Torre de la Sal

Torre de la Sal

One of my favorite things about Spain are the old architectural monuments. As an American I'm used to celebrating buildings that are 100 years old but in Spain that is hardly noteworthy. It's fascinating to see remnants of buildings that were constructed centuries ago and Spain does a pretty good job of having accompanying information to explain various monuments. But the coolest thing to me is the fact that they have all these old crumbling buildings that aren't necessarily touristy but still preserved and cared for.

Built in the mid 16th century, a network of "torres" were built on the coast. A few of these have been restored and Torre de la Sal stands proudly by the coast. It has a very narrow staircase that you can climb and get some nice views of the ocean. It's surrounded by a natural area with elevated boardwalks (I assume it floods) though I recommend going before dusk as it's full of mosquitoes in the evening!

Walking in the surrounding area.

View from the top .

Torre Badum in Parc Natural de la Serra d'Irta

Torre Badum

The Parc Natural de la Serra d'Irta is a protected area and marine reserve located between Alcossebre and Peníscola. The other day we decided to take the bumpy road and try to visit Torre Badum, an old tower from the 16th century. Although one can't actually enter the tower, it is a great vista at an elevated point and a nice midway mark between Alcossebre and Peníscola.

The road is popular with cyclists and there are several beaches along the road. Because of the distance from the two nearby cities, the beaches are sparsely populated compared to the beaches in the towns. It does take some amount of effort to get out there so it's not unexpected. The road is flat for most of the way with hills rising sharply from the opposite side of the sea. There are a few old houses that likely were part of massive farming areas but it is otherwise very wild and beautiful in a dry Mediterranean kind of way.

As we got closer to the Torre Badum the road began to wind and there were massive cliffs overlooking the ocean. We parked the car nearby and hiked up to the torre which provided fantastic views of the ocean and Peníscola in the distance. I was a little disappointed that the torre had been sealed off but I suppose it's likely because the interior is not structurally sound. Discovering the road was a big highlight and I hope to cycle from Alcossebre to Peníscola someday.

Torre on the hill.

Ana checking out the ocean.

Peníscola far off to the north.

Gipuzkoa Province in Basque Autonomous Community

The walk from Getaria to Zarautz.

Although our holiday was centered around eating pintxos in San Sebastian, we still wanted ample time to explore the small villages nearby. For this reason we got a “rural house” in the nearby village of Orio. Orio is a quaint village of about 5,000 people on the river with access to some ocean coastline as well. We stayed at a beautiful house in the hills with views overlooking the river.

The surrounding area is either coastline our mountainous and both were beautiful. One day we climbed the mountain to the nearby village of Igeldo to have lunch overlooking the ocean. There were tons of hikers and trails with stunning vistas. Another day we went down to Zarautz along the coast and wandered around the town. It has a beautiful beach with many surfers riding the waves. There is another nearby village of Getaria, famous birthplace of the explorer Juan Sebastián Elcano who was the first person to successfully circumvent the earth and make it back in one piece. I think his accomplishments are overshadowed by Magellen but this village makes certain to inform you of Juan Sebastián Elcano’s feats. The village is built around a central fort overlooking a port and the walk from there to Zarautz leads along a winding and rocky shoreline. It reminded me so much of northern California and the Oregon coastline in the United States.

Another quaint historical town was Hondaribbia situated on the border of France. The town has developed their tourism in an admirable way and provides maps for not only the historical points inside the town but also the surrounding area. We had a wonderful afternoon walking around the historic part of the city and then the more modern and lively part of the city.

We also popped over to Saint Jean in France just for the hell of it. Unfortunately we did not realize it was the day of Saint Jean and the place was packed with festival goers. It was cool to see all the festivities with traditional music groups and huge crowds dressed in black and red but we were expecting a more casual village so it was a bit of a surprise.

The area was beautiful and after visiting the tourism booth in San Sebastian I realized we didn't even do any of the recommended tourist activities or visit many of the recommended villages. There is still a ton to explore!

View from Orio.

Orio town.

Zarautz.

Hondaribbia

Hondaribbia

Getaria.

Road to Getaria.

Pintxos / Pinchos

Yes, please

Pintxos are famous throughout Spain though they are originally from the northern regions. Our whole trip to San Sebastian was actually inspired by my love of Spanish food so it was to no surprise that pintxos were heavily featured during our trip.

Although similar to tapas, pintxos are a bit more substantial and are usually ordered separately from drinks. The Basque word comes from the Spanish word "pincho" which is literally spike, giving reference to a toothpick. A toothpick is commonly used to keep ingredients from falling off the bread, as well as to keep track of the number of items that the customer has eaten.at some places differently priced pinchos have toothpicks of different shapes or sizes.

I've got to admit, the first time we went into a bar I was completely overwhelmed. There were over 50 different pintxos with a bewildering amount of ingredients, many of which I did not recognize. Complicating matters further, the area is not only known for its seafood but also its delicious meats. This meant that I was severely overfed for each of the nights we were out! But that is not a bad problem to have...

San Sebastián / Donostia

View from the western side of La Concha.

I had the pleasure of visiting San Sebastián (locally known in the Basque language as Donostia) for a few days in June. I had never been to the Basque country though I had heard it was much different than the rest of the country. I didn't expect much from the city of San Sebastián but I was blown away how much I loved the area and the city.

San Sebastián is geographically attractive with lush green hillsides framing a long coastline filled with parks and beaches. It reminded me of the Pacific Northwest in America and the inhabitants appeared to share a similar outdoorsy and active lifestyle. Cyclists, joggers, and hikers were found throughout the city and the surrounding environs.

We had two afternoons in the town and we came each night (four nights total) to sample the pintxos. On the weekends the town was packed and gave off a tremendous energy as we walked around the streets. While there were obviously loads of tourists there also appeared to be majority locals. The city is built for strolling around, whether it is the famed beach and waterfront of La Concha or the bustling neighborhoods around the river. When you look at the tourist map it actually looks like the majority of the city is a park and/or green space and that is not entirely far from the truth.

The vibes and energy of San Sebastián easily put it as one of my favorite cities I've ever visited worldwide. It has a busy feel without being too large or crowded, tons of outdoors activities, amazing food, and beautiful surroundings. It also has the strong Bosque culture and language and sense of history that runs deep in the area. I will admit that there were several factors that made the town even more lively such as the summer solstice and the festival of San Juan over the weekend but I'd imagine the place to be lively any time of the year.

Santa Clara Island off the beach makes for a pretty view.

Famous Playa de la Cancha

The Urumea River with Mt. Urgull in the background.

Overcast and gloomy evening at La Concha.