La Torre De Pizza | San Sebastian

On a rainy morning in San Sebastian, I awoke with a fuzzy head and a ravenous appetite. I spotted La Torre De Pizza from our hotel balcony and felt better about the day already. Sometimes you just need a pizza. Even on vacation. Even in Spain. Prefaced by a ridiculously fresh pasta salad and washed down with an ice cold Coca-Cola, I decided once I officially moved to town that I would get takeout from this spot on a regular basis. Everyone needs a go to pizza spot. Plus, the laid back and accommodating Basque surfer-dude behind the counter spoke English. That's especially nice when you've been out since 3am. With happy hearts, full stomachs and without a care in the world, it was off to the beach.

Monte Urgull | San Sebastian

Oh Hi, dear readers! I'm back yet again with more pictures of San Sebastian, Spain - because if the last sets of images hadn't already convinced you to book a trip, these will!

P.S. I just got back from a weekend in London!! That's London, UK, as in, I flew five hours across the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday night and seven hours back on Monday morning, all before I even had a chance to tell you I was going. (Which means - let the European travel blogging continue; I have lots of fun details to share!) But for now, back to our regularly intertwined / never ending Spain posts.

On a most relaxing afternoon stroll along the splendid San Sebbie shores, the sun finally decided to grace us with her long awaited presence. Still making up her mind about weather to shine for longer than 15 minutes at a time, at least the rain was done!

As we were wandering the harbor and the winding roads in the outskirts of the Old Quarter surrounding it, we decided to trek to the top of Mount Urgull. It was past prime sunbathing hours and so on a spontaneous decision, the swift yet steep climb began. It was not without breathtaking views of the crescent shaped shores surrounded by the colorful harbor; situated before it a posh seaside city scape and behind it the vast mountains of Basque Country as they sweep through a cloudy blue sky.What I'm saying is, a climb to the top of Monte Urgull is rather quick, far from strenuous, and worth the views three times over.At the top, Mount Urgull boasts a large statue of Jesus. Even from the base, he can bee seen poking out of the trees and looking down over the foothills. Among the flat topped peak you will also find the seemingly abandoned yet fairly well kept ruins of Castillo De Santa Cruz de la Mota, a historical battle fortress. The small castle with dark narrow passageways and weathered stairwells invites you to explore within its chizzled stone walls.
I should also note, these explorations are free of charge - no entrance fee or ticketing. This was definitely a nice change of pace from what we were used to in Madrid and Barcelona! We saw others on our journey, but at times, it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. This made for a serene and peaceful afternoon. The exciting hike and historical castle combined with the rewarding panoramic views definitely marked Monte Urgull a city highlight, I would happily encourage and highly recommend this activity to travelers of San Sebastian. Pack a picnic to enjoy at the top, or, work up an appetite and venture into one of the many pintxos bars nearby once you have completed the descent.I am so so tired. The London jet lag isn't severe compared to Spain, but it's present none the less. It is 9:20 as I finish this post, and I am ready for bed!! (I usually go to bed at 11:30 or 12.) What is new with you guys? How was everyone's weekend?

Pintxos Crawl | San Sebastian

"A pintxo should be eye-catching, original,

and petite enough to eat in two bites"

~Patxi Bergara

In a city known for its Michelin Stared restaurants, we favored the more affordable, but no less appreciated haute cuisine of the region - Pintxos. The highly regarded Basque style tapas reign as a collection of mini masterpieces lining bar counter tops in most notably the city's historic district. The atmospheric Parte Vieja (Old Town) encompasses tiny charming streets limited to those on foot, where the most common activity is gallivanting from one pintxos bar to the next.
Among lively crowded spaces, the amicable bartenders nod to locals and welcome out of towers. The tab is on the honor system. A spirited pintxos crawl kicks off an evening that turns into a party in the street, which might lead to playing slots at the small unassuming casino, making friends over darts and beers, and hitting up a seemingly hidden discotheque till the wee hours. It's an enticing scene as a whole, the pintxos alone are reason enough to embark on a bar crawl even if you decide to call it an early night. (You likely won't want to.)One of my favorite traditional pintxos is a briny melt in your mouth oil and vinegar marinated anchovy woven with a spicy pimento pepper, speared on a toothpick with a juicy green olive, topped with a colorful confetti of finely diced onions and peppers, and bathing in a vat of golden olive oil. Pintxos are a highly adored cuisine for their impeccable attention to detail, both in taste and presentation. A tuna stuffed roasted red pepper cone here, a thin slice each of jamon, pimento and a hard boiled egg stacked gracefully on on a toasted baguette there, followed up by a cube of cod fish sandwiched by pickle halves dusted with peppers and onions, and you've got yourself a meal. Wash it all down with a glass of Txtakoli, the fizzy white wine of the region notorious for its dramatic pour. Sparkling wine streams out of an emerald green bottle from nearly a foot above the glass, it is poured this way to aerate the wine for ultimate enjoyment. Move onto the next bar and prepare to do it all over again, and again, until your feeling sufficiently full and buzzed. Pictured at a local "sports" bar where the tables weren't crowded because everyone was playing pool or darts. Soon after we joined in the fun! Our crawl one night started first with a glass of Cava and then Estrellas on draft at A Fuegro Negro - a stark contemporary black and red space amongst a slew of traditional wooden clad tavernas. Here we consumed your average bar snacks of bocadillos and tortillas, but longed for some of the modern pinxtos detailed on the chalkboard menu. Unfortunately we wandered in before the kitchen was open for dinner. We quickly learned that even the "average" bar snack around here are pretty sensational.
We popped into Casa Vergara for chorizo sausage and crouquetas and were warmly embraced by Bar Gambara where the pulpo de gallega - octopus dusted in rock salt, paprika and olive oil delighted. After that point, I officially lost track of bar names.That's the great thing about a Pintxos crawl, wander into any one that appeals to you and you're pretty much guaranteed a reasonably priced excellent bite of food. Same goes for the glass of wine.At least, that was our experience. There are definitely beloved spots and many we had read about and researched, but in the end, wandering into the unknown, maybe even unnamed spot proved to be just as rewarding as seeking out the recommended. Inside a traditional pintxos bar on Calle 31 de Agosta we feasted some more and drank a glass or two of Rioja, the ever reliable red wine choice. You also might want to wander into the Basilica of Santa Maria at some point, or at the very least, you'll notice it along your crawls. It stands as an impressive 18th Century Baroque church at 46 Calle 31 de Agosto. Just when I thought I had experienced Spanish nightlife to the fullest in Madrid, and ate some of the best cuisine of life to date in Barcelona, I traveled to San Sebastian where the two merged in extraordinary fashion. The dreamer in me imagined what it would be like to take up permanent residence (the beaches playing a huge part), while my younger self wished I studied abroad here (stemmed after we hung out with kids from England spending a semester in town, naturally) while my still not rational self is planning a trip back when I win the lottery so I can afford to eat at restaurants like Akelare and Arzak. Otherwise, I remain beyond content with the city as I experienced it; my affections for San Sebastian run deep.