Easter Sunday evening and it looked like the whole of San Sebastián was out and about. We managed to squeeze into our favourite pinxtos stop to mingle with the locals and watch the action including the local txakoli wine being poured from a great height and somehow making it into the glass. We got talking to a lovely Israeli lady who was very bemused by the whole pinxtos and drinks ordering system and she asked what we were doing in San Sebastián. We told her about our trip and she was a little surprised to hear we were retired, she was worried about what we would do when we were old and had run out of money. Tracey told her we wouldn’t care at that point and she threw her arms around her, kissed her and left!
Our final day in San Sebastián today so we decided to get a birds-eye view of the town by going up to the top of Mount Igueldo, the highest point in the city. A lovely walk to the far end of the esplanade along La Concha beach brought us to the tiny funicular. It was well worth it as the views from the top were spectacular and you could see the mountains that frame the city very clearly from this height. While we were at this end of the bay we also went to find the Peine del Viento (Wind Comb) sculptures which were built into the rock and are intended to be battered by the sea when storms hit this coastline. It was a very calm day but they still looked impressive.
Our next destination is Caceres in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is quite a long way from San Sebastián to Caceres, 8 hours by train, and the complexities of the Spanish rail network meant that we couldn’t do it all in one day so leg one was San Sebastián to Madrid and then on to Caceres the next day.
The gorgeous historic old town of Caceres was originally built by the Romans and has recently been used as a filming location for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. It has a wonderful atmosphere and was virtually empty for our visit.
Caceres feels very Spanish and not touristy at all which is a little bit of a challenge as our rudimentary Spanish makes communication a little difficult but we are getting by in the traditional British way.
Our second morning started with a walk through the Parque del Principe which is full of sculptures and water features. It must be such a relief to have this green space in the heat of summer. On our way back to the old city we stumbled across the town’s bullring which was fascinating and horrific in equal measure.
We learnt a little more about the old city today. During Holy Week a series of processions takes place during which the members of ‘the brotherhoods’ carry statues around the city. Some of the brotherhoods date back to the 14th century and each has a different set of robes. A little strange to us but a true spectacle we are sure.
San Sebastián
Basque cheesecake and PX sherry
Caceres
Not sure how PC this photo is
Caceres Bull Ring
Caceres Square
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