I’m behind again. I’m actually writing this on Saturday the 8th at sea (thank goodness for sea days!).
I'm inserting a photo here from the day before yesterday as we sailed from La Rochelle mainly because I was proud of myself for capturing the moment the pilot stepped from our ship to the pilot boat. If you look you can see him in mid-jump.
Yesterday morning we docked in Bilbao, one of the largest cities in Spain and the largest in the area constituting the Basque Region. The ship offered a tour to San Sebastian and it was an opportunity for a trip down memory lane – more about that later. Our tour left early (another early wake-up call) and we boarded our bus and were off to nearly the border with France on the easternmost corner of the Bay of Biscay.
The ride was pretty long, about 1 and a half hours. The countryside was low hills and mountains with pastures here and there and some pine forests. The mountains aren’t the Pyrenees; they are a little further east. Our first stop was the town of Hondarribia, which is right on the border with France. In fact it lies on the river Bidasoa; there’s an imaginary line down the middle of the river separating Spain from France. Across we could see the town of Hendaye, its French counterpart.
Hondarribia has an old town perched on a promontory overlooking the river. The town is centered around a Plaza de Armas, so called because one side is dominated by what was the old castle. There have been a number of battles fought over this place because of its strategic location. To me the most interesting thing about the place was the castle. In the 1920’s the Queen of Spain, Victoria Eugenie, came to visit for some reason or other. The castle was dilapidated and falling down. The Queen suggested that it be renovated and turned into something that could bring in revenue and voilà, it became Spain’s first parador. The paradors are a system of hotels run by the government around the country. They are old castles, monasteries, convents and other historic buildings converted into hotels.
The old city gate
Our stay there was short and then we back-tracked to the city of San Sebastian, the capital of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. I want to say just a few words about the Basques. The region occupies part of northern Spain and southern France around the Pyrenees. The language spoken there is different from any language in the world and is believed to predate indo-european languages. There are many words with x,y and z in them and combinations thereof which to me at least seem improbable and unpronounceable. There has been ongoing conflict between the Basque people and the Spanish government because the Basques wished to secede and form their own country. Under Franco’s rule use of the Basque language was forbidden. The Basque separatist groups have been responsible for some terrible terrorist attacks in the past. I think things have cooled down some now.
Anyway, back to San Sebastian. I wanted to go there because when I was a pre-teen and teenager we had visited San Sebastian while my father was stationed in Spain and we lived in Madrid. We had gone here and to another city further west, Santander, and this was an opportunity to relive a childhood memory. The city didn’t become a popular destination for tourism, despite its excellent location on the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay, until the second half of the 19th century when Queen Maria Christina of Spain decided to summer here in the Miramar Palace. Once she came her courtiers followed and it was the place to spend the summer for a number of years. Of course that was way before my time but I still remembered quite a grand hotel that we stayed at and the long beach, La Concha.
Tower overlooking La Concha
Our bus dropped us off at the central underground bus station and then our guide set forth at something between a trot and a gallop to get to the old part of the city. My feet and knees were feeling very put upon because we’d already walked quite far in Hondarribia so I asked him if there someplace along the way I could stop and have a drink and some tapas (we were supposed to do lunch on our own anyway) and then meet them at someplace later. We agreed on a plan and that’s what I did. After I rested and had something to drink (the food I ordered was inedible), I literally strolled back toward the aboveground entrance to the bus station. It was a lovely afternoon and the walk was along the river Urumea where they have created a tree-lined paseo with benches. I sat on a bench waiting for my group and struck up a conversation with a couple from Belgium who were waiting for their group to retrieve them. We commiserated about how fast guides often walk. I enjoyed people watching as I sat there because folks were coming up from the station or heading there to go someplace else. Let me tell you, I saw all kinds of outfits and footwear and myriad hair colors. It was almost as interesting as sitting and watching people walk by in New York City.
The architecture in the old part of San Sebastian is pretty interesting. Many buildings are in the neo-classical Parisian style and one can almost imagine sitting at a café on an avenue in Paris. One other interesting fact about San Sebastian is that it was one of the first cities with an outbreak of the great influenza outbreak in 1918. Authorities tried to keep it secret because they were afraid of losing business but the disease quickly spread through the whole of the country.
A few scenes of the grand old buildings and a very ornate bridge
Eventually my folks came along and we went down and boarded our bus for the return trip to Bilbao. What I discovered was that I shouldn’t try to relive a memory because it’s not possible. I knew that logically, but except for the beach and the old hotel which was next to the terrace where I sat and had a drink, there was nothing to remind me of those summer days in the past. Thomas Wolfe said you can’t go home again and he was right.
By the time we got back to the ship it was approaching 5:30 and I was bushed. I even debated skipping dinner or having room service, but I got cleaned up and went to the restaurant where I met my friend Mae. After dinner I went straight to bed and even missed the dance party on deck which I usually love. In my defense I had walked over 11,000 steps again and I needed to put my tootsies up. Sea days are wonderful!
3 comments:
Ann, I love the humor you use to make your point—- I feel like we are sitting down and talking to each other right here at home! Thanks for bringing your journey to life. Yes, sea days are nice!
I agree with Alice - your writing really makes your narration lively.
I wondered: what was the "inedible" food? Why was it so bad?
What a day! I’m tired just reading about it, but good memory, even if you can’t go home, you made new ones and had your parents with you the whole day, and that to me is a great memory.
I do wish the guides would take into account the age of there customers and the fact that lots of use don’t have the type of Tourane, they have. I remember in Prague the hills and stairs were exhausting to us,,, but the Czech people were used to it,, even the aged, as like ac, they didn’t commonly have elevators. Maybe if we had to deal with that we’d be in better shap. LOL
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