Beach Vacation ~ lykksalighet

I guess it's beach week on Lykksalight this week!

I've never actually been on a proper beach vacation. No trips to Mexico, Hawaii, or other tropical vacation destinations, but now that we're getting older, and have a child, a beach vacation sounds more and more appealing. The closest we've come to a beach vacation is our trip to San Sebastian.

A couple of weeks ago I reminisced about our trip to the Dordogne. For the second half of that trip we went to Basque country and visited San Sebastian and Bilbao. Both were wonderful stops, and I definitely dream of going back to San Sebastian.

San Sebastian is kind of the perfect tourist destination, a beautiful beach to relax on, a charming old town to explore, and food, food, food to eat!

First up the beach! The main beach at San Sebastian, La Playa de la Concha, is in the heart of town, stretching in a half-moon shape around the bay. Fine sand and calm water make it a great spot to spend the day. We walked the entire stretch of the beach, lounged in the hot Spanish sun, and swam in the cool water.

San Sebastian also has a really pretty old town to explore, especially if you're hungry because it is full of tapas bars! Tapas (or pintxos in Basque) are a specialty of the region and you can make a fun and delicious night of going from bar to bar and trying amazing bites of food at each stop. San Sebastian also has many high-end restaurants, which do not disappoint. The highlight of the trip was our meal at Bodegon Alejandro - amazing Basque cuisine and my husband had to-die-for cheese ice cream for dessert! If we ever go back I would love to try Arzak.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, churros dipped in thick hot chocolate are also a must while visiting, with Santa Lucia in the old town being the place to try them.

We also took a day trip down from San Sebastian to Bilbao. We explored the old town, but the main reason for our visit was to see the Guggenheim Museum. The architecture of the museum was definitely worth the trip, and, I thought, more interesting than most of the art. I did like Jeff Koon's Puppy, and the Richard Serra maze. I also remember a fog sculpture, that was just fog? I didn't really get it.