Circle Tour 13: The Last Day in Donosti

Our last full day in the Basque Country is beginning to fade, so it is urgent that I make time to remember and record what the photos bring to mind. There were many beautiful moments, in spite of how unwell I felt.

It was a free day to explore the magnificent city, go shopping, and meet up with our Basque friends.

Barb and I often ended up together because we could maintain a similar pace, although on this day her energy level far surpassed mine. We walked and walked past the lovely beach area...

...and up by the Miramar Palace where the royals enjoyed many summers.

We walked and walked and observed how the ancient and modern blend and overlap in so many ways.

Saturday mornings the streets were buzzing with people and events.
We stood in front of the Town Hall (above) and watched wedding parties exiting with fan fare every twenty minutes.

On a pedestrian walkway downtown we came across musicians and people joining in with traditional dancing.

We were told that the fish market was a must-see. Very special, indeed. Multiple vendors atistically displayed every imaginable edible sea creature. Even the floors are works of art with mosaics that reflect the Basque fishing and whaling history.

We had walked and walked (Did I mention that already?) and I was ready for a break. We spotted a McDonald's and went in to sit a spell and have some tea and a bite to eat.

I think we headed back to our lodging after that, though Barb could have kept on walking...

When we arrived I must have felt like the statue of the Txantxillo in front of our hotel.
Santiago (James) Hernández Redondo, nicknamed "Txantxillo" is considered the most well-known person in San Sebastian of the latter half of the 20th century --a bag man who endeared himself to all with his quaint manners, his xylophone and peculiar way of begging for a "pesetíta". He died ten years ago and is still missed and remembered.

I must have rested some before our long-awaited visit to our dear friends in Hondarribia. Alberto came by around 6 p.m. and drove us all to their gated community. We were allowed to see their piso (apartment) in spite of the remodelling mess, which he called un desastre. Of course we didn't care, we were delighted to spend time with his family, Edurne and the girls.

Alberto pointing out their third floor apartment; the lovely sisters appearing from upstairs--Amaia and Eider

All of us refers to Dane and Laurie, who had been with us the first time in 2010 (read more about that visit and see where we stayed in an old post--Arantxa's Place), their son Stefan and Dane's mother Barb.

We walked with our friends to revisit the familiar places and see what was new. Looks like Dane really needed that little break!

Two new things: 1) the walk-in clinic (ambulatorio) where Edurne now works is in the top floor of the Itsas Etxea pictured on the right; 2) the big blue boat Imanol is refurbishing as a retirement hobby.

In our previous visit Edurne's practice was in a temporary building while the new clinic was under construction. (For more go to Zorionak, Edurne!)

Later that evening, closer to the customary late dinner hour, we wound our way to the old part of town and eventually ended up at the sociedad gastronómica where some of the friends have a membership. There we met up with more friends and family and had a wonderful meal and delightful conversation.

Notice who are wearing aprons. Only men are allowed in the kitchen. (I think I like that!)

(To read and see more go to Eating Experiences in Euskadi.)

The crowd was a little different from our previous visit. We met some family members for the first time.

A memorable evening that ended all too soon.

We walked through the old city wall, said our goodbyes and began to disperse.

¡Hasta la próxima!

La ermita

Church-theme continued...

I started the week on this theme so I wanted to add a couple more posts highlighting another two of the many churches we saw in Spain.
My favorite was a smaller chapel on the mountain above Hondarribia, perhaps because of the view of the town and sea from there. The picture calendar I brought back from Onyarbi features this photo, except that I could not scan the entire landscape. The view I included in a previous post is the view from up there.

Here are some photos we took.

FORBIDDEN

ALL TYPES OF GAMES, FOOD, AND WEARING A BATHING SUIT ANYWHERE IN THE SANCTUARY

Every sizable town has a chapel on the hill. These are called ermitas, and are not used regularly, only on special occasions.

Finding Waldo

We came across a most interesting page in Real Simple magazine's latest issue, which arrived this week.

Finding Amaia on her own hometown beach may be just as challenging as Finding Waldo!

The photographer quoted above mentions the breathtaking views from the nearby mountain. We can attest to that, although my photographs will never do justice to the scenery.

 This is my best effort, taken from the Jaizkibel mountain or ridge.

You probably cannot read the small upside down print. The first town on the west side of the river (see inlet on the left) is Hondarribia and the peak in the range to the left is Jaizkibel. The east side of the Bidasoa river is France. This may help you imagine the beautiful  hilly/mountainous country we fell in love with.

Sunday...three weeks ago

On this lazy Sunday afternoon, I am remembering our last Sunday in Onyarbi.

We walked to the old city center, the Walled City, for the Medieval Festival--straw strewn all over the cobblestones, the vendors dressed in medieval costumes, fire throwing acts and other actors walking around, old world music.

Fire-Throwing Dance

Strange Medieval Creature

Music Machine

Medieval Marching Band

Around noon we walked through the San Nicolás Gate and left the walled city. 

The informational pamphlet says,

Hondarribia is, today, the only Gipuzkoa town that still retains its Renaissance walls.

Imagine that--while they celebrate medieval customs and and still have structures that date back to Roman times, our nation just celebrated only 234 years!

We crossed the bridge, over the old moat, into modernity to hear our own Amaia perform.

Hondarribiko Musika Eskolaka Banda

She is the very serious one on the right.

I began this reminiscing yesterday. I post it today, Monday, hoping you find time to enjoy it on this holiday.

Monday/lunes/Lundi

European adventures continued...

So, that first Monday afternoon we went across for a paseo into France to see the other face of Basque Country and get a glimpse of the area where the guys had been cycling earlier that day, 57 miles in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
There are three Basque departments or provinces in France, so the formula for Euskal Herria (the Basque Country) is 4 + 3 = 1. We learned that on the French side they are much more into the folklore. You see the flag and the lauburu everywhere and on everything.

We walked, talked and gawked.

Some shops caught our attention for different reasons.

Sweets, macaroons, and Basque cake.

Skateboards!

A memorial to honor Basque fishermen, mariners, and corsaires--good pirates commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation?!

So much to see and learn!

And best of all the people!

Our day ended with a meal at Gonzalo and Elena's. He had prepared Spanish tortilla.

 

They are neighbors, colleagues and close friends of our hosts and share meals together once or twice a week. We felt immediately accepted into their circle. Gonzalo even loaned us a vehicle to use during our stay. 

 Thank you, Gonzalo and Elena!