We put the fun in funicular

The morning started with a pastry and a coffee.  We began very early, at least according to our usual behavior- probably because we had gotten to sleep very early last night.  By the time it was 9 am, we had walked to the top of the local high point where there is a very old castle.  The folks here call them mountains, so I will just go ahead and announce that we climbed a mountain by the time most people around here were getting into work.  The Castillo de Mota is right at the coast, and was built about 1000 years ago, give or take a few.  It had been through several incarnations, but it was pretty clear that the cannons on display there were probably a good indicator about the location’s design.  It was part of plenty of wars and numerous defenses of the area.  Now, there is a giant statue of Jesus at the top of the castle, and he is visible from pretty much anywhere in the city.  It was a pretty challenging walk- more like a hike, and by the time we got back to the ground, we were ready for a second round of breakfast pastries.  The way people seem to eat in San Sebastián is frequently, and in small portions.  I am used to the American standard of three times a day, and portions to fill you up.  Not the case, here.  

After our second attempt at breakfast, Cas and I walked along the boardwalk overlooking the beach to the other high point in town, a place best accessed by a “funicular” car.  It is like a cross between a trolley and a gondola, built entirely at an angle and seemingly perfect for hauling passengers up the side of a small mountain to a peak.  

We arrived at the funicular departure point behind a crowd of children.  I was going to guess there were 200 kids there, but Cas seems to estimate about 50.  I guess it just sounded like 200.  I wasn’t terribly disappointed when we were too many to fit on the same car as them, so we had to wait for the next car.  When we got to the top, we had context for their enthusiasm.  I guess no one told us that there was a children’s amusement park up there.  Still, we rode up with a very nice Scottish man and his family, and that was perfectly lovely.  He assured us there was a bar opposite the amusement park.  Sure enough, there were a few bars and a bunch of really great lookout points.  

At the top of the second mountain, we had a glass of wine and a snack- more pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) to tide us over until lunch.  We are trying to do things like the locals, so we had a large meal at around 1:30.  We were ready for it, too.  By the time we sat down to a proper meal today, we had walked so long that my legs, feet and ankles hurt.  Even Cas, who typically seems to have a magic switch that shuts off exhaustion in cases of travel was ready to sit still and replenish some serious calories.  

After lunch, we went to the museum about Basque culture.  It was in a building that had once housed a monestary, and to match the shape of the land they built on, the main structure was a trapezoid, not a square.  We made it through the first floor of exhibits and part of the second floor before we ran out of steam.  It’s a fine museum giving the history of the area, but I am really no wiser about Basque culture than when I went in.  We were more tired than curious at a certain point, and in the middle of the second floor of exhibits, tired won out.  We went back to our room for a nap.  We had to take one for a few reasons- we had walked for many miles, several of them up some challenging paths and large stone seps, but mostly, we wanted to have a traditional dinner here in San Sebastián, and the tradition is to eat around 9:30 pm.  No way were we going to be able to handle that, having been up and moving at 5:30 am.  

So, now we are done with the nap, and all that remains is to get out the door and eat what promises to be a large evening meal.  After that, we sleep, wake and get to a bus station for a 10:00 trip to Madrid.  That’s when the organized tour starts.  We saw and did so much already today that I nearly forgot we hadn’t even joined our tour group yet.  

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pfA2563myHYwVp6U7