Walk on the Beach and a Marvellous Meal

We woke up on Wednesday March 25 to sun!!!  It was the first sun we had seen in San Sebastian since we arrived on March 20.  We decided to walk on the boardwalk around Playa de la Concha (the wonderful beach shaped like a conch shell).  We wanted to visit a series of sculptures by Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida located at the end of the crescent-shaped beach.

Sun lights up the beautiful trees and buildings

Playa de la Concha (crescent shaped beach)

Looking back to town

We had been told that there was a group of older men and women that swam everyday.  We saw two brave souls out in the water.

Brave or crazy?

Not sure what he was writing

Alano with Santa Clara Island in the distance

Maria Cristina of Austria 

We got to our destination after about a 40 minute walk.  There are three sculptures embedded in the rocks by Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002) located on a public space created by the architect Pena Ganchegui (1926-2009).  The sculptures are called Peine del viento  (the Wind Comb) and they date back to 1977.  The idea was that the wind could be "combed through the sculptures as it entered the city".  They are very striking pieces in a magnificent setting.

The first piece

The second piece

The third piece- farthest away

View of all three pieces

In front of the second piece

As we headed back to town, the sky darkened and it rained until we were almost back.  It then cleared and, thank goodness, stayed clear for the rest of the day.

In front of the Bay of Biscay-- just before it poured

Merry-go round in front of City Hall- the sun had come out again

We then headed for lunch at Ni Neu, the restaurant in the Kursaal Congress Centre.  We had made a reservation there a few days ago.  It is not open yet in the evenings, so lunch was the only option.  Ni Neu means "me myself" in the Basque language. The chef is Mikel Gallo.  The concept is called "bistronomico" which means affordable, yet innovative food.  The prix fixe meal had a choice of a starter, main course and a dessert and included bread, mineral water and a bottle of wine.  The food was amazing!

The restaurant is in the front of the Congress Centre

Inside of restaurant

The food was very innovative and the portions generous.  It was a fabulous meal.  We thought the prix fixe menu came with a glass of wine--- its turns out it comes with a bottle of a very nice Rioja. The names of the dishes in the captions are from the English menu.

Rice with pan-roasted squid

Seasonal vegetables with idiazabal (a type of sheep cheese) jus

Coated crispy cod, onion cream and fresh prawn flavoured sand

Hake fillet with a rich mollusk jus and a hint of coriander

Our wine

The desserts were incredible.  Alano had "milk bubbles with pistachio sponge cake and coffee jus" and I had "caramelized sheep's milk mousse with smoked apple".

Milk bubbles came in a large bowl

Sheep's milk mousse

Alano with the milk bubbles

Our coffees came with a box that contained 12 little treats- marshmallows, mini brownies and  pistachio cookies.

Extra dessert with coffee

After our amazing lunch we wandered a bit more and stopped in a small clothing store called "Bikandi."  I bought a pair of shoes on sale and we had a long chat with the woman working there.  She spoke excellent English and had travelled widely.  She was back in her home town for a few months and helping a friend who owned the store.  She was an anthropologist and a photographer.  We had a very interesting discussion about life in Spain.

Stylin' in San Sebastian

There was a lovely sunset on the way back to the Pension.

Tamarind trees

We finally got a chance to peak into the Cathedral Buen Pastor in the Plaza where our Pension is located.  The neo-gothic Cathedral is known for its beautiful stained glass windows.  

Cathedral Buen Pastor at sunset

Stained glass window

Another set of windows

Our Pension is on the second floor of this building in the Plaza with the Cathedral

We got back to the Pension and packed for our train ride to Barcelona on Thursday March 26.  We were both full from lunch and just snacked on some provisions we had in the fridge.  We are so glad that we had a day with sun so that we could really enjoy the beauty of San Sebastian.