Mar Cantabricu

 Probably my favorite day in Basque Country started out a bit stressful. We were due to be picked up at 9 am for a full day tour of San Sebastián and wine tasting in Getaria. When I stepped out of the shower at 7:30 am there was a panicked email from the tour operator. Our guide was very sick and they wanted to know if we could go tomorrow. Since we fly to Dublin tomorrow, our answer had to be no. The tour operator gave us the option to cancel, have them rent us a taxi to take us to San Sebastián, or wait for the office person, Irene, take us which would entail her renting a car, and would mean a 9:30 pickup. We quickly opted for a tour with Irene. 

She showed up at 9:15 and turned out to be the owner of the tour company. She was a fantastic guide - super personable and knowledgeable. We drove about an hour to San Sebastián. She chatted on the way about her background (business school, culinary school and sommelier school) and her venture into high end tours. She told us some distinctions between Bilbao and San Sebastián, including that the latter is more of a holiday town. She told us many stories of Basque history, including the years of the terrorist separatists, and the independence that the Basque Country experiences today. They pay a very minimal share of their taxes to Spain and enjoy their own health care system, legal system and governance. 

We arrived in San Sebastián and Irene deftly maneuvered the van into a tight parking spot. We then visited two markets, an outdoor one with essentially farm wives selling fresh fruits and vegetables and an indoor one selling the famous Jamon (ham), salt cod, Basque cheeses and olives. The fish were not available as no fishing is done on Sunday. We sampled a pintxos called a Gilda which featured an olive, a sardine and a chile pepper on a toothpick. It is eaten in one bite. We then headed for the beach. Along the way Irene encouraged me to purchase a beret - a traditional Basque hat that everyone wears. At her suggestion, I bought a red one. The beautiful sandy beach was surrounded by turquoise water. There were many swimmers and boaters enjoying the beach. 

We then went through the old town, seeing two famous Churches, including one in the French style dedicated to St. Sebastian and the German Gothic Cathedral. We had a coffee and a beer in Constitution square where the surrounding balconies are all numbered. Irene explained that the bull fights used to take place in this square, and the town sold tickets to the balconies to watch the fights. I thought it sounded like the rooftop seating at Wrigley Field. We returned to the van for our wine tasting. 

We drove along the beautiful coast and then up some hills to the Ameztoi Winery, a glassed in building perched on a cliff with a spacious balcony surrounded by vineyards. The grapes in this area are used to make the Txakoli white wine that is the specialty of this region. The winery had the most beautiful setting and views imaginable. We tasted 2 whites and a rose and had a wonderful cheese plate with homemade bread. It was paradise. After we finished, we purchased a bottle of the Txakoli (pronounced Choc - O - Lee) as a souvenir. 

We then drove to the lovely village proper  of Getaria, where again, Irene amazed with her parallel parking. Some sort of festival was ongoing so the town was bustling. We stopped for lunch consisting of bonito in an olive oil sauce and a cod stew. We washed it down with Txakoli. We walked along the narrow streets where chefs were grilling fish and steaks over coals. There were large monkfish being roasted in grilling baskets. The restaurants had beautiful views of the sea. There were several statues of Juan Sebastian Elcano - born in Getaria - and one of the few survivors of Magellan’s expedition. El Cano is also one of the several Michelin starred restaurants in the area. Irene said that San Sebastián has more Michelin star restaurants per capita than anywhere in the world. We also stopped for some delicious sorbet that had won a contest even beating the Italians. We ate our sorbet overlooking the beautiful beach. 

We then drove to see the cliffs at Zumaia. The cliffs are geological strata that have been tipped vertically by tectonic action. The strata represent more than 60 million years of the planet’s history. It was an incredible place that was used in the Game of Thrones as the setting for Dragonstone. 

After taking many, many photos, we got back in the car for the drive back to Bilbao. 

It was an incredible day and we were very blessed to have Irene for our guide. She recommended a restaurant for our last dinner in Bilbao.