Ahead of the Heat Wave

We’ve been keeping just about a day or two ahead of the heatwave that is gripping Spain right now. We left Ávila just before it got to 35 and yesterday we left Burgos before hitting the 34 (38 there tomorrow).

Up North we went all the way to San Sebastian starting off at a cool 19 degrees. We both prepared for a rather underwhelming journey just wanting to get there as the tourist route would’ve taken forever.

It wasn’t too bad after all. The scenery was pleasant with more mountains as we passed the Obarenes range. Navigating through busy Vitoria was a bit nerve racking with cars, scooter drivers and pedestrians all over the place.

Then hit some nice country roads and just when the then N-road got nice and twisty it all of a sudden was full of lorries and cars and roundabouts every couple of miles. Argh!

Couple of bum breaks and a coffee/lunch stop at the beach in Deba and we were nearly done. Another hour on a twisty coastal road with stunning views but again quite a bit of traffic adding lots of cyclists to the mix.

We were glad when we finally checked in to our hotel after having temporarily parked our bikes next to the Home Affairs building and being told off seconds later by their security guards. Oops. It looked so unassuming right next to our hotel.

Showers after getting sweaty once more on the last stretch and relax. We were done with riding!

Had been looking forward to San Sebastian the whole trip (not wishing away any of the other days though) purely for the vibe and of course the food. We didn’t know that it has the highest number of Michelin stars restaurants per square mile in the world, only beaten by Kyoto. Wow.

Just wandered along the water for a bit making our way into Old Town where all the bars, cafés, restaurants and shops were said to be.

Really liked the pedestrianised area with lots of trees and and airy feel to it. Ice cream first, which turned out to be not just very tasty but also a massive portion, at least for Rich who went with a different one of the super busy six shop assistants.

There is nothing really old in Old Town as the city was torched a few times whenever ownership changed. I was a bit worried about the feel and atmosphere but didn’t need to. It feels classy and relaxed depsite being busy and touristy. Somehow this all adds to a cosmopolitan atmosphere and where it could be hectic it actually is just vibrant.

Found ourselves a craft beer bar of course and ended up at the tap room of Basqueland Brewing. Score!!! Had a couple of beers each and a chat with the lady behind the bar who turned out to be from California originally.