6/19/17: San Sebastian Day 2

The sea, the river, and an American dinner. Today was a bit of a slower day for us. We began with breakfast at the same place as yesterday because we not only liked it, but we found it easy to order and pay. Plus, we were able to sit outside in a shaded space. I don'd think we've mentioned this, but many people in Spain smoke, much more than in the US (at least publicly). One must be careful when choosing outdoor seats! After breakfast we stopped at a used book store and found the English language section. 

 

As we checked out of the hostel, the desk manager chatted us up and gave a recommendation to see a little town outside of Lisbon called Sintra. This wasn't the first such recommendation, so we plan to make a day trip there.

Some of the morning was spent by the sea. There are two beaches at San Sebastian and we stayed near the surfer beach. The temperature climbed into the 90s today, so we didn't spend too much time in the sun. Next we sat by the river and read. It was very relaxing!

For lunch we found a neat vegetarian restaurant that seemed to be frequented only by locals. Fortunately we have seen enough Euskara to be able to find such things as the bathrooms. This dialect looks neither like any of the Spanish we have seen so far nor any of the languages we know how to speak or read. Here is an example of two phrases in Euskara and Spanish on the bus. Note the major differences!

 

After lunch we took a bus back to Bilbao and found a laundromat.  The facility didn't have a coin changing machine so we bought a very cheap water at a nearby market with a 50€ bill. The cashier was very understanding. "We need change for the laundromat" isn't one of the first phrases you learn in Basque, and there is no washing machine to point at in the produce section.

After laundry, the air had cooled considerably and the wind was turning the leaves, so we chose to go to our hotel by the airport instead of having dinner in town. The thunderstorm that rolled in was weak, but we were glad to be out of the weather. As this was the first hotel of our trip and it was American, the amenities were very different than what we have been used to (with some european touches). That nightclub in the photo is actually our bathroom. 

 

The restaurant next to the hotel was not American style but it certainly had its influences on both price and portion size (definitely not pintxas)! We had an early night because our airport shuttle left at five fifteen the next morning. This wasn't an exciting day for photos but it was a welcome day of slower pace. 

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