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SPAIN: Nestled in a corner of the Atlantic Ocean, San Sebastian is just a nudge away from France, but in a world of its own. Featured heavily in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises as a party destination for the Lost Generation of youth caught between the World Wars, San Sebastian remains the perfect introduction to the Basque region and a veritable playground for those young at heart and looking for a good time.
4AM: Where’s my margarita?
Basque country has a distinct culture from the rest of Spain, and much of that culture involves parties and pintxos as well as the philosophy of fun. Siesta in San Sebastian (also known as Donostia) is faithfully observed, and for good reason: The city only really wakes up after ten at night and bars remain crowded until dawn.
Unlike most cities however, the best bars here are not clubs (although there are some so hip they open only after 2am), but pintxos bars, with rustic wooden beams and door frames, bartenders ready for a chat and food laid out on bar counters. Similar to tapas, pintxos are finger food, usually seafood such as shrimp or slices of fish, served on bread, except they are taken off the counter and paid for afterward.
As bars fill up and the cobblestone streets in the Baroque-style Old Town bubble with laughter, strangers become friends with an effortless “Hola!”.
People mingle fluidly from one bar to another, drink in hand. It is this neighbourly spirit that makes San Sebastian unforgettable, along with a reputation for the best pintxos. So friendly is the culture that the sound alone of people celebrating life is enough to give shy ones the confidence to join in.
Yet most remarkable about San Sebastian is that revelry takes place among old buildings and churches such as the San Vicente, and more uniquely, right under a large statue of Christ looking down from the top of a hill. Right next to the Ayuntamiento (council hall) along the Alameda del Boulevard near the foot of that hill are some of the most popular bars in the city, just metres from the beach. There is even the Aquarium Donostia-San Sebastian, an apt yet surprising presence a stone’s throw away at one end of the bay.
With the unexpected at every turn, the eclectic combination of religion, politics and history inhabiting the same space reflects just how deeply the free spirit is imbued in every aspect of life here.
4PM: Where’s my beach towel?
Wake up in the morning, however, and one would be hard pressed to believe anything had happened under the sparkle of stars over the ocean — such is the beauty of San Sebastian.
As the last revellers troop off, the streets are clean; the city quiet and mild, the town square resembling a tranquil movie set more than anything. Nowhere else in Spain had I encountered silence and festivity in such fine balance. With the smell of fresh bread and coffee filling the air and the old man at the next table nodding good-morning, it felt as if I had the city to myself, bursting with possibilities.
Indeed, if there was a time when I experienced peace and privacy in the company of strangers, it was in San Sebastian, along the beach promenades or snuggled down in a rock enclave with a book.
Yet true to itself, San Sebastian is never lacking in activities. For those looking to work up a sweat before plunging into the water, Monte Urgull rewards hikers with a close-up of the Jesus statue and spectacular city views. Sheltered from the stronger currents in the ocean, the bays are ideal for swimming, sailing or surfing. Although beaches, especially the popular Playa de la Concha and Playa de Ondarreta, fill up in the afternoon, there is always space for more, and many prefer to spend their siestas in the sun rather than indoors.
A stroll along the Paseo de la Concha (a beach promenade in Belle Epoque style), however, means one will be constantly tempted into passageways branching away from the beach. Gardens and museums aside, alley corners conceal independent shops selling rarities at low prices. A small dark doorway could lead to a nameless treasure trove of second-hand vinyl records going for as low as 3 euros ($6.30), with prices still marked in pesetas. Best of all, shopkeepers have no problem with people browsing for hours.
Alongside these niches of nostalgia are malls, some of glass and steel, others in older, faintly Renaissance designs. Most striking are the playgrounds located at the oddest places. From a playground in a concrete park at one end of the beach, complete with carousel, to another at the top of a hill near tennis courts and posh restaurants, little ones have not been forgotten.
More than 80 years ago Hemingway wrote of diving into the ocean and drinking with the locals in his travels to San Sebastian, and incorporated his experiences into a novel of longing and loss in The Sun Also Rises. Today, the literary giant’s description of The Basque city still rings true.
For anyone wanting to escape into their own space, in their own way — San Sebastian promises a good time. - TODAY/sh
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