San Sebastian and Biarritz – A nice combination of Pinxtos and Crepes

December 10th, 2010

Still in search of some European sun, we booked our next trip to Biarritz. We were going to spend a week on the beaches there and enjoy another part of France. However two days before we were scheduled to depart, we were advised by Ryan Air that our flight had been cancelled due to France Air Strikes. Not wanting to forego our accommodation, we made some changes and decided to fly into Santander, travel by bus through San Sebastian for a night and then onto Biarritz for the rest of the week.

The shopping strip of Santander

So our time in Spain was fleeting. We had a half day of walking through the city of Santander (after arriving late the night before) and then we planned to spend a night in the ‘Old Quarter’ of San Sebastian for our second night.

Laneways of the Old Quarter are filled with Eateries and Pensions

We immediately loved the Old Quarter. It is so busy but remains quaint and wandering through the various laneways is a lot of fun. We were actually really lucky to find a Pension to stay in too as the night that we arrived happened to be the weekend when Kelly Slater was in town for a Surfing Competition and U2 were in concert. So after about a 2 hour search, we were finally able to drop our bags and hit the town.

We must have asked about 20 Pensiones before finding this one..

We decided to enjoy everything Spanish. The Paella, Wine, Pinxtos. It really is the perfect way to dine. Small amounts allowing you to taste plenty. No place for Food Envy here.

Plenty of Pinxtos...

Walking from the Old Quarter to the beach, we spent a little time checking out the waves, Pete contemplating whether it was worth hiring a surf board but in the end, with the weather being fairly cool, we decided to get on the bus and head towards Biarritz.

A grey old day in San Seb....

We would definitely like to return to San Sebastian and spend a few more days there.

Arriving in Biarritz, we were greeted by the most beautiful coast line. We stayed a little bit out of the main town in an area called Anglet.

For the next 4 days we enjoyed the last of the beach weather, a little surfing and tennis.

Beautiful Biarritz

Being there on a Sunday, we were able to check out the Markets that line the main streets where all sorts of things are sold from Jewellery, shoes and bags to artwork and crafts.

The main square is host to numerous restaurants where you can sit outside and watch the world go by as you enjoy some delicious French cuisine – Crepes were definitely on the menu.