San Sebastian

Lisa with the beautiful San Sebatian beaches in the background

2nd August - San Sebastian
As soon as we arrived in San Sebastian, we new that we would have a great time. The old town was great with a different Tapas bar at every 2nd store. Lisa and Dan were loving all the clothing labels around - I knew this was a good thing, as it meant beach time for me :)

The hostel that we stayed at was Pension Amariur, which was a recommendation from our old flat mate Josie. And it was tops. Apart from being in a porn location, the friendliness of the staff and the cleanliness of the rooms meant our stay was extremely enjoyable.

We hit the tapas bars that night - not really knowing what to expect. Think we got ripped off in 1 or 2 places. Mainly because we decided not to pay straight away and trust that the bar man had a good memory. The other times we gave tapas a go, it turned out a whole lot more successfully.

3rd August - San Sebastian
No breakfast included in the Pension, so we headed out. We tried to rip off a not very smart waiter. But he was faster then us, and we couldnt get away. Hit the beach... well, I did, while Lisa and Dan hit the shops. They soon worked out that Siesta time was in full effect, so their shopping turned to be more wondering around, but still a worthwhile cause.

Not wanting Tapas, we thought Paella was the go. With a recommendation from our hotel staff, we headed out to a place on the other side of the river. Turned out they dont do Paella any more but we still took some awesome sunset photos (see below) and then headed back to the old town for Paella.

Al & Lisa on bridge at sunset

4th August - Biarittz
It was time to head out of town and check out some more of Basque country. Decision was made to head towards Biarittz, and all 3 of us were very happy with the decision, with me getting some much needed beach time, Lisa finding a bikini top, and Dan buying a new t-shirt. Not to mention, having a great lunch (although we weren´t too happy with having to fork out €7.50 for a coke each!), and admiring a bit of Southern France at the same time.

[photo here]

"where are we" in Biartittz

5th August - San Sebastian
The KLB would be reunited today, and Dan and me headed to Bilbao airport to go pick the little filo (Chico) up. He was very excited to see us, and plenty of stories to swing both ways happened throughout the weekend.

We headed up to some place with a good view (wheres chico when you need him to remember the name!) and had a few KLB reunion shots.

It was then back down to check into the hostel - one issue with being in the old town was the lack of parking, so €18/night was the order of play for carparking. We all headed to the beach (even Dan this time), and all enjoyed the sand, water and waves. Oh, and there may have been a few tops missing from some ladies on the beach as well, but I wouldnt know about that.

Finally, the day was topped off with a fine dining experience at Arzak, Spains number one restaurant. Lisa will bring her thoughts to the table at a later time - hopefully with pictures...

Lisa and Dan at a resturant not serving Paella

6th August - Barcelona
With a big night last night, it was time for a bit of a sleep in, and then a plan was decided that we would drive Dan and Chico to Heneye, which is just across the border in France. Mind you, no border police at all to be found... Heneye really didnt seem to have much going for it, so we settled for a little cafeteria and some cheap food.

Really not much to write about, especially with our meal, as I think some of us were still full from last nights meal (think Lisa counted 17 courses in total). We loaded Chico and Dan up (thanks guys once again) with all our Marrakech purchases and said our goodbyes.

It was then a bit of a drive back to Bilbao airport. Only sour note was to be hit by the Eurocar folk for a new scratch on the side of the car. Probably was us that did it, as we did touch a few curbs in 1 or 2 car parks... but what can you do.

We arrived in a fairly humid Barcelona and the info desk at the airport provided all the info we required to get ourselves to our hotel.