Bill in Spain - SAN SEBASTIAN / DONOSTIA

San Sebastian is located just miles from the border of France. The coastline is remarkably scenic, with Mount Igeldo and Mount Urgull framing La Concha Bay and tiny Santa Clara Island. From west to east, the three major beaches are Ondarreta, the sweeping crescent of La Concha, and Zurriola. The first two beaches are packed with sun worshippers in the summertime; Zurriola is popular with surfers.

San Sebastian has been ravaged with catastrophic fires over the years (the last one occurring in 1813), but the town continues to charm visitors. In a circuitous way, Queen Maria Cristina of Spain launched a golden age for San Sebastian because of her health issues. Her doctor advised the queen to soak in the waters of La Concha Bay. The Palacio de Miramar, with an English Tudor design, separates the Ondarreta and La Concha beaches in order to gain its own foothold of the shoreline. This palace became the queen's summer retreat in 1889, as she regularly took soothing soaks in the royal baths at the nearby Perla del Oceano. The Spanish aristocrats soon followed the queen's lead, and San Sebastian became a haven for the rich and famous.

Quick Tips:

A series of annual events continue to enhance San Sebastian's ritzy reputation. There is a Jazz Festival in July, the Quincena Musical Festival in August (including opera and ballet as well as symphony and choral performances), the International Film Festival (rivaling the one in Cannes in stature), and the Fantasy and Horror Film Festival in November. There are various sporting events and tournaments including rowing regattas, golf, tennis and cesta punta (otherwise known as jai alai) matches.

San Sebastian is renowned as a town where everyone eats and drinks well. There are "gourmet clubs" (typically all-male fraternities) where hearty meals are washed down with locally produced cider and wine. On a less formal note, you can party with "pintxos" (the Basque term for tapas) at any of the numerous cozy bars around town. The pintxos, such as chorizo sausage or torta espanola accompanied by crunchy bread, are typical but tasty treats.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is a public bus network, but I found that walking on the continuous paths alongside the beaches to be very satisfying. Even though you do not cross any car traffic along the shoreline, you must contend with the cyclists and families with strollers. Of course, you can choose to sift your way through the fine sandy beaches themselves.

There is frequent and comfortable bus service between Bilbao and San Sebastian. The cities are only about an hour apart along the rugged coastline of the Basque country in northern Spain. The central bus station is about a mile south of the Parte Vieja (old town). To reach the northern seashore, you can walk along the Urumea River or stroll past the neo-gothic Cathedral de Buen Pastor through the "zona romantica".

The Hotel Maria Cristina (now part of the Westin "Luxury Collection" hotel group) is still the grandest of the older "belle epoque" hotels in San Sebastian. Opened in 1912, the hotel was named after Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, whose regal portrait hangs in its grand lobby.

The hotel has 136 guest rooms and 5 floors of splendor fit for visiting royalty and dignitaries. The sizeable hotel certainly seems larger and grander than one that has 136 rooms. The hotel, not far from LaConcha Beach, is surrounded by colorful gardens. In keeping with the grandiose style of those times, lavish materials like marble, onyx, gold leaf and mahogany are employed throughout the hotel.

The lobby bar has the air of a sophisticated, clubby retreat, perhaps a bit stuffy for some. The luxurious rooms on high floors have various splendid views, depending on which side you are facing. The staff was quite helpful when I had questions to be answered. Get a hard candy and some brochures from the front desk.

Mount Urgull, the eastern exclamation point of La Concha, is now a lovely public park. This is the site of an old fortress (Castillo de Santa Cruz de la Mota), of which there are some interesting remnants to walk about. Several winding paths lead you past woody areas and monuments, and a few stray cats. There are plenty of multilingual signboards that provide historic capsule summaries of the relics such as a chapel, a cemetery, and ramparts with cannons. You can get some fine views of the Parte Vieja (old town) cityscape below, the beautiful string of beaches, the tiny Santa Clara Island, and finally Mount Igeldo. The summit of Mount Urgull is marked by a giant figure of Jesus Christ.

Take a pleasant walk along the Paseo Nuevo, which rings the base of Mount Urgull. This promenade is popular with the local joggers. There are plenty of interesting activities and buildings to be found along the way, including an aquarium and oceanographic museum, naval museum, and boats to Isla Santa Clara during the warmer months. Nearby are the City Hall (which was previously a casino), the Club Nautico yacht club, and the Museo de San Telmo, a collection of Basque works housed in the cloister of a 16th century monastery.

The architect Rafael Moneo has created the newest landmark in San Sebastian, the Kursaal Auditorium and Congress Center (or Centro Kursaal for short) alongside the Zurriola Beach and the Cantabrian Sea at the mouth of the Urumea River. Completed in 1999, the Kursaal is the new home for conventions as well as concert acts such as Van Morrison. The bold minimalistic design consists of two "cubes" with translucent glass walls. Moneo has stated that he wanted the two elements of the Kursaal to remind one of the rocks along the shoreline. In the daytime the dull hue of the buildings helps them to blend in with its natural landscape. However, when the cubes are illuminated from within at nighttime, they emit a glorious glow that can be seen for miles, mimicking two gigantic night lights.

If you are not attending a conference or performance, there is a daily tour of the Kursaal scheduled in the early afternoon. There are 2 main auditoriums, various spaces for exhibitions and meetings, offices, restaurants, and an underground parking garage. The lights are not turned on until about dusk, so make sure to plan for enough time in town if you are hitting San Sebastian as a day trip from Bilbao or southern France. It is an experience to hear and watch the occasionally rough seas pound the rocks along the shore as the golden glow of the Kursaal looms large over the area.

Eduardo Chillida is probably the most notable modern artist from San Sebastian/Donostia. Although he is also a painter, Chillida is best recognized for his monumental steel sculptures (some of which are displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in nearby Bilbao). His dramatic steel ensemble of 1976, "El Peine de los Vientos" (which translates to "Comb of the Winds"), consists of several curved spiky pieces embedded into the rocky shoreline and exposed to the rugged elements.

To reach these sculptures, you walk along the Ondarreta Beach, past the tennis club and funicular entrance until you reach a stepped stone plaza. The evocative sculptural group is located here at Punta Torrepea. It was fascinating to watch a local fisherman reeling in his fresh catch of the day while he was stationed near the Chillida sculptural group.

Towering over this area by the shoreline is Mount Igeldo, whose summit can be reached by a funicular railway or by an extensive hike. Besides the spectacular views from the top, families can have a lot of fun at the amusement park.

Note: Eduardo Chillida died in August 2002.