but first: san sebastián

I’m in flight from Bilbao to Florence, and I have the whole row to myself. Ever since I stepped foot in Europe, it’s been like this: the days littered with all of these small mercies, each one like a subtle nod of assurance from God that maybe I’m on the right path.

Small mercies. In the encouraging hand-written card my best friend (who doesn’t do hand-written cards) slipped into my bag before she dropped me off at the airport. In the supportive words of the nice British guy I met on my food tour, a complete stranger who called me brave and seemed so excited for me. In the drop-dead-gorgeous views of Basque Country that I got to marvel at from the top of Monte Igueldo. In the two days of absolutely perfect weather I had at the beach, my short trip a respite of sunny days in between storms and gray. And of course, in the unbelievably good food I tasted, from the pintxos in Old Town to the tortilla de patatas in Gros.

Sure, there were not-so-perfect parts, too. Jet lag woke me up at 3am each day; La Viña, the cafe where the famously delicious Basque cheesecake was invented, was tragically closed on holiday the one week I was there; I ended my last night of the trip in the fetal position, feeling pukey from all the different things I’d crammed in my stomach that day. Small prices to pay for a pretty wonderful weekend to start things off in Europe.

I chose San Sebastián as first stop because it’s a huge foodie destination — the city has more Michelin Stars per capita than anywhere else in Europe, and is home to hundreds of pintxos bars, where the locals hop around eating bite-sized portion after bite-sized portion of incredible Basque food. But on top of that, it’s also a beachy resort town, super safe, and just plain beautiful. It seemed like the perfect place for a solo vacation, and I kind of fell in love a little bit (with San Sebastián, not myself…although I am a pretty good hang).

first, she pretty

From the beach and the scenic views of the bay, to the charming streets of Old Town, to the gorgeous green mountains that sit at each end of the cove, it really is a beautiful city. San Sebastián is small and walkable enough that I was able to see most of it in two and a half days. I walked through Old Town again and again and again, always in search of something delicious. I explored Centro, where I stayed in a quaint little pensión. I ventured across the city and inland to Antiguo for a delightful seafood lunch. I made it to the top of each mountain at either end of the city, Monte Urgull by foot for some exercise and Monte Igueldo by funicular for some of the most ridiculously beautiful views I’ve ever seen.

also, basque culture is so unique

I was really intrigued to come to Basque Country because it’s a culture that’s uniquely its own. San Sebastián (or Donostia) sits on the coast right near the border of northeast Spain and southwest France. Everything is in two languages: Spanish and Basque, which is one of the oldest languages in the world — an oral one so no one knows how old — and is unlike anything else in Europe. Like most of Europe, though, the way of life is slow and steady. Quiet mornings and espresso at the outdoor cafes, daytime drinks in the square, a lot of doors shut in the afternoon until things really pick up for late dinners, pintxos bar hopping, and socializing into the night. There are also lots of celebrations here, like the one I witnessed to mark the start of summer where a tree was brought into the middle of the plaza to be burned and throngs of people in traditional basque attire danced through the streets.

and then there’s the food…

Wow, wow, wow. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, I just knew it would be good. Good is an understatement. Since San Sebastián is so close to France, there are tons of French-style patisseries around. The coffee is great pretty much anywhere you go. There’s gelato and smoothie bars and açaí bowls. There are obviously all of the Michelin-Star restaurants, with inventive dishes and $300 tasting menus, but also a ton of more low-key local spots with “soles”, which are Spain’s equivalent of the award. But the pintxos are why you come here.

***tortilla de patatas, aka spanish omelet — this was one of the best things i ate here, and maybe anywhere ever.***

Pintxos are to Basque what tapas are to Spain, but if you asked a Basque person they’d say they aren’t the same thing. If you don’t really know what or how to order, it can be overwhelming. Every bar you walk into is flooded with people who order at the counter and either eat up at the bar or take their food to a table or standing area. There are tons of small bites in cases up at the bar, which are pre-prepared pintxos for quick and easy ordering. But don’t make the mistake of assuming those are the only choices — there will be different items written on chalkboards which are usually the specialties of that particular bar, most if not all of them prepared fresh. You need to know what you want to order when someone finally asks you, and I got the vibe that it’s almost frowned upon if you don’t get a glass of wine to accompany the food (I can only do so much wine, so not sure everyone loved me).

I booked a pintxos tour my first full day there, and I’m so glad I did — I probably would have done it all wrong. The way people eat here is basically all of my food dreams come true…I always want just a bite of everything so I can try it all.

And they truly do it all here: whether it’s a regional specialty like Iberian ham, the “gilda” (which was the first pintxo ever created, made up of olives, pickled peppers, and anchovies), fresh seafood, rich meats, or local desserts. It would take days to tell you about everything I ate, so I’ll just leave you with some of the highlights…