1st July

The sun is shining and the last of the clouds are moving inland as we head into town this morning.  We walked along the boulevard to the bike hire outlet near the mouth of the river and the first thing we notice is the fresh smell - you know that salty, seaweed smell you only get at the ocean.  We spotted 2 men poking about the rocks with probes and not long after one of them had caught an octopus, gutted it, smashed it on the rocks a number of times to tenderize it and had it in the bag.  Just like we’d seen the fishermen do in Greece all those years ago. We cycled to the end of the surf beach and back to the railway station where we got the information about trains to Bordeaux for tomorrow.  In this newer area we found more beautiful bridges and buildings and we are really impressed by the bike lane provision all over town.  From here we followed Paseo de la Concha all the way to the end of the beautiful bay.  There are so many people already out enjoying this gorgeous horseshoe bay and morning sun. There are a number of boats in the harbour but not the huge, pretentious ones we saw along Cote d’Azure in Southern France even though once again we are in a playground of the rich and famous (the Gastronomic Guide points out that there are more Michelin starred restaurants here than anywhere else in Europe).  We passed by La Perla Spa right on the waterfront, built to serve the royal visitors of the early 20^th century, and Miramar Palace on the other side, where the they resided. At the far end found the famous sculpture cemented into the rocks of the point where wild seas often crash right over. Called Comb of the Wind, corrosion by wind and salt water was all part of the original design concept.  We retraced our tracks back to the old port and then followed the path all the way around Monte Urgull which forms the point at the other end of the bay.  This has been a great way to see all the sights of San Sebastian and by the time we return the bikes after 3 hours we are ready to find more comfortable seats and have some lunch.  Most of the shops haven’t opened yet since siesta so we shared a gelato while sitting in the colourful gardens and take the bus home.  I had bathers with me this morning but the wind is just too chilly for me to take a dip in the Bay of Biscay, as much as I wanted to. The motel has a lovely pool so I’ll swim there but right now I’m caught up in the enthralling match between Djokovic and Tsonga in the SFs of Wimbledon on tv. 

Note: Later I did swim some laps and then we ate dinner at the hotel.