San Sebastian-July 18, 2012

We hiked to the top of Monte Urgull again today.  We really wanted to show our friends this scenic part of the city.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, which was perfect for checking out the city below. We spent a little time at the beach, while the dads enjoyed eating at a few more pincho places in parte vieja.  We cooked dinner at our place, which was a little easier on the kids.  Andrew, Kim and Andy had visited the mercado earlier in the day and they picked out some great, fresh ingredients.  

San Sebastian-July 19, 2012

We can't believe that today is our last day in San Sebastian.  We met up with the Minks and spent a little time playing soccer on the beach and shopping.  After a quick lunch, we walked down La Concha beach to the other side of the bay.  We spent some time admiring Eduardo Chillida's sculpture-Combs of the Wind.  The kids discovered some blowholes and had tons of fun waiting for the tide to come and create big gusts of wind.  We then rode the funicular to the top of Monte Igueldo.  This has to be one of the prettiest views of San Sebastian.  We spent a little time enjoying the little amusement park on the top of the mountain. I think it is a little freaky...kind of reminds of the movie the Goonies (which I love).  We rode a roller coaster (no seat belts, straps or other safety devices) and enjoyed the most  amazing view of the other side of the mountain. Wow!  We spent a little time at the beach before heading out to Gros, the part of San Sebastian on the other side of the river. It has a different vibe ad it was nice to see another part of the city and culture of the city.  A little ice cream was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.  Now we have to pack for Salamanca, Madrid and then home.  

San Sebastian-July 17, 2012

We headed to Getaria today after picking out our San Sebastian soccer jerseys.  Getaria is about 30 kilometers west of San Sebastian.  It is right on the water and  a smaller town with a port and marina.  We enjoyed some pinchos and a hike to the top of Mount San Anton on the "Getaria Mouse" the peninsula the jets out from the marina and port.  More spectacular views!  We headed back to San Sebastian to get ready to meet up with our friends, the Minks.  They were arriving from Paris and we were so excited to see our friends from home.  We had them over to our place for a glass of wine and then headed out for pinchos in the Parte Vieja.  We started at A Fuego Negro, which serves typical tapas is a very unique style-example, gazpacho popsicles.  Not sure if it was a hit, but it was a fun experience.  We ate at a few more places before ending the night with ice cream, the playground and a little beach soccer.  We were all tired and ready for sleep!

San Sebastian-July 16, 2012

We are really enjoying San Sebastian.  The weather has been amazing-much different from our experience here last year. Today we thought we were going to head to Getaria, but we ended up hanging around San Sebastian and going to the beach.  It was crowded, but we found our spot and the boys had a ball.  They could not find room to play soccer, but they enjoyed playing in the water.  A bunch of little ones tried to destroy their sand castle, which was fun for the parents to watch.   Great weather, happy children and a beautiful city.  We ate in and enjoyed cooking at our apartment.  My highlight..."Mom, these vegetables are amazing!"  Pictures show the boys at the beach and Robbie at the mercado. By the way, he is not dirty-just a fake tattoo he put on his neck!