Homeward Bound

As usual farewells are painful for me, and I like to keep them short and sweet. We obviously had breakfast at Cafe Alabama for the last time, and I bid a silent and heartbroken adieu to my holiday love affair. Since it was a rainy day GC and I popped into the Museo de San Telmo which had a Greek Mythos art-display on loan from the Museum del Prado over in Madrid. Tickets were, as everything in San Seb. seems to be, very affordable, and the museum itself was a gorgeous building which we wondered around in up until we had to leave for out flights.

On our return trip GC took a bus back to Bilbao, but I was flying to Barcelona so had booked a flight straight from San Sebastian Airport, a 20-minute bus ride from the centre. Word of advice? Not worth it.

The flight, operated by Vueling, was delayed by over three-three-hours for mechanical failures. This quickly became an anxiety-trigger, exacerbated when we were told we might have to be put-up overnight as the flight might not leave at all: I thanked my lucky stars i had a couple of go-to CBT exercises to help calm myself down. Throughout, we were told, in no uncertain terms, that the fault was with the airline and we were entitled to compensation. However, when in Barcelona and attempting to claim-back the compensation due, Vueling replied that San Sebastian Airport is known for its tricky weather conditions and difficult-to-navigate air-traffic, and that delays from this airport are commonplace. Therefore, they stated, no compensation was due. They made no reference to the fact their staff at the airport had revealed to us that the fault was a mechanical one with the airplane (and so as per EU laws the responsibility of compensation was theirs). I did not pursue the matter because I have better things to do with my time, but from now on I am determined to avoid them as often as I can: there is nothing that makes me angrier than corporations taking advantage of their own customers when trying to claim where claim is due. (FYI: a month later my mum came to visit me in London with Vueling, and on picking up her checked-in brand-new-suitcase she noticed it was completely damaged. Vueling refused to even address any manner of compensation).

Despite the downer of a flight back, the holiday itself was absolutely fabulous, and although not reliable for temperature and weather (it is the north of Spain after all) I heartily recommend it. I can’t wait to take S over there and go absolutely foodie-mental.Read more