CARINENA TO GETARIA

Before we left Carinena on Sunday morning we had our second breakfast in the hotel bar.  At one point I counted 19 men lined up at the bar to get their first drink of the week.  I don't know if any of them were then heading off to Mass, but if they were I suspect the smell would be of more than communion wine.

WHERE IS OUR HOTEL?   After a very smooth drive across the plains from Carinena we drove through the  mountains to the seaside town of Getaria.  However, for the first time in years a GPS failed us and took us to the worng address  (apparently there are two Prudentzia regions in Getaria).  We drove around for a long time asking the occasional English-speaking  person for directions, but nobody seemed to have heard of this tiny inn.   We might have given up and found another hotel but we had pre-paid for three nights.   Eventually we came across a sign and found a one-lane road up the mountain.  In the end it was worth it as our room has a spectacular view of the Bay of Biscay.

Before dinner we drove along the coast and were surprised to see scores of people standing on the cliffside staring at the water.  Below the cliffs  there was huge surf and many surfers somehow managing not to drown or to be hurled against the rocks.

Getaria is famous for its fish and we went to a dockside restaurant for our third night in a row of fresh seafood.  I had forgotten that Spanish menus are to be taken literally and that if you order a fish you get a fish (no rice, no potatoes, no vegetables).  For the past two nights I have eaten fish soup, whole fish and bread.  Despite my reputation as a vegetable hater I am becoming a bit nostalgic for a bean or a carrot.

We did get a chance last night to try Txakoli, the semi-sparkling wine produced only in Basque.  Athough it was fine we are not ready to give up Cava or Prosecco.  After drinking the Txakoli and eating the delicious fish we thoroughly enjoyed a cheese plate along with a bottle of Rioja.

SAN SEBASTIAN:  Despite a day of light rain we drove to the most famous of Basque cities and to our surprise found street parking near the old city.  This is a walking city and Betty made a valiant effort. 

San Sebastian is known for its pintxos bars.  Pintxos are the Basque equivalent of tapas.  We had a great lunch including the best optopus I have ever had.  Our impression of Txakoli improved from the night before, perhaps because our glasses were filled from great heights (meaning the bottle is held high in the air when the wine is poured) which supposedly adds effervesence.