We woke up bright and early to board the bus at 9:30. We decided to meet at a plaza at 8:45-9:00 so that we could walk to the bus station together and buy our tickets. The bus was very nice (it wasn't a school bus), but we were surprised how full it was. I fell asleep for most of the ride which made the time pass faster. The bus made a few stops before arriving in San Sebastián at 12:30. We were pretty hungry, so we stopped for a quick lunch at a cafe located close to the bus station. After that, we were on our way to tour the city!
Our first goal was to walk to the tourism office so that we could get a map. On the way, we walked through an adorable downtown seeing many cute stores, impressive cathedrals, and cool architecture. Once we got the map, we just started walking to the sites that the map recommended.
After walking around, we hit the beach for a while. Most of us accidentally fell asleep, so we ended up spending more time at the beach than we would have liked. Oops!
Around 6:00, we walked around the downtown area to find a restaurant. Unfortunately, Spanish bars/restaurants do not serve actual meals until 9:00pm (crazy!), so we ended up eating tapas. This was my first experience eating authentic Spanish tapas! The bar counter of the restaurant was completely covered in tapas. The waiter gave you a plate, and you could choose whatever tapas you wanted and how many you wanted. When you were done, you just told the man how many you ate and then paid. I got three tapas. My favorite was one with a piece of bread topped with bacalao (cod fish), a sauce, fried onions, and possibly a potato. It was amazing! I also got one with mushrooms and a tortilla española that had fish in it.
Once we were done, we started to walk back to the bus station and hit some shops along the way. Our bus left promptly at 9:10pm, and we arrived back in Santander around 11:50pm. I had such a great time exploring a new city in Spain!
My biggest regret in taking this trip was not researching a little about the city before visiting it. Although everything was amazing to see, I felt that my trip would have been enhanced by learning some information about the cathedrals or other buildings we were seeing. Well, now I'll know for next time!
Our first goal was to walk to the tourism office so that we could get a map. On the way, we walked through an adorable downtown seeing many cute stores, impressive cathedrals, and cool architecture. Once we got the map, we just started walking to the sites that the map recommended.
On our way to downtown San Sebastián.
I love the beautiful apartments and how you can see the cathedral through the middle of the street.
Front view of the Catedral Buen Pastor
Side view of the Catedral Buen Pastor
Iglesia San Vicente
Iglesia Santa María
Another view down the apartments. These streets are pedestrian only, so no cars can pass through. There are usually shops or restaurants on street-level and then apartments above.
The Aquarium
An awesome tunnel where you can walk through the tank, and fish, turtles, and sharks swim all around you.
Playa de la Concha
Plaza de la Constitución
Another view of Plaza de la Constitución. It's basically an open area filled with lots of restaurants and people.
El Ayuntamiento. These consist of the city hall building (above) as well as the surrounding plaza. Many cities, including Santander, have their own Ayuntamiento. It may be hard to see, but the blue sign on the building says "2016." Apparently San Sebastián is one of the cities nominated to be the cultural capital of Europe in 2016.
The beautiful gardens found in el Ayuntamiento
Around 6:00, we walked around the downtown area to find a restaurant. Unfortunately, Spanish bars/restaurants do not serve actual meals until 9:00pm (crazy!), so we ended up eating tapas. This was my first experience eating authentic Spanish tapas! The bar counter of the restaurant was completely covered in tapas. The waiter gave you a plate, and you could choose whatever tapas you wanted and how many you wanted. When you were done, you just told the man how many you ate and then paid. I got three tapas. My favorite was one with a piece of bread topped with bacalao (cod fish), a sauce, fried onions, and possibly a potato. It was amazing! I also got one with mushrooms and a tortilla española that had fish in it.
Once we were done, we started to walk back to the bus station and hit some shops along the way. Our bus left promptly at 9:10pm, and we arrived back in Santander around 11:50pm. I had such a great time exploring a new city in Spain!
My biggest regret in taking this trip was not researching a little about the city before visiting it. Although everything was amazing to see, I felt that my trip would have been enhanced by learning some information about the cathedrals or other buildings we were seeing. Well, now I'll know for next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment