We couldn’t visit Barcelona for a second time and not go to
La Sagrada Familia. Three years ago the
queues were horrendous and the interior not complete but this time round we
arrived early to avoid the queues (not entirely possible, we still waited for
30 minutes) but at least the interior had no scaffolding and at a glance,
seemed complete. Just to see the sheer
enormity of Gaudi’s project close up was worth the wait.
A spot of shopping (Danielle empty handed, Julz, an entire
new outfit) and some tasty tapas made for a well-rounded trip.
San Sebastian-Donosita 30th
August-2nd September 2012
We loved, loved, loved San Sebastian! It rose above all expectations as a hectic
tourist haven for English holiday makers and instead was a beautiful old city
with a lovely, long promenade along a golden sandy beach, two great green
headlands and countless little bars offering ‘pintxos’, the tapas like snacks
for which the region is famous.
Not having perfect beach weather, we took the opportunity to
hire some bikes and explore the area a bit more including one of the
headlands. We were a little too
adventurous, choosing to ride up the hill of said headland rather than take the
funicular-more than one rest break was necessary!
We were also able to spend loads of time wandering the
narrow lanes of the old town, crossing the river to admire the surf beach and
enjoy gelato and explore the other headland and its castle ruins.
Vitoria-Gasteiz 2nd-4th
September, 2012
Quaint, classy and quiet is how one might describe
Vitoria-certainly our time here suited the description, especially arriving on
a Sunday!
We filled our days wandering the medieval town, admiring the restoration of the old city walls and of course, sampling more pintxos and local wines.
This turned out to be a great R & R spot with the
relaxed pace of life in the provincial capital of the Basque country (not to
mention European green capital 2012!)
Bilbao 4th-6th
September, 2012
For the final stop in our Basque country tour we hit the big
one, Bilbao.
Its prized possession, the Guggenheim Museum was at the top
of our list and took up the bulk of our time in Bilbao. The galleries and their contents were
interesting but the structure itself was most impressive!
The obligatory wander of the old town provided some picture
postcard moments as well as some more opportunities for pintxos and the trip up
the funicular to a hilltop location gave us a chance to see just how big the
city is.
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