San Sebastián 2 – Two palaces

I woke early so I wrote a couple of postcards to pass time until breakfast. Skies were cloudy and drippy. Breakfast in the comedor was bountiful. The owner kept pouring coffee for me but I really wanted more milk. Going to be a bouncy day.

At the BBVA (Bank of Bilbao Vizcaya) I cashed some travellers cheques. This late in the trip meant that I would have to spend more of it to not end up holding too many pesetas on exit. I noted that most banks, but especially Banco Central, had thick iron bars on windows and doors against attack. But not BBVA, a Basque bank. At the train station I bought a sleeper ticket to Madrid for the following night. I was asked if I wanted to pay con metalico. I guessed that this meant paying in cash, as opposed to, of course, con plastico.

I caught a bus to Palacio Aiete, which was the summer residence of Isabel II and her retinue. You might wonder why in those days Spaniards would head north for summer, given that nowadays people head for the beach in summer, viz the Mediterranean coast. The reason is of course the searing heat of inland Spain during summer made them head for cooler climes.

I met an English mother and son in the gardens. He was teaching at the university and she was on a short visit. They were feeding the ducks and geese at a pond. One duckling tried to make a dash for freedom but was rounded up by the mother. There was a statue of a begging dog. I didn't know whether it was a likeness of Isabel II's dog.

There were peaceful forest paths with birdsong. I thought of the Debussy piece Jardins Sous La Pluie.

Still, here in the winter it rains a lot and the mercury drops to single digits Celsius. I imagine there would also be mist and wind from the Bay of Biscay so there are drawbacks to San Sebastián.

I walked down to Palacio de Miramar. As the name suggests, this has a view of the sea and is in fact a bayside hotel. There was some kind of orthodontic conference going on, thus the well dressed people. The esplanade was being restored partly with funding from BBVA.

The water was calm and clear green, but as it was only 20C, overcast and humid, only a few hardy souls were in the water. Most of the visitors were strolling at the water's edge.

I would have liked to sit and relax, but due to the recent rain there were no dry benches.

The island in the middle of the bay is Santa Clara Island.

I wouldn't be surprised if these houses have million dollar views.

A recent photo on the web shows that this clock and barometer are fortunately still there, although the waterfront area has acquired more apartment blocks since my visit. It was too good to last.

To be continued after lunch.