The Gastronomic delights of San Sebastian (Does my Arse look big to you?)

Pinxtos



My time here in San Sebastian has been non stop eating. If I´m not eating at my Tia Chiqiu´s house, I´m at a Tapas bar (Pinxtos they´re called here) with my cousin Elena and her friends. And like Pringles, you simply cannot stop at just one!!

Javi, Oikin, Montse, myself and Elena at one of many Pinxtos bars

Life here in Spain revolves around the family, and the food. The Spanish have a wonderful way of living, something that I could all too easily get used too!! I think all the weight that I lost in London with the Subway Diet I have put back on, and then some, in the 2 weeks that I have been here. Yes I am still running and going to the gym, but I´m eating way too much for the workouts to make a difference. I´m getting fat fast!! Thankfully I have a weeks trekking in the Pyrenees ahead of me before I head to Barcelona and Ibiza, it will give me a chance to walk off all this food.

It´s not only the food but the time in which the Spanish eat. You have breakfast in the morning like we do, but lunch is about 2pm, and it´s a sit down affair with the family, and usually involves 3 plates, starting with chorizo and bread, followed by a salad, and then usually meat with pimientos. The dinner isn´t eaten until about 11pm, and again, it´s 3 plates of food!! I´m a sucker for Spainsh food, especially my Aunt´s, so I´ve been eating up big time.

But besides eating I have also been taking in the sights of this beautiful city. Unfortunately I have only had about 3 full days of sunshine, even though it is hot all the time. So for those 3 days I was out baking on the beach!!

Bahia de La Concha

San Sebastian is surrounded by low mountains, the two most famous of which surround the Bahia De La Concha.

Monte Urgull sits above the old town and is topped by a low castle and a statue of Christ, similar I guess to Rio. One afternoon I hiked up there with my cousin Elena and met Natalia, Ricardo and the kids there. The view is amazing!!

The view from Monte Urgull across to Monte Igueldo

Afterwards we took a walk through La Parte Vieja and came across "Las Gigantes", huge paper mache figures that were being carried through the streets as part of a Fisherman´s festival. Accompanying them are "Las Cabezons", who are smaller but have large heads and are carrying inflated pig´s stomach´s (seriously!) that they hit passers by with. The kids scream and run around in front of the procession. That´s what I love about this country, around every corner is something new and exciting. The Spanish have many traditions which they live by and truly enjoy life.

A "Gigante" with a "Cabezon" in front

But the view from the opposite side of the bay atop Monte Igueldo is breathtaking. To get there you have to take this very old tram (furnicular railway) that is at such an incline it makes you dizzy if you look out the side. Once there though, the views are uninterrupted for miles.

Furnicula Railway

The view atop Monte Igueldo looking across to Monte Urgull

I have also been taking in the towns east of here along the Central Basque Coast. Natalia, Ricardo, Nora, Eric and I spent a day in the car, driving along the coast. The highway weaves along the coastline through some of the most quaint fishing villages and gorgeous beaches. We stopped at Orio, Zarautz, Getaria and Zumaia.

Zarautz

Natlia, Nora, Pete and Ricardo at Zumaia

Throughout the week I have been meeting my Uncles and my extended family that I have not seen for about 12 years. Tio Jose Marie and Tia Justi had me over for Comida (lunch) one day and that was followed the next day with lunch with Tio Juan and Tia Juli. My cousins Javi and Oliana were also there. It goes without saying that both lunches were an extended affair with lots of laughter, and catching up to do after so much time. Did I mention that we also ate heaps too??

Tia chiqui, Tio Jose Marie and Tia Justi

Me with Javi, Oliana and Tio Juan

I have also been lucky enough through one of Elena´s friends, Fernando, to have been invited to a ´Sociedad´. A Sociedad is a club where men can gather to cook and drink. Some do not allow women inside at all. This Sociedad did, but in all of them, women are not allowed in the kitchen, that´s purely man´s territory. Members have keys and can go at any time of the day or night. To get in you either must be a member, or be invited. As a tourist there would have been no way that i would have been able to experience this side of Spanish life if it not for my cousin and her friends.

The entrance to La Sociedad

Inside La Sociedad

Morcilla (blood sausage)

Pimientos

We all met at a Pinxtos bar first (of course!) for a beer before the men said good bye to the women and headed off to the Sociedad to start preparations for dinner. It was a feast!! We started with morcilla (blood sausage), followed by salad. That was then followed by Pollo con Patatas (chicken and potatoes) and finished with the most amazing array of pastels. Of course you are drinking continually throughout!! It was an experience like no other. Everyone was so open, friendly, and willing to teach me the traditions that go along with being part of a Sociedad. One such tradition is that after dinner, everyone must sing a song. Of course being the ´Gringo´ I had to go first. So I downed my glass of Vino Tinto, and in front of a club of about 20 sang a rather bad rendition of ´I still call Australia Home´. It was met with thunderous applause. Obviusly they didn´t understand what I was singing and it goes without saying that they were drunk otherwise there would have been cat calls!! Each person around the table then sang a song, and later on we all joined in. I didn´t know many of the Spanish songs but it was great to watch and listen.

Fernando in the kitchen

A Gastronomic feast

I´m thinking that we should start our own Sociedad when I get back to Sydney. What do you think??