On the first weekend of August, Sue-Ellen and I went on a four day break to San Sebastian in Spain. I highly recommend this place, and it goes straight to my top five destinations.
Sue and I meant to go last year, but didn't due to debacles with numerous nay-sayers, so it was good to see that after we made the effort, it was definitely worth it. For those of you who would like to go there, I will give you very easy instructions, because I really think you should all go…
Get a flight to Bilbao. Get a bus from Bilbao airport to Termibus (the main bus station), this will cost only 1.25 Euros. Then get one of the hourly buses to San Sebastian, for about 8 Euros. From my front door in Ridge Hill, to our hostel in San Sebastian, only 7.5 hours. Which includes sitting around in the airport, and all transfers. I think that is fantastic. Let me just say that sue-Ellen and I handled this so well, that we are well on our way to filling out our Amazing Race application forms. (Although I worry that we aren't competitive enough, and are quite lazy, we are convinced that it would be fine, as we have natural skills and luck, which could have us sitting in café's drinking hot chocolate, napping mid day, and still scamming our way to the front. It has been proven before, in Oslo, in San Sebastian. We really are amazing.)
The flights weren't even their usual nightmare, even though we thought they might be, as there was a team of English, rough looking sportsmen in front of us all wearing matching sports jerseys, with T.O.W. printed on the back. Now, before reading on, try and think what sport this might be…Tug-Of-War. Seriously. And they were on their way to some kind of international competition…?
Our hostel was fantastic. With views looking over the beach, big bright windows, tv, three seater couch, big double bed (accident, hostel owner thought we were lesbians), super clean bathrooms and kitchen, and not noisy or anything from the other occupants. In fact, we saw other people in there only twice. The location was also fantastic. Away from the touristy 'old town' and 'swimming' beaches, and instead downtown near the surf beaches. Also conveniently located near a delicious bakery from where we bought our breakfast. It is called Surf Zurriola, if anyone ever wants to stay there, and is around £20 per person per night.
As well as thinking we were lesbians, the hostel owner also thought we were lying when we said we were Australian. As he said, we were 'too dark'. He kept going on about it, so I told him I was Chinese, but Sue-Ellen clung stubbornly to her story, even when he questionned her persistently. (meanwhile, to continue racist theme, small boys yelled out Konichiwa to me on the street! ).
After getting changed into our swimmers, we were straight off to the beach…actually I think that is a lie. I was starving, so it was straight to Tapas down the road, then to the beach. It took us a little minute to understand the etiquette of the tapas, but we were well adjusted after only one meal. We just pick whatever we like, take, it, and somehow, the bartenders remember, and tot it all up at the end. Tortilla, smoked salmon thingy's, meatballs, clams, skewers, prawn things, croquettes…somehow, they manage to make every single thing delicious…except for on Sue's plate, this thing that she described as a 'fish tart'…which really doesn't sound nice…also, they are very good at ice cream making, I of course restrict myself to chocolate, while Sue-Ellen became addicted to pina colada icecream..
Then after tapas, straight to the beach, to lie down, and accumulate a tan which has had NO help all summer, thanks to stupid crap British 'summer'. Lots of topless women, so I thought I would go topless too…kidding! Also, one or two totally naked men. Brown and leathery all over.
Then after the beach, you go home and have a siesta, go out for tapas again in the evening…and then repeat every day! With shopping for a little minute in between. Also, as with all holidays, it is tradition to watch lots of CNN news whenever you are in your room, and we supplemented this with eating lots of cheese and crackers...then fell asleep in sauna like room, which made us wake up feeling quite ill...
On one of the nights, we went out for super expensive cocktails in this fancy hotel called the Maria Cristina, and I got to wear my Alannah Hill dress for the very first time. Unaccustomed to wearing feminina dresses, I felt like a bit of a freakshow for a little while, but it only took half a cocktail, and I was quite comfortable...
On the last day it poured down with rain, making it not too horrific to head off home…which is kind of nice. The return trip was even more of an amazing race effort. Sue-Ellen spotting typical English couple in the airport, deduced they were annoying airport staff to determine which desk would be the check in counter, before they even announced it. so we lined up behind them obviously. One highlight, was that as per usual on a 'grab your own seats flight', people children mill around the front of the queue, not even bothering to line up, because they assume they will get on first with their kids. AHAHAHA fantastic spanish airport personnel were not having a bar of it, and so all the people with kids who hadn't deigned to line up had to go RIGHT TO THE END ahahahaha. Is that evil of me? Well Sue and I got much happiness from that.
Highlight of return trip, was only the game we made up in which we tried to not let anyone sit next to us on the plane (Easy-Jet, get your own seats). I adorned several persona, including raucous 'Girls Aloud'; sickly, coughing puffer-user; sufferer of some disgusting foot disease (excellent in the wake of new foot- and-mouth scandal), and for those parents who might consider placing their child with us, affectionate lesbian.
