The end is nigh as the fat lady prepares to sing

 

Well, this is it. Once again our allotted time is up and we are turning our minds to heading back towards home. We recall the start of this trip way back at the end of April when we arrived in Portugal. The weather was then unexpectedly hot but this did not last as we headed for Porto and a week of constant rain. Now, here in San Sebastian, we arrived in very warm weather but next day it was overcast and this has been the story of our visit here. And the dull weather looks like it will be with us for the remainder of our stay.

 

So a slight change of plans from sun baking/swimming led us to taking a 3 hour hike yesterday over the coastal hills to the rather appealing fishing village of Pasai Donibane where we had a very pleasant meal-fish, of course. A well worthwhile walk, with plenty of up and down climbs but great scenery all along the rugged coast. After that effort there were rumblings within the tour group about taking the walk back so we found a local bus for the 15 minutes trip back home to San Sebastian.

 

 

 

Meanwhile we have also spent a day in Bilbao - a great looking gallery building- not that fussed about the art within. Actually we thought Bilbao was more interesting than expected as we had heard that it was a bit too industrial to be worth spending time there. We did only visit the old town and strolled along the river where quite a bit of redevelopment has been done but all the same we liked this town.

 

Today has been declared a rest day. We expect Yvonne will take a guided walk of the town before exploring the shops around us. Mr will finish off this blog whilst keeping an eye on things, especially on the TV. The formal part of the Spanish elections kick off today and we are not sure where things will head especially on the Left as the two left leaning parties vie for votes. There are train delays planned for the week and, as far as we know, there are problems today, tomorrow and Thursday but not Wednesday when we are planned to take the train across Spain back to Barcelona.

 

 

 

Elsewhere it seems we should all be shocked when once again one born and bred US citizen takes a few guns and kills some fellow US citizens. From the President down they remain in denial and look for reasons beyond the obvious as why they behave as they do. When will they ever learn?

 

And elsewhere again as UK football thugs do what UK football thugs always do when travelling abroad, we remain saddened for France and we are glad we are not there. Unexpectedly, the football thuggery is currently getting a bigger run locally here in Spain than the US events have.

 

 

 

Happily, there is no local coverage on the magnificent Wallabies and Collingwood football teams.

But here on the Iberian peninsula we can reflect on what we have seen and done. Our Portugal update was great and we both enjoyed our separate activities on the Algave and in the North. Morocco was quite hectic and we learned a lot in a very short time about a rapidly growing country emerging from almost medieval times. A fascinating and enjoyable experience.

In Spain we have tried to do it in a different way to what we have done for previous travels. We have slowed down by renting apartments and not using hotels and we have added time aiming to deepen the day to day experience. For us, this has worked very well and we might do more trips this way in the future as we slow down further. Although we can never be locals we have enjoyed doing as they do. Our walk yesterday was shared with lots of locals out for a Sunday family walk as well as pilgrims heading for Santiago.

 

 

San Sebastian is a fine Victorian era beach city with a blend of youngsters doing what young people do. On our last brief visit here in 2004, we were amazed by the pintxos and the old town area. Older and fussier now, we are more interested in a good fish restaurant and some unexpectedly good local wines. Tough life for some, we know but someone has to do it.

Barcelona was a definite highlight and as a new place for us, a city of immense interest. Somewhat intriguing for Yvonne, our tour guide planned to train back across Spain to fly out of Barcelona rather than flying out from this side of the country. The argument is that this is more about the journey not the destination and I look forward to the 6 hours on the train Wednesday.

Then a last night in Barcelona will see us finished. Time to go home and make plans for the next trip.

Might even cast a vote ourselves too in due course. Not that a vote in a Canberra electorate counts for anything given how far left the town leans.