Good food and good Surf in San Sebastian!

What can I say about San Sebastian- it’s simply amazing! I loved its diversity, and the beach and old town, with beauty and traditional Spanish cultured mixed into one. The beach is surrounded by stunning green hills which give it a fantastically picturesque backdrop. Then all this is accompanied by great weather – perfect for my surfing class! – Simply AWESOME – I’ve never surfed before, but after San Sebastian I’d recommend anyone to have a go. It’s really GREAT fun!!.

I had an excellent time in San Sebastian. There were incredible local dishes and drinks to try, and markets full of local specialties and Basque goods. I was able to walk to either the beach or the old town center from the school, it was perfect!

One of my favorite things to do in San Sebastian was to walk through the old town center (Parte Vieja), stroll along the cobblestone streets, and take in the gorgeous architecture, littered with cute restaurants, bars, and churches. In fact some of the students I made friends with were taking Spanish cookery classes at the school along with their intensive classes. One day we went out for dinner together in one of the restaurants in the old town and they ended up having a conversation with the chef about the different ingredients he’d used in our yummy stuffed peppers! I was so impressed – next time I come to San Sebastian I will be sure to learn how to cook Spanish style!

I soon realized that the city is famous for its pintxos, (local term for tapas on bread served with a toothpick) as the pintxos in San Sebastian are known to be the best in Spain! There were so many interesting dishes to try; it is hard to choose my favorite. The typical way to enjoy a night out in San Sebastian is to go on a “pintxos crawl” which is to go from restaurant to restaurant, having one or two pintxos along with a small glass of beer or txakoli, which is light sparkling white wine, also a local traditional drink. The bottle is held high up above your head, almost 2 feet into the air, and then poured into your glass by the waiter. It’s quite a site!

We also had an awesome activities program from the school for us students to become familiar with the area/culture of San Sebastian. I made a lot of friends and practiced my Spanish at our international evenings and parties at the school, and went on weekend trips to different sights throughout the area. Studying Spanish in San Sebastian was such an amazing experience; I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be immersed in Spanish culture and the language! It has everything I needed, both the beach and the beautiful old town, and a wonderful authentic Spanish atmosphere! I can’t wait to go back!

Karl (USA)