Travel In Sandals: Day 17 - A Boat Race, Then a Train Ride

I've been extremely lucky on this trip when it comes to being in certain cities at the right time - Notting Hill Carnival in London, Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland - and good luck struck again in San Sebastian. On the first two Sundays of September San Sebastian gets decked out in colorful decorations to celebrate the La Bandera de La Concha rowing regatta, the main trophy of the Cantabrian Sea rowing circuit. It has been taking place for 125 years and is one of Spain's most important sporting competitions. It features teams from all along the Spanish coasts and is aired on national Spanish television. Granted there are probably only a few rowing regattas each season anyway - maybe 5 or 6 - but this one is the most important...I'll take it, just another reason for a bunch of people to get together and celebrate. My train to Barcelona left at 4pm so I had the morning and most of the afternoon to enjoy the race, mingle and enjoy the regatta festivities.

I started with breakfast at Bar Pepe - cafe and a mixto sandwich (ham and cheese), but this time I added an egg...got to switch it up on occasion.

Bar Pepe became one of my favorite spots because it was close to the hotel, had good food, and always had a lively attractive crowd...none of which are captured in this photo.

I hit the beach to enjoy the regatta and it was jammed. Apparently, they take their rowing seriously in Spain.

People lined the colonade - both above and below - to watch the race. There was a men's and women's race, each lasted about 30-40 minutes.

People even went into the water to get a closer look...I swear I was just taking a photo of the water and this nice lady strolled into frame...honest.

There were eight teams of 12 in the race (11 rowers and one coxman) and the course required them to start in the bay about 100 yards off shore, row out to a buoy about a mile out, turn around and come back.

This is a shot of the opposite end of the bay where the race announcers, team staff, etc. were. It was packed all the way along the walls of the bay with people cheering, waving flags, etc...amazing energy.

Once the race ended - the pink team won and I think their name was Kaiku - the festivities really kicked in. There were bands playing music in the streets...

...the booze started to flow...a very common tradition in San Sebastian is to enjoy cider from massive barrels; they pour them from a distance like this so that it creates more oxygen in the cider.

Fish and chicken on the grill.

Finally, once I'd had a few glasses of cider and scarfed down some chicken, it was time to say adios to San Sebastian. I grabbed my bags from the hotel and headed to the train station.

San Sebastian is an impressive and diverse city in numerous ways. First, it receives visitors of all types. I met honeymooners, retired folks, backpackers, surfers, affluent families on vacation, and more. There were Spanish, Germans, English, Australians, even Vietnamese. The architecture spans from old school castles and 16th-century churches to modern theaters and concert halls. But perhaps the area where San Sebastian is the most impressive and diverse is in its cuisine. From salty cod, fried squid and boned venison to sweet cheesecake, garlic mushroom pintxos, and ham and cheese croquettes, San Sebastian’s cuisine is on par with the top culinary cities in the world. Along with offering fresh and seasonal menu items, the chefs in the region are presenting the food in innovative and tasteful ways. And this opinion isn’t just mind; it’s proven by the amount of Michelin stars the city has, 16 total…and counting.