We arrived in San Sebastián (Donostia) after about three hours on the road from Bordeaux. We parked underground and came out directly on the promenade overlooking the beach. After a couple selfies, we wandered around the old town, which really felt like part of a big city. We stopped in a cafe where I got a sandwich with jamón ibérico, melted cheese, and tomato. Great typical Spanish start. We walked around a bit more, found the cathedral, but decided not to go in, since there was an entrance fee, and walked down the promenade back to the car.

We we got to Bilbao, we parked the car and walked across the Casco Viejo to the hostel. We got settled in and headed out for pintxos. First we stopped and got smoothies, then we walked up to the main square. The square was lined with pintxo bars with terraces. We picked the first one that looked good, got some sangria and sat down. I had a croqueta over ham and a shrimp toast with what tasted like lobster salad. We walked around the old town for a bit and decided to come back to the square and have a few more pintxos. We looked in at one place that looked good, but right before we ordered, the man at the counter broke a glass over all the pintxos, so we decided to go somewhere else. We found another place and I got one with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese, one with smoked salmon and egg salad, and later one that was served in a mussel shell filled with a deep fried mixture of mussels, cream, and hot peppers. Tomás had the same one and accidentally ate part of the shell. Then we walked around a bit too, and Fernanda and I got a last one with ham and melted Brie. We were all fairly tired by that point, so we decided to go back to the hostel to sleep.

The morning after we got up and got breakfast. On the hostel walls there were instructions for how to make bread with tomato, which I did, but...the tomatoes weren't very ripe so it didn't work out too well. I just made a tomato sandwich, and that was plenty good.

On the way to Barcelona, we stopped halfway in Zaragoza. First we went to the Aljefería, which Virginia had recommended. It was closed, so we just walked up to it, took some pictures, and walked back down. It was an imposing castle but overall not the most impressive. We drove on to the city center at Plaza del Pilar. The church of the Pilar was absolutely stunning. The tiled domes and narrow towers were an reminder of Spain's Islamic past. We got lunch at a buffet, on the main square and walked down. One side of the square was tourist shops and iffy restaurants, and the other side was stunning buildings. We walked back and Kristina, Tomás and I went into the church. The inside was also impressive. There was a shrine to the pillar planted by the Virgin Mary, which pilgrims were lining up to kiss. We walked back past a modern geometric fountain, and got back in the car. The countryside around Zaragoza is exactly what I expected, with red, sandy hills covered in patchy brush and occasional vineyards.