And into Spain

New country, new travel experience

When we last spoke it was all about what a great time we had touring France and how we needed to keep moving. Not only to a new city, but to a new country. 

For today, we ditched the Bradshaw’s train guide and were experimenting with our first bus of the trip. Only recently have I discovered Flixbus. And within days of learning about them I started to see them everywhere. 

Today, we were on the 9.30am Flixbus from Bordeaux, across the Bidasoa river, which is the France-Spain border, and into San Sebastián. 

San Sebastian

There are places in the world I have always wanted to visit. At least, for as long as I remember. The feeling I had when I sat in front of the Lost City of the Incas at Machu Picchu was indescribable. I’d seen the vista on postcards for years and yearned to visit. 

San Sebastián was similar, for me. In the heart of the Basque country, with their fascinating language of incongruous X and Ts. There is also a strong Camino de Santiago connection. 

We stayed in a pension, which is a cheap guest house style of accommodation and we could not have asked for a better location. A short walk around the corner from the glorious playa de la concha, the famous stretch of beach that hugs the San Sebastian harbour. A 10 minute stroll had us in the old town, with its plethora of pinxtos bars. I would have loved a kettle to make my morning coffee, and a fridge to keep beer cold, but, you get what you pay for. 

Pinxtos (peen-chos)

The pinxtos bars need to be seen to be believed. Packed to the rafters. Most with nowhere to sit. The idea is you hustle at the bar, with the locals, pointing to the pinxtos that you want to go with your drink. Somehow, like magic, the bar staff know what you ordered when you finally come around to pay. Always at the end. And not when you order the drink, unless you want to stand out like the tourist you are.

On the surface, you may think that tapas is all you can get in San Sebastian. Far from it. I was surprised to learn that San Sebatian has more Michelin starred restaurants per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. 

A town with everything. Great beaches. Good walks. Amazing food and drink. And a local football team. This could be one of my new favourite parts of the world.

On the bus to Bilbao

Staying in the Basque country, our next stop was a quick bus ride along the coast, to Bilbao. For many years a forgotten city, lapsing into disrepair as old jobs disappeared, there was a lifeline 25 years ago. The city had the foresight to pay for a new Guggenheim museum to be built near the old docks. Creating a “destination attraction” in a similar way that the Opera House is in Sydney. And it worked. Dubbed the “Bilbao effect”, Frank Gehry’s masterpiece glistens on the Bilbao waterfront, attracting a steady 1 million visitors a year.

You won’t be surprised to hear that there is also a great food and drink scene in Bilbao. As we were still in the Basque region, we were eating pinxtos, and not tapas. The Basque region is one of those places that proudly holds onto its culture and heritage. Ensuring that the Basque language remains front and centre, everything is in both Basque, as the predominant language, and Spanish.

Heading to the Spanish capital

And it was into the Spanish heartland we were headed after our 5 days in the Basque region. Back on the bus, we had a 4 and half hour journey to Madrid ahead of us. We stocked up on pain au chocolats and water and we were off.

After San Sebastian and Bilbao, Madrid felt huge. A big, bustling city. We had 3 nights to adjust back to city life. And what better way to feel the pulse of a city than by attending a local football match. Saturday night saw us travelling out to the Wanda Metropolitana stadium to see Atletico Madrid take on Celta Vigo. 

I really enjoy going to football matches in overseas countries. Seeing how fans in different parts of the world celebrate their football team. The Atletico fans were vociferous. All through the match they maintained a great atmosphere. That the game ended with a 4:1 win obviously helped. 

After years of living in Australia I did find it strange that you could not buy beer inside the ground. Watching games at home in Australia we are used to getting a pint each and taking them to our seats to watch the action. Beers would come later, but not tonight. A 9pm kick off meant we were not back at the hotel until midnight. 

Our days in Madrid were spent strolling through the magnificent Retiro park, Madrid’s Central Park. Exploring the streets that sprawl off the main hubs of Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Santa Ana, and others. Mercado de San Miguel is one of the great markets that we have found whilst on our travels through Europe. Opening its doors over 100 years ago, the market is now a gastronomic delight. Selling, overpriced, Spanish delicacies and drinks. Sating the appetite of many hungry tourists.

We are wily travellers, and so we decamped to the Museo del Jamon, where we could stand at the bar, have a jamon sandwich, and a beer, for a fraction of the cost charged in the Mercado de San Miguel. Money saved at lunch can be spent at dinner. One of the challenges of adapting to being a traveller, rather than a tourist, is constantly being aware that our travel budget has to fund months of further travel.

The Alhambra (no, not in Bradford)

And the road was calling us again. An early start had us heading to the outskirts of Madrid, to one of the huge bus stations, and we were on the way to Granada, a place that was not in our minds originally. Sketching rough places to go, we were headed for Seville, until we remembered (or were we were alerted?) to the fact that we could go via Granada and visit the Alhambra.

How glad we are we came and saw this magnificent palace. Described as “one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture”, we had a good few hours touring the palace and fortress complex. Started in 1238, many years, history, and conflict have passed and I would recommend having a read of the history. I would not do it justice here in a brief travel blog.

Granada

Granada surprised me in the way that Dijon, in France, did. I was immediately taken to the city with its narrow streets and cobbled lanes that house souk style markets. Albacin, to the north of the Alhambra still maintains much of its medieval street plan and is fun just to walk around, capturing the distinctive sights and smells.

On one such walk we stumbled across the Basilica de San Juan de Dios. Oh, my. Never has the inside of a church taken my breath away quite so much. A picture won’t do it justice but I will forever remember the moment I set eyes on it.

We also struck lucky with our accommodation, staying right in the heart of the city. Our two nights were in a new style of apartment accommodation for Spain. With a digital app on your phone that becomes the key to enter the apartment, and no physical presence, they are able to keep costs down and we had probably our cheapest stay yet.

Having a beer we were introduced to the “free tapa” system, of which Granada is the heart of. Each time you order a beer, you get a free tapa. Of the waiter’s choice. When you order a second drink, the same thing happens, only the tapa increases in quality. If you find yourself making a night of it, on the beer, you won’t need to buy dinner. A very popular choice with the city’s large student population, I’m sure.

Where the streets are lined with orange trees

Mention marmalade and many people’s minds will turn to Seville. Unfortunately, the oranges on the trees right now are more green than orange, But this does not take away from the beauty of the city. Seville was our next stop after Granada. And we were here for more than marmalade.

It would be a crime, in my opinion, to visit Spain and not indulge in churros con chocolate. I believe we found the best in Seville. Bar el Comercio starts selling piping hot churros from seven thirty in the morning. We were there a little later than that and still they were creating these hot, fluffy pieces of churros heaven. The thick chocolate to dip them in would be good as a drink all by itself.

We are going to miss Spain

Seville is a whole lot more than churros and marmalade. And we saw a lot of it. From the very impressive Plaza de Espana, to the equally impressive Real Palace de Alcazar. As with all our days in Spain, we have been blown away by the beauty this country has to offer. Friendly locals, fantastic food, I will be genuinely sad leaving. Whilst travelling through I have also had a great opportunity to brush up on my rusty Spanish language skills. Whilst very, very far from fluent, I have been pleased to get by, trying to avoid speaking English at every opportunity.

We now head into Portugal, first stop, Lisbon. I better work out how to say, “two beers, please.”

Adios, chicos.