Late morning we went on an excellent walking tour of the old town and near surrounds. Quite a history was revealed, including the destruction of the city in 1813, the civil war in 1934 ( there are still bullet holes in some of the buildings) and it's fairly recent expansion outside the old city walls. Plus got a very good rundown on the Basques and their political aspirations. Interestingly, it seems the origins of the Basques has never been properly resolved. They have what appear to be ancient Celtic symbols, but there are also Viking links.
Of course we were introduced to St Sebastián himself at the baroque Eglise Santa Maria.
And we passed by the outdoor markets
...and some very tempting patisseries
We were left to explore the main markets by ourselves
...generally all incredibly tempting, although we didn't regret not being able to buy the most reknown local seafood, bacalao, or salted cod
Once again though, this was a "filler" before lunch at the well reviewed La Muralla Restaurant.
This was a step up from yesterday's lunch, but still only AUD 40 a head for 3 courses, and all the water, bread and wine you wanted. The food again was great.
Gespaccio bouche amusés
Excellent entrees, warm goat cheese salad with dried fruit vinegarette and tomato jam, for Julie, sauteed seasonal vegetables with olive cream and shaved ham for Meg.
Typical basque main of Iberian pork cheek confit with pumpkin cream flavoured with cardamon and crispy potatoes for Bob
Excellent desserts.
Of course we couldn't let our last night in San Sebastián go by without a final pintxo outing, so it was back to the old town.
...with the usual dilemma of which bars/s to go to. This was our second bar Baztan
Yes we were happy customers...
...and why not.
We strolled home at sunset, with the promenade packed with people taking photos. The potato chip man was still there (we think we know what he does with left-overs)
...but the main attraction was quite spectacular
Looks like a great trip!
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