Today started with a visit to two local markets to pick up lunch before the three-hour hike we had planned.
The first stop was a small health-food boutique where we bought two small containers of organic "yogurt", which turned out to be vanilla pudding. Who says you can't have pudding for breakfast?
The next stop was a combination of a grocery store and farmer's market where we picked up some spanish cured meats and cheeses and a demi baguette for lunch.
The hike was supposed to start at the end of Zurriola beach, wind around the coast and end in Pasajes San Juan. So we strolled along the beach,
only to find a locked gate at the end of the beach and no visible path in sight.
On to plan B--eat our picnic lunch by the beach and drive to Pasajes San Juan instead.
Now would be a good time to interject that having a GPS has been invaluable on this trip. There is no way we could have had a single relaxing drive without it.
But, technology isn't perfect.
Knowing that Pasajes San Juan is a tiny town among a few other 'pasajes', we plugged "city center" into the GPS figuring it would be obvious when we got there.
We crawled up a steep mountain down into a steeper driveway and the next direction had us driving straight into a house (which, because we are not Michael Scott, we didn't). So we turned around, went back up the driveway, careful to miss a lounging dog we had seen on the way down.
Well, the lazy dog actually had a partner in crime--a hyper puppy that literally threw itself in front of our car while barking like a maniac. We were both relieved beyond imagine when we saw the little guy still running after us as we made our way out.
Since the GPS was no use, we figured we'd try to explore a bit on our own. On the way up the mountain, we had seen a cemetery that looked pretty cool and thought perhaps that it was bordering the town we were looking for. There were lots of cars parked beside it and even two buses that looked like they could have been tour buses.
So we parked the car and walked inside the gate where we were met with the eyes of 100 surly Spanish teenagers. This was no entrance to a picturesque village, but instead, the gates of a local high school.
Oh.
I don't speak Euskara, but I'm pretty sure I heard someone say "who are those creepy Americans?"
Back in the car.
So the Pasajes were a total bust, but as luck would have it, this detour led us up to the summit of Mt. Jaizkibel with its gorgeous views.
Behind the lookout tower were horse farms and a view of the sea:
We then made our way back down the other side of the mountain in the charming town of Hondarribia, said to be one of the most picturesque towns in Spain located just a few miles from the French border.
We strolled around the port and through the marina, which was beautiful, but we arrived in the middle of siesta, so many shops and restaurants were closed.
Before leaving town drove over to the medieval part of the city, just a few blocks from the marina. We made our way through the narrow cobblestone streets
Until we came across the town's Parador, once the Castle of Carlos V and home to Ferdinand and Isabella:
We explored the inside as far as we could without being paying guests at the Parador,
and then had overpriced cokes at the bar,
and strolled through the antique store across the street.
Back in San Sebastian, we headed out for dinner--another night of Pinxtos.
Many places remain closed on Mondays, so our options were somewhat limited. We ended up at La Cepa, which is supposed to be a classic Pinxtos bar. We had grilled beef and small green peppers, croquettes, and a skewer of mushrooms and bacon. It was all pretty tasty, but nothing compared to the innovative menu of the previous night.
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