On our second and last day in San Sebastián in the Basque area of northwest Spain, Steven and I took a bus from our apartment to the city's vibrant port area. During the 1936 coup d'etat that preceded the Spanish Civil War and in the years immediately following it, Ferdinand Franco's regime executed 400 men and women from the city. The Dual sculpture honored and commemorated those citizens.
Palacio Goikoa, in front of the spectacular La Concha Bay, was built in 1893 at the request of Austria's Queen Maria Cristina, who spent her summers in Donostia/San Sebastián.
A minute's walk away, we reached the port and beach area. Across the bay, Monte Igueldo offered a stunning view over the bay and beach.
The Portaletas, a historic stone archway, marked a traditional entry point from the port area into the Old Town.
On the fishing port dock was the Monumento a Aita Mari, a bust and classical stone niche dedicated to the legendary Basque fisherman and sea rescuer José María Zubía, known as Aita Mari, who was born in 1809. He volunteered his deep sea-navigation knowledge to save dozens of lives during dangerous storms in the Bay of Biscay before tragically losing his life at sea.
Further along the quay stood the Basque Maritime Museum, formerly the 18th-century Town Consulate House, built to control port activities. Until the mid-19th century, it was the only building outside the city walls. During the first days of the civil war, in July 1936, quayside inhabitants sought refuge in the solid structure as it offered greater protection. I'm jumping way ahead, but Franco and other generals began the rebellion in Tetouan, Morocco, where I'm writing this post from!
The prominent stone staircase leading up to the main entrance of the historic Aquarium de Donostia-San Sebastián caught our eye, but it was too beautiful a day to stay inside!
We continued strolling along the delightful Paseo Nuevo, or New Promenade, a scenic seaside promenade that connected the port to the area near the mouth of the Urumea River. It was officially inaugurated in 1916 as part of an urban development project to open the city up to the sea and protect the coastline. Unlike the sheltered beaches of La Concha we had seen, Paseo Nuevo faced the open Bay of Biscay.
The historic lighthouse building on Santa Clara Island above and below:
Sculptor Jorge Oteiza chose this site in 2002 for Empty Construction as a gateway to the sea when he was 94, a year before his death.
Those of you who have been following the blog for a bit know how rarely we are tempted to plonk ourselves down on a bench and while away some time to people-watch, and just absorb the surroundings. Normally, we have so many places we want to see that we don't make time to rest. If there was ever a spot for that, this was it, though!
As I mentioned in the first post on San Sebastián, the people, and particularly the women, had a certain elan when it came to their attire. What a joy to watch them stroll on the promenade.
We didn't appreciate it so much then, as we'd only arrived in the Basque Country a few days earlier, but there were an incredible number of dogs.
The paseo led to the Urumea River and the Zurriola Bridge, which connected the city center with the Gros neighborhood and another beach. What an elegant way to discover another part of San Sebastián.
The bridge was well-known for its elegant stone pillars topped with iconic, modernist-style Art Deco obelisks and glowing blue-and-white globe lamps.
Looking back toward the paseo where we'd just walked:
As you already know, Lina, I thought of you when I saw the red carpet outside the Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, because the latter hosted the International Film Festival and you were attending Toronto's International Film Festival at the same time.
I couldn't appreciate why the centre received the prestigious Miles van der Rohe Award for Contemporary Architecture, granted by the European Union in 1999, highlighting the project's "exceptional nature" and its conceptual, aesthetic, technical, and constructive innovation."
Two backs: the centre and someone at the optional topless beach behind it! Steven went topless for the couple of hours we spent there; I did not!
The beach was divided into swimmers on the left and surfers on the right.
Even from a distance, the Kursaal had no appeal for me.
A Basque fisherman outfitted as Superman?!
There was no excuse not to dispose of garbage in the correct and handy containers.
I admired the colorful berets, but they would have looked so affected if either of us tried to wear one back home!
An example of Euskara, the language spoken by many residents in the Basque Country I wrote about previously:
Before bidding adios to San Sebastián, we just had to return to munch on more pintxos, of course!
Steven was able to snag a table for us outside, so we could eat and watch the people go by - a perfect combination!
I liked how small fruit and vegetable stores were readily available throughout the old town, unlike the food deserts we have in most of the US. I popped in for some reasonably priced grapes and clementines.
Atop Monte Urgull, which watched over the old town, San Sebastián even had its own soaring Christ the Redeemer statue, just like its more famous counterpart in Rio de Janeiro! If we had hiked to the top, we'd have seen a memorial to the British soldiers who gave their lives to defend San Sebastián from Napoleon.
Even if we weren't already wowed by what we'd seen and eaten the day before in San Sebastián, our time meandering through the city's prosperous port and along the promenade the length of the bay, and back through the old town, cemented our belief that the city was a find for us!
Posted on November 1st, 2026, from Tetouan in Morocco's formerly Spanish-controlled area. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
How beautiful! What amazing architecture! Safe travels.
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