Northern Spain
Commons Family Trip
Northern Spain, September 10th - 18th September 2022
Our flight to Bilbao with Vueling left Gatwick at 0830 so it was a very early start to ensure we had no issues at either end. Lew, Alice & I met Averill, Paul, Eddie & Anita at Blackfriars station where the train left from. We checked our bags and had no issues getting through security other than Averill’s teapot needing to be examined which was a pottery item she has purchased from a clever friend based in London and was a bit of a pain to unwrap. We got some much needed breakfast after such an early start and Lew & I encouraged them to get lunch from Pret as well so it was smooth sailing when we arrived into Bilbao and we could get on the road to San Sebastián. Our flight was on time and took about 2 hours to get to Bilbao. We picked up our 7 seater mum van which was going to ship us all around northern Spain, it was going to be a tight squeeze. Lew was in charge of driving with Paul navigating in the front seat. We had to deconstruct some bags and put packing cells in every crevasse of the car to get it all in and mostly everyone had a backpack on their knee and a packing cell or bag between their legs. Eddie was also a little distressed as he lost his Pret wrap somewhere between Gatwick and Bilbao and no one could locate it. Spoiler alert he found it squished like a pancake in the laptop pocket at the back of his bag when unpacking in San Sebastián. We thankfully got everyone safely alas slightly uncomfortably to San Sebastián and then parking our giant mum van in a very busy underground car park in 30 degree heat was the next challenge. Lew was doing all our driving and managed to park within the smallest, darkest park we were to see along our travels. The Airbnb we had in San Sebastián was a huge 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment with views of the sea and the large library across the park. It was stunning and a very short walk to La Concha the main beach. We quickly got out to grab some groceries so we could cook dinner tonight and have a much needed snack before heading down for a swim. It was Saturday so the beach was incredibly crowded but we were surprised at how clean it was and the sand golden and soft. It was easily one of the nicest beaches in Europe we had been to and far exceeded our expectations.
San Sebastian, Sunday 11th September
Now this is the perfect place for a romantic retreat, a family holiday or a basically anything. We loved it and finally we could see why people came here! I wanted to put together some of the things we did here over our 3 nights and 3 days.
Beaches
You have three options here right within San Sebastián that are easily accessible by walking especially if your staying in town.
There is La Concha - which has been voted the best beach in a town in all of Europe. It’s the biggest main beach of the city with deck chairs and sun lounges available for hire if you want them. The water and beach is very clean as with all the other beaches around t
he city. There’s a lot of no smoking signs along the beaches so you don’t find yourself in amongst cloud of smoke nor lying next to cigarette butts which we find very common on European beaches. The other beaches in town are Zurriola far more people were surfing at and was a little smaller. The area of Gros is right behind it which was where we often came for dinner as theres loads of nice restaurants here. Ondarreta is the other beach down the far end of La Concha and closer to the funicular at the other end of the beach. Ondarreta was much quieter but honestly you can’t go too wrong as they are all in walking distance
Food places
We tried to find a mixture of vegan and non vegan food. Ultimately because of this I don’t think Lew & I truly felt we tried and enjoyed the local food in San Sebastian which was called pintxo- a form of tapas that the area of Basque country is known for.
Some of the places we did go to were Tedone Jatetxea which was an organic restaurant in Gros that was in a small side street in a residential area that served a mixture of vegan and fish options. The waiters were fantastic and the food was super tasty! I highly recommend the Bulgar wheat salad. Not to mention they had wonderful desserts and the portions of food were massive for the price.
Fresh Green - this was also in Gros at the end of Zurriola beach. It had beach views and served vegetarian and vegan food. It was also pretty well priced and they served a great selection of food. We had burgers, tacoes and salads here and all really enjoyed them. They also serve food throughout the day so you can come for a snack and a drink.
We had lots of places on our list we didn’t managed to get to because they were closed on a Sunday/Monday such as KM.0, Mapa Verde, Green Meat and Enxalao.
Funicular
This leaves from the far side of the beach area of Ondarreta and does have a pretty view over the town but that’s it. There is a theme park up there that clearly hasn’t been used in a long time and ultimately we didn’t think it was worth of money to go up. On another note public transport in Spain you must wear a mask still (check local guidelines now as this was September 2022) which is a foreign thing for us Londoners these days! But remember to pack some of your planning on doing some adventures.
Motako gaztelua & Ingelesen hilerria
This is a the hill with the giant statue on it close to the old town. Now this is worth walking around and has gorgeous views back over all of the beaches and the port. There’s even a little cafe up here to sit & admire the views over the city of San Sebastian.
Old Town
Always a must in every city. Just get lost in the streets of old buildings and cobblestone streets. It was easily the cleanest old town we had been in and this is usually the place everyone comes to eat at night time. The Spanish typically eat late at night and shops close throughout the day so always make sure you check before you visit.
Oviedo, Llanes & Covadonga, 13th - 15th September
Today we left San Sebastián and continued onto our next stop Oviedo which was about 3 hours away. Along the way to break up the drive we stopped off at a place famous for its role in Game of Thrones (which none of us had even seen). It’s called Gaztelugatxeko Donienez. Don’t even ask me to pronounce that out loud. Now it seems as though it’s a very popular area and during certain times of the year you need tickets to actually walk the track. We thought this was the case for us also but we turned up and there didn’t seem to be the need for tickets on the off season and they sent us through. It was a stifling hot day as we walked steeply down to the waterfront where some of us decided to walk up the numerous stairs to the church on the hill or slowly wander back to the car. This area does have a lot of significance for the local sailers who used to make the pilgrimage to this place asking for protection.
It was certainly pretty but the heat of the day and the impending long drive makes me feel it wasn’t essential if your pushed for time.
We also stopped briefly into a small port town called Llanes which is where we got our first taste of local cider and watched as the waiter poured it high above his head into the glass below to ensure it was properly oxygenated bringing out the flavours better. We also grabbed some food here as it has been a tricky day especially for Lew and I food wise who lived off “patates frittas” aka potato fries and fried mushrooms today and we were slightly fading. Once Averill and Alice had finished their cider they poured some into their glasses as you would do normally. However our waiter almost fell over when he has seen what they had done and very strongly told us we must wait for 10 minutes before drinking it or else we would get an upset stomach. When I googled all this we couldn’t figure out why this might be, so I would ask one of my Spanish colleagues at work when I return.
Oviedo
Our long journey today started in San Sebastian and ended in Oviedo late in the afternoon. This city set back into the country side away from the waterfront and beaches is where we would spend the next two nights. Once again we had a large apartment in town directly opposite the best food street in town - excellent planning! It has two bathrooms and 4 bedrooms and a massive TV with Netflix. Our host spoke no English so using google translate I translated everything he wanted to tell us - including that check out time was 11am, he would like a 10/10 review please and that the key must only be turned once in the door. He mentioned this at least 5 times and then again on WhatsApp. Using google translator conversation mode is honestly a life saver but what was hilarious was that when it finished talking and I was reading it out to the family it would often throw in a random word or two amongst it like “willy” which left me giggling away. Or one I took a screenshot of was “The floor is a first but if you walk up it is as if it were a second because it is cloudy under main first floor the facebook tools of tiger sharks Enrique” ….smile and nod when this comes up on Google translate and you actually have no idea what your Airbnb host is speaking of!
Best food in Oviedo
The best place for food I am told is the street of C. Gascona and our host recommended a few places - Sidrería La Manzana Restaurante, Sidrería Tierra Astur Gascona. We however went to neither of those as we walked the street and gauged the ambience and menu of each place! We found a Mexican place the first night which wasn’t anything special enough to mention and then a wonderful vegan place called El Manglar the second night. The menu was full of local food and then a random selection of all sorts. It was also good value for money. You have to try our their staple, prized dish of setain if you do go there as it was better than the Snitzel we had in Austria but all vegan! (Photos below of the food from El Manglar)
Covadonga
Whilst we were in Oviedo we decided to do a day trip to Covadonga and this is one of the places I would recommend if your staying in the area and have a car. It’s a mountain region in the Asturias region of Northwestern Spain and was the first national park in Spain as well as one of the firsts in Europe. Getting here can be a little tricky but its well worth it for the stunning landscape and walk amongst nature. Depending on what time of year you go you might have to stop at one of the 4 car parks and buy a ticket for the bus that takes you up to Covadonga national parl for €9pp (£7.90/$16 NZD). Make sure you use the car park at the bottom - number 1 as we went to number 4 and often the bus was full by the time it got to us. Or if your in peak season if you get up there before 8am you can drive your own car in. It was a lot of rather narrow windy roads but if your a confident driver I don’t think it was any worse than Applecross in Scotland or any number of our NZ roads but this is the reason why they limit what goes up the road during the busy season. The only issue is you will have the gigantic buses speeding up and down the road you will have to contest with if you do manage to get up there before 8am in your own car. Once your up there is a long (5.5km) or short (3km) walk you can do around the pretty lakes Lake La Ercina or Lago Enol and enjoy the countryside. There were loads of cows and sheep with bells around their neck making the valleys sound like an orchestra. There are bathrooms where the bus drops you but nowhere to buy food so definitely come prepared. Cell service is also non existent. There is the small town of Covadonga which the bus can stop at on the way up or down for you to browse around but there isnt much for food options here either. There is the Sanctuary of Covadonga “Cova Dominica”, the cave of our lady which is worth looking at with chapel perched inside the hill with a lake down below. It was a destination of pilgrimage for pilgrims from all over Asturias and other regions.
Cudillero & Santiago de Compostela, 15th - 18th September
Santiago de Compostela is the final stop in our journey across northern Spain. Along the way we stopped at a small seaside town called Cudillero known for its picturesque fishing port which sits on the side of a mountain. Its hanging houses with eaves and brightly-coloured windows perched on a horseshoe of steep cliffs around the port. It has many walking routes with viewpoints that gives you a different lookout across the city. Some of the best walks if you have time are the walk to the lighthouse, La Garita, La Atalaya or El Pico. We did a great one that went up the back street and wound round the top of the city where all the local cats were sunbathing and came back down the steep steps of houses on the hill.
Santiago de Compostela
We arrived late afternoon into the most gorgeous stone farmhouse outside of Santiago. This felt like luxury with its 4 bedrooms each with an ensuite and the fresh air of the countryside around us. The floors were all heated so we anticipated that it was cooler in this part of Spain especially in the morning time. We relaxed in the house for a bit - I read my book in the sun and others had a nap before we set off into town for dinner and to explore.
Santiago de Compostela is a UNESCO world heritage site in the Northwest of Spain in an area known as Galica. This city is well known to many around the world as it was believed that the tomb of St. James the Greater, the beloved apostle of Jesus Christ, had been discovered in a far site near the finis terrae, the end of the known Earth, in the northwest of Iberian Peninsula. After this discovery Santiago de Compotela (St James = Santiago) became a famous pilgrimage town, one of the most important of Christianity. Pilgrims came from all over the world following the Camino de Santiago to reach the city born around the Holy Tomb, exercising a great influence on the surrounding area. Small towns, churches, hospitals, and monasteries were built near the Camino to attend to the thousands of pilgrims who came to visit the tomb each year. The Camino is considered a bucket list item for many people, religious or not and thousands of people do walk this every year (350,000 in 2019!). There are 281 different camino routes you can take through 29 different countries with the further point being in a place called Lasi, Romania 4,500km away. There is also the option to bike or ride a horse the trail and the best wheelchair friendly track is the “French way” which enters Spain via the Pyrenees. The Camino is marked by scalloped shells and clergymen would give them to pilgrims on their arrival at Santiago de Compostela city as accreditation for completing their pilgrimage. They arnt sure why the shell came about but you might see shells above doorways into houses and golden shells in the cobblestones leading the way to the cathedral in the main square Praza do Obradorio which is the end point of the Camino
Food
There are loads of Michelin star restaurants in this city if that’s something your into and Eddie and Anita went to Casa Marcelo one night for the entire experience. Another night we went as a family to A Moa which was a stunning restaurant just outside of old town. Their specialty wasn’t at all vegan food but we ordered every option (4!) off their menu that was. Another place was called The Greenhouse which was a small hole in the wall kinda place that sold very homemade vegan food (and maybe occasionally some meat options depending on their menu at the time). It was just the 5 of us that night which worked out well as we were squished around a small table whilst Eddie and Anita were at their Michelin restaurant.
Noia, Saturday 17th
We had a few options for todays activities but decided to do a short road trip to the small town of Noia which is a place people often live and commute into Santiago. The fact that it has around 50 beaches within 40 minutes of it gives you an idea of why it’s such a nice place to live. We loaded everyone into the van and drove about 30 minutes to Noia. It was low tide and the town is surrounded by estuary so they do recommend to come when it’s high tide as the two beaches we went to were also tidal. We wandered quickly through the small city’s old town as there wasn’t much to see before heading down to the first beach called Praia de Testal. We had lunch here which was leftover pasta and sandwich’s before continuing onto a nicer beach that was more swimmable called Praia de Boa Chica which even has a small cafe called Bar O'Troita where we grabbed some fruit smoothies (vegan options!) and fries for a snack. Most of the afternoon we spend reading or relaxing on the beach. I wrote a postcard to Nannie and Lew wrote one to June. Only Anita was brave enough to swim!
The final Goodbyes, Sunday 18th
This is the day we part ways and the Commons family continue their trip. We had a late check out in our lovely Airbnb so Lew and I went for a walk but I spend most of my morning reading in the sunshine. We made it to the airport with all our belongings and had no issues checking in, it was the last time we had to pack our car to the brim and squeeze in around our luggage. We really did do an impressive job getting so many of us + luggage into one car and we had the packing down to a fine art by the end of it. When it was time for the Commons family to board their flight to Madrid we said our temporary goodbyes knowing we would see them in the new year when we arrive back in NZ on Jan 1st 2023. We flew back to London and we were pleased to be home and ready to sleep in our own bed. Monday the 19th is actually a out of the blue bank holiday since Queen Elizabeth died so tomorrow we would be both off work to watch the procession on TV. We didn’t fancy heading down to Westminister Abbey amongst the chaos. But what an iconic time to be in London.