I had a wonderful day in San Sebastián. It would have been lovely, simply because of the weather - clear blue skies and no wind - but I had the pleasure of Emma showing me the city. Emma is one of the Spaniards on the program, who lives about an hour and a half from San Sebastián. Before she arrived I walked the length of the large Bahia de la concha. Huge beach, golden sands, clear water; easy to see why San Sebastián is crawling with tourists in the summer. The bay is very sheltered because an island breaks most of the entrance so it is perfect for children. Although it was Monday there were plenty of people walking along either the beach or the boardwalk, lots of dogs frolicking, and interestingly a significant number of elderly people being pushed in wheelchairs enjoying the sun. Apparently many of those pushing are paid; they must have a better ratio of staff to elderly than we do.
At the edge of the bay is a sculpture called El peine del viento - loosely translated as the wind comb. It is actually 3 huge metal sculptures attached to rocks. The wind is ferocious here in winter and the wind is broken as it comes through them. Carrida's vision was to have a place where the sea, wind, rocks and iron all come together. It was a collaboration between the sculptor, an architect who designed the surrounding area and the engineer who made it happen. To install them they had to build a bridge over the sea. The architect combined the geological formations with a series of platforms made from Spanish red granite cobblestones, with a few breather holes in which air and salt water spray up on wild days. It was lovely being there on a calm, sunny day but I would love to come back and see it on a windy day when the sea is wild. Photos coming!!
Emma took me up to the headland on the other end of the bay where a fort was built by Napoleon's army, then down through a very peaceful garden into the other bay. The garden reminded me of Burnham Beeches, for those who have visited it in the Dandenongs. The second bay gets more waves, enough to surf, but it was still when we were there. They've built a huge, very modern arts facility right on the shore line. It caused a lot of fuss because people didn't think it fitted the character of the city. Further over is a very modern, minimalist church. Emma took me inside. It is totally unlike any Catholic church I have ever seen but beautiful in its simplicity. The odd thing is that there is a supermarket in the basement of the building.
We enjoyed some pinxtos at a couple of bars. They are the basque version of tapas - served on a slice of French stick, with a variety of toppings. They line up a selection on the bar, and you can also ask for the hot ones separately.
Then it was back to Emma's car for the journey to her parent's house in a small village between San Sebastián and Bilbao.
At the edge of the bay is a sculpture called El peine del viento - loosely translated as the wind comb. It is actually 3 huge metal sculptures attached to rocks. The wind is ferocious here in winter and the wind is broken as it comes through them. Carrida's vision was to have a place where the sea, wind, rocks and iron all come together. It was a collaboration between the sculptor, an architect who designed the surrounding area and the engineer who made it happen. To install them they had to build a bridge over the sea. The architect combined the geological formations with a series of platforms made from Spanish red granite cobblestones, with a few breather holes in which air and salt water spray up on wild days. It was lovely being there on a calm, sunny day but I would love to come back and see it on a windy day when the sea is wild. Photos coming!!
Emma took me up to the headland on the other end of the bay where a fort was built by Napoleon's army, then down through a very peaceful garden into the other bay. The garden reminded me of Burnham Beeches, for those who have visited it in the Dandenongs. The second bay gets more waves, enough to surf, but it was still when we were there. They've built a huge, very modern arts facility right on the shore line. It caused a lot of fuss because people didn't think it fitted the character of the city. Further over is a very modern, minimalist church. Emma took me inside. It is totally unlike any Catholic church I have ever seen but beautiful in its simplicity. The odd thing is that there is a supermarket in the basement of the building.
We enjoyed some pinxtos at a couple of bars. They are the basque version of tapas - served on a slice of French stick, with a variety of toppings. They line up a selection on the bar, and you can also ask for the hot ones separately.
Then it was back to Emma's car for the journey to her parent's house in a small village between San Sebastián and Bilbao.
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