Gym's Ramblings: Atlantic Odyssey 2025: San Sabastian and Hondarribia

The Basque Flag

On May 16, 2025, the adventurers arrived in to the port of Bilbao, Spain. Bilbao is the largest city in Basque Country. Basque is a region that straddles the border of France and Spain. There are four Basque provinces in Spain and three in France. The Basque people have their own language, cuisine and culture. They also have their own flag (shown above). As usual, Gym and his fetching sidekick had chosen to tour a couple of areas an hour or so away from the port. It sounds taxing but these are minor trips for a couple of Canadians that routinely drive much longer distances, to get out of town.

A fellow named Carlos would be the guide on this journey. He had spent some time in California and to Gym's pleasant surprise, Carlos was a Raider's fan. Carlos was also knowledgeable on the historical, economic and social geography of Basque country. About an hour after leaving the port, the bus arrived in the stunning seaside city of San Sebastian.

San Sebastian with its golden, crescent-shaped beaches reminded Gym of Rio de Janeiro. They had arrived at low tide, so the sandy areas were at their most appealing, maximum extent. In Spanish, the bay is referred to as La Concha which is sea-shell. La Concha was the setting to the ending of Ernest Hemingway's book, The Sun Also Rises. Today, many 19th and early 20th Century mansions line the best waterfront positions, on either side of where the Queen Maria Christina built the Miramar Palace in 1893. The tour of this picturesque place began at the top of Mount Iguildo. This is a wonderful spot to take in La Concha from above.

The tour then went down the mountain and across the Urumea River to park the bus and begin a walking tour of the Old Town of San Sebastian. It is located between the river and Mount Urgull. There are two churches in this district and they are surrounded by scores of small independent bars and restaurants that line the narrow streets. Carlos advised us to try a few pinchos for lunch. They are like tapas but differ in that they are all skewered with toothpicks. Gym thought that the old town had a very cool vibe.

Later that afternoon they drove to the fortress town of Hondarriblia. It is on the French border, 12 miles from San Sabastian. Due to its location on the border, it was the focal point of many wars between Spain and France over the centuries. Evidence of cannonball damage on the Hotel Parador de Hondarribia is very apparent and shown on the pictures below. Afterwards the author learned that two-time Masters Champion, Jose Maria Olazabal was born in this historic town.

After a walking tour up and over the top of the very picturesque Hondarribia, everyone returned to the bus and drove back to the Vista. That evening the ship would venture back out into the Bay of Biscay and enter French territorial waters, during the night.

Stay tuned!