San Sanbestian part IV

I think we only spent one night in San Sebastian, maybe two, I can’t remember. I do remember the walk we took through the old part of town. On this walk we came across these two old men working on an old wooden boat. If I was able to ask them and if they would have let me, I would have stayed and become their apprentice.

Beside it being the best food town in the world it is also one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The fact that it was on the coast was nice, but the town itself was spectacular. Old stone roads everywhere. Allys connecting to more ally’s which are full of tapas bars. I think this was my introduction to tapas. In San Sebastian eating tapas in an art and I didn’t realize it at the time. You go from tapas bar to tapas bar eating a little at each and if your in the know you only eat certain dishes at certain bars because they do that dish the best.

San Sebastian is of course a port and fishing is their thing. So lots of the tapas dishes are seafood and most all the wine you will drink is local. San Sebastian has more 5 star dining-rooms then any other city in the world, but that’s not to say you can’t eat cheap, there are plenty of restaurants that are very, very good that are not rated and are very reasonable. The tapas bars are not expensive to eat at. The average price of a tapas serving is about $3.50.

After spending a little time in San Sebastian I can see why the Basque people want to hold on to their heritage. It is a place very rich and steeped in it’s culture. They are a unique people with their own language and ways of life and you can’t blame them for wanting to hold on to it. They are referred to as “separatist” but they have been living in this region, speaking their language and cultivating their way of life longer then the country they want independence from. I don’t get it. How can you ask someone to let go of something like that?