Feasts and fiesta in San Sebastián!

I made my way from Amsterdam via Bilbao and finally arrived in San Sebastián. However, the first order of business was laundry! And while waiting, I met a lovely fellow pilgrim and we ended up chatting about everything. That’s when I learned I had arrived right in the middle of Semana Grande, a full week of festivities, complete with a nightly international fireworks contest. 🧺 🎉

That evening I had my first tortilla with a glass of wine at the hostel’s outdoor bar before heading down to the beach for the fireworks. The crowd was massive and the show itself lasted almost 20 minutes (longer than New Year’s Eve in Sydney!) 🎆

My first full day started slowly. I wandered through the streets, found a nice spot for coffee and breakfast, then headed to the beach for a refreshing swim. Surprisingly, the water was a lot warmer than I expected it too, so nice! Later I showered and went back out to explore more of the parades, markets and festive energy around town. 🎪

I also had some practical things to sort out: organising my pack, preparing to send a bag ahead to Santiago, and picking up my pilgrim credential and shell. The plan had been to walk the first stage and return to San Sebastián for the night, but I wasn’t feeling 100% (probably from all the cigarette smoke between Amsterdam and Spain), so I gave myself another rest day. 🎒

Instead, I made the most of it through food: pintxos at Bar Haizea (an Anthony Bourdain spot and absolutely delicious!), plus ice cream, empanadas and of course, more pintxos (not in that order). San Sebastián is impossible to resist but by the end I was full, happy, and ready to start walking the Camino! 🍢🍷Read more