Miramar Palace

Day 8 of my Globus tour. We started our tour of San Sebastian in Basque Country by visiting the late 19th–century Miramar Palace located on La Concha Bay. It was built in1893, commissioned by the Spanish Royal Family. We did not go inside the palace.

Miramar Palace

The grounds of the palace looked out to La Concha Bay.

Maria Cristina Bridge

Back on our bus, we passed the Maria Cristina Bridge. Maria Cristina was the Queen of Spain between 1885 and 1902. She was married to King Alfonso XII who died while she was pregnant. She assumed the throne until her new son was old enough to rule. There are four giant obelisks on the bridge, copying the idea of the ones on the Alexander III Bridge in Paris.

Maria Cristina Bridge

Now walking over the Maria Cristina Bridge––a pretty view. Our bus had to park in a special bus park, giving us a moderate walk to the bridge. Big buses are not allowed in many historic areas of Spain, so, at times, walks from them can be long. If you arrange day tours on your own, it could be better to reserve small–group tours that use smaller buses or vans and get to park closer to sites.

Maria Cristina Bridge

Close–up of one of the obelisks.

Alderi Eder Park

We walked next to Alderi Eder Park. The building at the rear of the photo is City Hall. The building started out as the Gran Casino in 1897. It became the City Hall in 1949. A Christ statue on Monte Urgull is above the City Hall.

The Bay of Biscay

Photo of a beach we could see from the park. San Sebastian is on the Bay of Biscay and is a resort city.

Fishermen’s Village

A view of where the fishermen live. San Sebastian is a fishing port.

Old Town (Donosti)

We next walked through San Sebastian’s Old Town (Donosti).

Globus Tour Manager

This is a photo of our Globus Tour Manager. He name is Abodi. He is Moroccan but lives in Spain. We could remember his name by thinking: We saw “a body” lying on the street. He was a very good tour manager. I asked him if he knew my tour manager, Rasheed, who I had on my Cosmos Moroccan tour (Cosmos is a division of Globus). He said he was best friends with him, so I asked him to tell Rasheed hello and how much I enjoyed the Moroccan tour.

Basilica de Santa Maria del Coro

We walked past the Basilica de Santa Maria del Coro, built mid–16th century.

Constitution Square

We stopped at Constitution Square (Plaza de la Constitucion). Big events are held here. It previously was where bull fights were held. There are numbers above all the windows on the side buildings, left over from when it was used as a bullring.

I have put my photos of our tour of San Sebastian on a slide show. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/san–sebastian/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, Spain–2, “San Sebastian”).

French Basque Country

This afternoon we had a Globus optional tour to French Basque Country. San Sebastian is only 12 miles (20 km) from the French border. On the photo, Spain is on the right and France is on the left.

French Basque Houses

French Basque houses are distinctive in their facades. We saw many similar houses.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Our first stop in France was at Saint–Jean–de–Luz, a seaside resort and a fishing town. We had to avoid the fishing nets while walking through the parking lot.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Many of the buildings in Saint–Jean–de–Luz were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Town Hall is on the right in this photo.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

I had lunch at this restaurant on a square with many other restaurants. The menu was entirely in French.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

It was delightful to walk around Saint–Jean–de–Luz. It is really a gem. I had to find a pharmacy here to buy something for the blisters that I was getting. I bought a packet that had antibiotic cream and all sizes of pads, but by the time I got home, the blisters were infected. Just another one of my tourist injuries. I didn’t bring along an extra pair of walking shoes as I knew I was going to buy port as gifts in Porto and was worried about the weight. Not a good decision. By the time we reached Barcelona, I was wearing black dress flats with white socks––completely unfashionable. I also needed to buy shampoo and conditioner at the pharmacy as I left the ones I had brought at the last hotel. All the labels were in French and I bought two conditioners and no shampoo by mistake. So many hotels now don’t provide shampoo or conditioner in their hotel rooms that it is wise to bring your own.

Biarritz

Our next stop in French Basque Country was at Biarritz, a very upscale resort on the Bay of Biscay with many mansions. We were told that this one is owned by Putin’s daughter.

Biarritz

Another Biarritz mansion.

Bay of Biscay

A view of the Bay of Biscay in Biarritz.

Hotel du Palais

The Hotel du Palais in Biarritz was built as a palace in 1855 for Empress Eugenie.

Going Back to Spain

After visiting Biarritz. we drove through the French countryside back to San Sebastian.

I have put my photos of French Basque Country on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/french–basque–country/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, France–1, “French Basque Country”).