish, which I can’t remember the name of. The cod was absolutely delicious. For dessert I had cheesecake with blueberry compote, it was creamy and not cloyingly sweet. Mom had the cheese plate and was not disappointed.
One of the things that drew us to this restaurant was not only the menu but I just liked the atmosphere. There were exposed brick walls, light wood furniture, hard wood floors. I believe at one time it may have been a factory of some sort, hence the name La Fabrica (I think.)
We completely enjoyed this meal and we would recommend this place to anyone visiting San Sebastian and looking for a budget conscience good meal.
We started the day with breakfast at the hotel, which was included with the tour. It was a basic breakfast we’ve found in other European destinations, bread, fruit, yogurt, cheeses, coffee and juices. It was just enough to get us going in the morning.
Our day got started around 9:30am with a walking tour of the San Sebastian with Augustin, a local guide. We spent about 3 hours with Augustin and he was a good guide and it was interesting to hear a local’s perspective on living in San Sebastian.
At about 12:30 we left the hotel and boarded a mini bus for a 30 minute drive to the fishing village of Getaria. It’s a very picturesque village and we did a short walk around and had a fantastic lunch.
Earlier in the day Robert (our guide) asked us if we were interested in trying hake cheeks, a local delicacy. Mom and I jumped at the chance to try this and we went to lunch with Robert and a few others at Iribar in Getaria. This lunch was a favorite of the trip. We had the hake cheeks, a mixed salad and grilled squid. All were fantastic. We also had a couple bottles of the local cider, which had a nice light flavor.
After lunch we drove to the town of Guernica. This town is significant to the Basques, not only because of the events during the Spanish Civil War but also because this town is the seat of Basque government. The Basque Assembly House in Guernica is definitely worth a visit, not only to the see the Guernica oak tree but also to see the beautiful stained glass ceiling windows and the assembly room.
We left Guernica at about 6pm and were back in San Sebastian at about 7:30pm. Mom and I decided to go to Astelena Taberna for pintxos. We decided to start stepping out of our pintxos box and ordered a couple hot pintxos here and they were excellent, as a matter of fact all the hot pintxos coming out of the tiny kitchen looked incredibly delicious. The 2 pintxos and 4 glasses of txokoli were €12.50. At 9m we walked to La Fabrica for our dinner reservation. The restaurant is located at Calle Puerto, 17
Being a Monday night the restaurant wasn’t too crowded, maybe because it was a Monday night. But we had an excellent 3 course meal with a bottle of wine for €49.22, that’s total for the two of us.
I started with the mushroom risotto and mom had the goat cheese salad. Both were very good. I had the cod for my main dish and mom had another fish dish, which I can’t remember the name of. The cod was absolutely delicious. For dessert I had cheesecake with blueberry compote, it was creamy and not cloyingly sweet. Mom had the cheese plate and was not disappointed.
One of the things that drew us to this restaurant was not only the menu but I just liked the atmosphere. There were exposed brick walls, light wood furniture, hard wood floors. I believe at one time it may have been a factory of some sort, hence the name La Fabrica (I think.)
We completely enjoyed this meal and we would recommend this place to anyone visiting San Sebastian and looking for a budget conscience good meal.
