3rd October – Elegant Tours
So glad I booked Standard Premier, which comes with a cold meal of pasta and quiche with juice. Thenby coffee and cake in a relaxed atmosphere – really got my trip off to a great start. As last year changed at Lille Europe – this gaunt brutalist building does not improve with age! I could say the same of the TGV rolling stock for this cross country route, tired, garbled tannoy announcements. There’s no route display in the carriages making it tricky for occasional traveller to know exactly where they are. No train ticket inspection, just a desk at the platform entrance which I suppose saves staff. To give them credit both SNCF and Eurostar were bang on time
It’s such a shame that we can’t emulate the high speed network in France. If nothing else for the economic benefits it brings. To try to strip down HS2 for short term savings displays a lack of vision beyond the next election. We’re losing credibility and rely on Victorian infrastructure.
My first night was in Tours, an elegant and clean town. There is wonderful 19th century architecture of the Town Hall and train station. Tours has tree lined boulevards with fountains playing, it really feels very safe even at night. I’m in my element as my hotel room overlooks over the railway station approach.
4th October – Upmarket seaside resort – San Sebastian
Took almost 5 hours and 4 trains to reach San Sebastián. The final train from Hendaye on the border is more of a tram, a service run by the Basque government. Known as Euskotrein it runs through some pretty hilly country.
So you arrive in this standard looking European town and find you’ve paid almost London prices for very modest accommodation. The owner of Pension Regil has highlighted the best places to see and Bars to get pintxo, the local tapas.
Then I can see why it is so special. A wonderful sandy bay with a broad promenade then with hills on either side. It makes a wonderful backdrop to the setting sun. The Pension is 5 minutes walk from this bay and beyond it the old town. The owner recommended the Bar Gandarias. I ordered up 3 pintxo and a beer followed by 2 more pintxo and a Spanish omelette. It was delicious eating standing up with locals and many foreign visitors then finished off with a limoncello ice cream.
5th October – Exploring San Sabastian
Had a very modest breakfast at nearby cafe Tacoma. It was just orange juice, coffee and a croissant, but it did the job!
My assignment today was to go to the RENFE station for the missing parts of my journey to/from Oporto. There is some serious construction work at the station, so my route took longer than Google indicated. Then a half hour queue to get the reservations but they don’t do Portugal!.
Then set off to climb Monte Orgull. It was more strenuous than I thought as the day was heating up nicely. But the view from the top more than made up. I rewarded myself with a brochette and salad and a limoncello which surprised the waitress at the cafe..
Back to the Pension for siesta and reading. Going to Bilbao tomorrow is trickier than I thought as there is engineering work,. I will probably take the bus in half the time.
Back to the old city to Bar Sport for more tapas or pintxo and a beer. The Gandarias was better yesterday.
Stopped for the latest ice cream craze – chocolate dunked fruit ice lollies with chopped nuts. I chose the mango and plain chocolate whichwas delicious.
6th October – Guggenheim, Bilbao
Visiting the Guggenheim in Bilbao today. The bridge on the train line is being repaired, taking the replacement bus takes an extra hour. So I book the direct Alsa bus after 20 minutes wait at the San Sebastian bus terminal. It only takes 1 hour 20 minutes, but feel packed in like sardines. At Bilbao you arrive In a subterranean bus station. then a 20 minute walk to the Guggenheim. My appreciation of modern art has not improved over the years, but the building is quite striking. However, a few of the outdoor installations such as Jeff Koon’s dog are interesting.
After a lunch of pintxo (again!) I set off for Moticko station in the midday heat. This gave me 40 minutes for a Google route taking 17 minutes. I eventually realised it changes levels 3 times and with 5 minutes to spare I asked some locals. It’s up there, a few minutes she said. The train was about to leave but the staff would let me on without a ticket. So I had an hour to wait in the coolest (I mean temperature) station so that was no hardship. I carried on reading ‘Trains and Lovers’ by Alexander McCall Smith. He has some extraordinary observations on the effect that love has on people. Also what drives them to make lifelong commitments.
The train travelled briskly with frequent stops inland at small towns and villages. The only coastal town appeared to be Zumaia. Then the bus took us to Amara station, San Sebastián. The overall journey time was 2.5 hours a much more pleasant journey than the bus for less the 7 Euros! I dozed off on the train and bus and felt much better now the heat had abated. I returned to the Bar Gandarias and enjoyed 3 x pintxo, a Spanish omelette and a beer for 12 Euros. This I finished off with a Pistachio ice cream.
Had a last look around the seafront promenade, everybody was enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. Someone had written a love message in he sandhad alongside artistic patterns.. Is it a commercial enterprise as it looked professional and I’d seen a similar one on Wednesday evening.?
