Waves

Don't ever stay at Waves in San Sebastian. I arrived to find that nobody was working during my scheduled arrival, 11pm, which on the advertisement, says reception is open 24 hours. It also says that reception accepts credit card, which would be a great help to my fiscal situation, only that was not the case. I awoke the following morning to the owner doing the sheets herself and looking over her shoulder screaming at me that I needed to pay her now in cash, to which I tried arguing with her about the credit card option, but don't even try arguing with a mid 30's basque woman. That soured me quite a bit, considering I was on a strict cash budget and she had just removed a solid half of it on the first morning. I was determined not to let it get me down, nor would I let the weather get the best of me. Now, you've got to remember that San Sebastian is on the Atlantic, so the water can be turbulent, the weather can change quite quickly, despite its two incredible beaches. So for the few days I was there, it was overcast about 70 percent of the time, raining for about 40 percent of the time, and windy of course. But all of that was kept at bay when you entered the old town. La parte vieja is known for its intensely popular bars, food, cideres (which are alcoholic apple ciders) and generally an atmosphere straight out of the early 1800's. It's pretty rogue/piratish, as in every sign looks the same, the bars seem to all work in the same general way, and seems to be one big area for meeting people. And when I mean big, I mean basically the intersection of town. The two beaches form somewhat of a W and that middle peak and if you can imagine it leading down to some mountains, is basically the old town. Their food, oh man...if you haven't tried pixtos, I suggest you try them. They're like tapas, the concept is like a buffet. You grab a plate, grab all the little delicacies you want, ask for any speciality hot items (I had foie gras and I don't care if you are an animal lover, that is a taaaasty dish), and they add it up, so my wild adventure ran me about 12 euro including a nice big sangria. BAM. As far as adventure goes in San Sebastian though, it's not too wild. It's a get away from the cities for everyone, being that it is like a Capitola type area, with a more historic downtown, and less beach bums. Everyone is there to relax, have a good time, and enjoy life. I say that with the thought of all the elderly folks I saw out walking in groups, going to pixtos bars, going to bar bars, and generally being the life of the party. The only problem is not knowing the Basque language, because it is definitely not spanish, and is definitely difficult to understand. It is a culture certainly worth experiencing. I feel somewhat bad for leaving so quickly, but Barcelona was beckoning...