basque country

Compared with the madness of Pamplona, San Sebastian was a breath of fresh air, literally. We had wanted to visit ever since we read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises together, and it was more beautiful--and more sophisticated-- than we had imagined it. We went straightaway after the running of the bulls and caught a late breakfast at a perfect little bakery across the street from San Sebastian's striking gothic cathedral. There was great shopping to be had--Violet traded her Pamplona whites for a colorful number from the Spanish brand Desigual--and we dipped our toes in the ocean and rode the carousel. It was heaven.

An hour away were distractions of another sort. Back when I was working in art, there was a lot of talk about the Guggenheim Bilbao, most of in the vein of Amazing building. Why would they have put it in that dumpy, industrial town. What a difference a decade and a half makes. The museum was funded by the city of Bilbao in the hopes that it would revitalize a derelict waterfront and draw culture to a place with plenty of money but not enough taste. The gamble seems to have paid off. Glossy pinxto bars and high-end designer shops have cropped up in the neighborhoods surrounding the museum. The town itself feels charmingly Alpine, set as it is amongst green hills and skies given to rain. We took in the collection, then strolled about the center of town, stopping to try some pinxtos, the artfully assembled open-faced sandwiches that anchor the culinary scene in this part of Spain.

A quick note about lodging: For stays of a week or more we usually rent a house or apartment, but for short periods when we are in Spain we love Paradors--old castles and other historical structures that have been converted by the Spanish government into beautiful hotels with modern amenities. We spent three nights at one that was equidistance from Pamplona, San Sebastian, and Bilbao. It hosted Napoleon's army when they were conquering nearby Victoria. I doubt they were a comfortable as we were.