Lovely San Sebastian

When we read about San Sebastian in the Lonely Planet, I thought it might be over-rated. How wrong!

It is the busiest spot we have visited since Santiago de Compostela, but it is not difficult to see why... the old city is a small rabbit warren of pedestrian streets, the beaches are long stretches of golden sand, the food is incredible and the wine is cheap and delicious. It is a good time to come; the temperatures and in the mid-to late 20's and the larger crowds have gone.

At the aquarium

Yesterday, after a coffee and playground stop (cafes are often conveniently located next to playgrounds here) we went to the aquarium. Eleanor and Leo were both transfixed. The sharks, rays, lobsters and their friends all drew cries of 'look mummy', 'see daddy'. The very best was saved for last; Nemo and Dory. It was fun for all of us and fantastic to see Eleanor and Leo enjoy it so much.

We had lunch at a pintxos restaurant in the old town. Pintxos are Basque finger-food sold in single serves. Apparently they should be no larger than two-to-three bites each and should include at least two or three different colours. There is a real art to preparing and presenting these small dishes.

Many are based around local fish and occasionally ham. We are in anchovy heaven; they are in many pintxos and are so much better than the tinned version. We may be ruined for the supermarket variety!

Part way up Monte Urgull

After an ice cream, Eleanor and Leo napped while we walked up Monte Urgull to the Napoleonic castle at the summit. It was a good walk in the heat pushing 45-odd kilograms of pushchair and sleeping children uphill, but worth it for the views, being away from the crowds and under the shade of the trees.

Busy at the beach

We finished the day with a swim and sandcastle building before dinner. It is very difficult to have Eleanor and Leo in bed much before 9pm in Spain as everything happens in its own time. They are sleeping until 7.30/8am, so definitely not all bad!

Pintxos

Today Adrian took Eleanor and Leo for a few hours while I went on a pintxos cookery class run by San Sebastian Food. I was with a great group of five others. We were taken to a little fishing village outside of the city by taxi and boat and had the course in a restaurant kitchen. It was a fantastic experience and eating our creations on a terrace overlooking the sea topped it off nicely. I will definitely be experimenting when we have a kitchen again! For now, here's the recipe for our dessert:

Dessert

• Two scoops of lemon sorbet
• One shot of cava (or champagne)
• Two seconds of vodka
• One shot of whipped or double cream

Blend and serve in a flute.

After the course I joined Adrian, Eleanor and Leo, who had spent the morning at a playground, at the beach for more swimming and playing in the sand. What a day!

We could all happily spend another few days here, but it is time to move on; tomorrow we drive to Bilbao, our final stop in Spain.