Dear Diary...
This is my diary. How things are. Or something. Please note that the diary is archived month by month, so feel free to click the links for the archives (which now will go back five years maximum):
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Wednesday 23rd July – Hoxton Power!
It was the first day back in the office for me at least, with The Love In My Heart having the rest of the week off – she got back safe and sound yesterday to Manchester, although we had to abandon the Thameslink train at City Thameslink, walk over to Farringdon and get the tube to Euston Square and all good for her train. She was also having Little Miss O for a couple of days later this week and so that would be something she could look forward to as well. I do miss her lots already and I suspect both her and Brian the cat will be getting some cuddles this weekend, for definite.
I was off to our Hoxton office this morning as the electric meters needed changing, so myself and our facilities supervisor were going to co-ordinate the necessary effort. Effectively as we use three of the arches, each one has a meter in them (because you can rent individual units via the landlord, Transport for London) and so it would be power goes off, meter gets changed, power back on. We do have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for most of the equipment in the switch room but wanted to be sure we would be around in case anything untoward may happen – and also, check everything back up and working again. One of the printers is very sensitive to power outages and has to be turned off in a certain sequence (it’s a Konica Minolta with Fiery) so did that in prep.
Anyway, the electrician who came had some fun and games, as we did, attempting to find the main power switch source. Where the meter is, it goes down to a cable which then appears to go underground, but to where. Eventually we located it – it transpired all the cupboards for the mains switches were in a location which made sense once we found it – and all labelled correctly. So we decided to do the middle arch first as that housed the switch room and the main kitchen, and the UPS did kick in for around an hour or so as needed which was decent. We kept up almost all the network via that and only near the end did we have to turn one switch off to save some power and battery. In addition the meter was wired really badly by the previous fitter so that also needed a sort which took longer for the first one so he could work out a plan to fix.
All was good though, so that middle arch was done and all the network was good to go – and did the left end one as hardly anyone was in that one today (it’s mainly used for a couple of specialised machines) and then during lunch, so people could head out if needed, the main office in the right hand arch. That was sensible to do really and once we had confirmation all the power was back, I gracefully powered up the specialist printer and its Fiery interface in the right order, road tested it, and all was perfect with that so was pleased to see it do the business to be honest. That made it feel like it was a good day spent sorting that and a positive outcome to be able to take on overall.
On the way home, for once, there were no dramas, and put in the last bit of washing for the holiday to make sure everything was nice and clean in the flat too. It felt good to unpack and get it all sorted, and have some form of normality (ish) and kicked back in with a part catch up of the first episode of the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee – the second was on last night so have some catching up to do. I love the theme tune (tune of the day) but do wish that they would have had a little “cha-cha-cha!” end to the tune as it just sounds like it should have one there really. Nice to see Sara Pascoe back after her maternity leave and having little jokes about sewing and birth too, bless. And Esme, we all love Esme Young don’t we? I can imagine her being a right hoot on a night out…
Monday 21st July – Homeward Bound
It was a sad feeling waking up in our hotel room this morning knowing that we were going to be heading home later. However, at the same time, I know that The Love In My Heart wanted to see Brian the cat, so I know he would be happy to see Mummy tomorrow. The Love was heading back to mine tonight and then would be on a morning train home to Manchester tomorrow as to minimise the travel a bit rather than do the lot in one day. We had some breakfast and coffee, and then settled in with the final bit of packing and got ourselves sorted before checking out of the hotel. They had a luggage store and were happy to keep that safe for us so we could head out for a little while before collecting it for the airport trip.
We stopped close to the square in Gipuzkoa Plaza and had a good rest there admiring the swans and the people on the free tours of the city before then heading across to a bar for some lunch. We both ordered a baguette which was basically a whole baguette sliced in two and filled with what we had ordered – so ham and cheese for The Love, and turkey steak, cheese, mushrooms and a nice sauce for me. It was a little messy to grab in the hand and used the knife and fork, but was wholesome and filling to keep us going until later – and The Love and I both had a lemon Radler drink too which was a good move to be refreshing and nice.
I had done a reccy check on the buses, and it transpired that the E21 bus changed timetable today til the end of September, still going on the motorway to Hondorabilia, but this time not stopping at the airport – trying to encourage people to take the E30 from the bus and coach station. That’d be a fair walk for us, but I knew that the E20 would still go to the airport but not take the motorway. This proved to be a nice route actually as it went through the villages and towns along the way before then joining the road to the airport later on. We had enough transport credit on the Basque card and knew we needed to touch in and then out at destination, but that cost us a mere €1.17 to get back which was nothing really.
San Sebastián Airport is very very small to say the least. There is a small duty free shop, a café bar, a car hire kiosk, and that is it. There are six check in desks, two barriers to scan the boarding card before security (of which that has one line) and passport control only ever needs to be used for the summer flights to London City and Edinburgh – as all the other flights are within Spain, including some to the Canary Islands via Binter airline. BA mentioned to us you had to check in there and online wasn’t available, but we had with 48 hours notice bagsied our seats together for free, so that was a win. We had a beer, then checked in the bags, then had another drink before then going through security and the passport control – all of which was relatively easy to be honest.
The plane had arrived a little delayed from its inbound flight but the luggage handlers were on it and saw our bags loaded on without an issue, and we all boarded. For some reason one of the ground crew was there with the pilot, and after some conversations and one with a refueller truck driver, they left. However, French air traffic control were claiming all sorts of storms were afoot and so weren’t allowing the captain take off – and hearts sank when he had to announce a 90 minute delay. To be fair to the cabin crew they kicked into action, giving us soft drinks and snacks on the ground and generally being super friendly and nice, which was appreciated. Around fifteen minutes later the captain gave us all the good news that we were good to go and took off for home – even making up a few minutes along the way. We did arrive around forty minutes late in all, but that was still an hour plus ahead of what it might have been so that was something! Tune of the day has to be Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel for that reason.
We got our bags and mine appeared to have a dint in the top right (which I could push back out when at home so that was fine in the end) and then we headed off to the DLR, and went back the same way we came – to Woolwich Arsenal, where we narrowly missed a Thameslink train, and then on to Southeastern and their bubble car train to London Bridge, changing platforms there, with the lifts all working thank heavens, and on to the train home. We did get back around 8.45pm in the end, but was glad to be back, and got ourselves a take out pizza ordered so I could go and collect it and have something to eat.
Sunday 20th July – Wimbledon in Donostia
After a nice lie in and some breakfast, The Love In My Heart and I thought it would be nice to walk along the whole of the promenade around La Concha Bay, and end up at the far end at the foot of Monte Igueldo – but not take the funicular, but just to the end of the bay. I had wanted to see Miramar Palace as well which was along the way, so was a good opportunity to do both. We got ourselves towards the sea front and started walking down the promenade, admiring the views over the bay – tempting as it was to stop at the café at La Perla, we carried on and to the bicentennial square, with its striking sculpture and view over to Santa Clara Island.
As you walk under a pedestrian tunnel which is underneath the gardens of Miramar Palace, the paintings on top resembling the sea are really lovely, and the tunnel is lit up at night too so I can imagine that being pretty spectacular all round to be honest. We then took the steps up to the gardens and admired Miramar Palace too – it was the summer home of Queen María Cristina incidentally, as she preferred it there, and certainly felt the sense of Victorian era grandeur due to its architecture. We couldn’t go in there today but I can imagine tours of that place would be really lovely to do. And with a view over the bay from the beautiful gardens, it just felt so lovely and relaxing as well – definitely glad we did that.
We headed back down and towards the rest of the promenade, this being in the district of Antiguo of the city, and this led to Ondarreta beach with its lovely gardens behind. Sandcastles were being built here with some great art on display, and we stopped at one of the beach bars for a drink – a coffee in my case, and we could just admire the view out to sea. We did follow then the promenade along, past where you could bring a boat down to the sand but waves were crashing into that with some force, and as it turned along the side, the path got narrower, culminating in a striking piece of sculpture work that dominates this part of the coastline - Eduardo Chillida’s Comb of the Wind, which was well worth seeing as close up as you could. Not to mention the holes in the floor letting the wind through (which people tried!) and the waves crashing against the sea wall spectacularly. It was fab.
We walked back along towards Ondarreta beach and stopped off at what was the Real Club de Tenis de San Sebastián (RCTSS) – basically the tennis club. They had a bar which was called Wimbledon (yes, really, I have proof) and that was an outside bar for drinks and lunch. We got a nice lunch there and some drinks and was a good place to see the world go by close to the sea, and indeed tennis on both hard and clay courts, with families playing and with some trying to be the next Rafael Nadal or Carlos Alcaraz, both of whom are massive idols in Spain of course and both of whom myself and The Love appreciate – they’re good people. Of course I ended up having Light and Tuneful by Keith Mansfield (aka the BBC’s theme to Wimbledon) in my head, so tune of the day was an easy decision there. It was really nice to relax there.
We walked down Ondarreta beach a little and stopped off at the beach bar earlier for another drink, and to take a walk to the beach’s edge and see the sea and the island from there – which was nice to do. Some brave souls even swim over from here to the island – granted it isn’t that far but still worth noting nonetheless. It was nice to enjoy ourselves here and it really felt nice in the mid afternoon as the sun came out a little bit, and the rain held off too which was good. We had enough transport credit left on the Basque card so we simply got the number 5 bus back to the city centre and that saved a bit of a walk, but also meant we could relax in the hotel room and start packing bits to save time tomorrow – and then get changed for the evening meal tonight. The Love looked gorgeous in her new dress and I have to say that I felt really proud to have her by my side as we headed out.
We were back in the old town tonight and this time around we decided to go to Lasarte which we had seen the night before, and the menu also looked good. This time around The Love had the pork loin with eggs, croquette and potatoes, all of which were really nicely cooked and for me this time the baked hake fillet with potatoes. There was plenty of the hake and it was also deboned too, so managed to enjoy the whole lot and it was rather lovely all round. We then tried a different bar in Constitution Plaza for a drink, and enjoying the time there and the sun setting proved to be a rather lovely end to the evening all round to be honest. We did feel sad that we were off home tomorrow but we had really felt warmly welcomed here and that felt special to be honest.
Saturday 19th July – Aquarium and Island Hopping
Today was supposed to be a rainy day, but actually the rain held off and proved to be a sunny day which The Love In My Heart was very happy about indeed, as was I. I wanted the rain to keep away for the rest of the week so we could enjoy our time, and in fact it was good to be able to stick to plan and go to the aquarium this morning. The Love had suggested it looked good and we also got 10 per cent off with the Basque card, which was pretty good. In fact, being a weekend, less school trips of course and that meant a better experience to go round.
And in fact, it proved to be a real highlight for me. The top floors mainly had exhibits which dealt with the history of the city of Donostia / San Sebastián as a fishing port and a trade port, with pirates and privateers sailing from here in times gone by. Replicas of the boats and ships used, along with a mural for the pirates and so on was nicely done, and the large whale skeleton was a reminder of times when hunting in the sea was a much more cruel thing, and how that should serve as what we do to damage the environment, quite telling that and backed up by informative text in Basque, Spanish, French and English which gave you that sense of accessibility as well – great job done by them on that.
There were also exhibits about the regatta held here each year, with winning uniforms from the teams, an old poster for the 1952 version and all sorts, and also a mention of Prince Albert I of Monaco, whom himself was an oceanographer and explorer in his day. Nice to see the link too into conservation even back then which was a lot of what this was about – especially with the focus on preserving nature and ensuring a good habitat for anything within the aquarium itself, with the sea shells all lovingly shown with all shapes and sizes.
Naturally, the main attraction was the large lower floor which was at just below sea level, and allowed you to really get a feeling of swimming with all the sea creatures and fish, and two decent sized sharks. It was feeding time for the fish too so two of the staff were all kitted out and feeding everyone, with plenty of fish following around to see what you could get. We saw an octopus, hermit crabs, anenomes, and even the clown fish made famous of course by the iconic film Finding Nemo. And talking of which, a couple of ray fish too which reminded me of Mr Ray from said film. It was fascinating to see them all in their natural habitat and was worth the admission alone for this, never mind everything else.
We did head back over to Muxumartin for a little pintxos lunch, basically having that rib of beef that just melted in the mouth with the mash and the lovely sauce, with a drink, and that was a good thing to do. We headed back to the hotel as the sun had come out and we came up with a plan. The Love could head to the beach for a lazy sunny afternoon and I could take the boat out to Santa Clara island and explore that before heading back. The Love isn’t a seafarer these days so it suited us both well so she could top up the tan and chill too. I headed via the harbour and over to the place that did the boat trips, and rather than the round trip around the whole bay for €8, you could just do an island hop return for €5 instead, which was a much better idea all round, so did that.
The boat didn’t take long and I soon stepped foot on Santa Clara island, and took the path upwards and then veered off to the left to take the path around the north part of the island, with the view over La Concha Bay and the hills of Monte Igueldo and Monte Urgull on each side being particularly lovely to see, as were all the views. I made it to the top and noted the old lighthouse and building of Hondalea, and it was being done up at present and restored – so if you waited around long enough you could go in and explore. I just sat in the shade, admiring the views and felt at peace with the surroundings, with She Makes War’s Please Don’t in my head – tune of the day – with the chorus of please don’t leave me yet, which felt inspiring as I just took it all in, following the cobbled main path down and seeing all the picnic benches out, which did seem popular with locals.
The other thing the island does have is a small beach close to the landing pier, where people would come early, stay all day and get the boat back for some peace and quiet – a nice move that. The beach side bar was also really nice and had tables and chairs with parasol umbrellas facing out to the bay, and had to have a drink there and enjoy that view. In fact, a couple from the Netherlands came to join me so we had a good conversation about the place and recommended a couple of places too, so that was really friendly and nice. I enjoyed my time on the island and I am sure that if The Love had her sea legs, she would have been having a drink at the bar with me for obvious reasons. I made it back over on the boat and joined The Love back on the beach, where a number of seagulls were making an appearance due to people feeding them (and one of them decided to do a poo landing on one of my trainer socks also!)
For the evening meal, we headed back to the old town after a change, and was nice to have one of my new shirts on which The Love said I looked good in. We went to a very nice place called Aitona, which had just opened for the evening and was soon busy once we and a couple of other couples had taken tables. I had the tuna steak with a nice sauce and potatoes, and that was beautifully done. The Love went for the half chicken with potatoes – they turned out to be fries but actually although it was simple, the chicken was lovely and moist and really tasted spot on. She appreciated that as she is not a big fish person (leaves that one to me) and that dish was also really cheap too – but immense value. We did then head of course to Constitution Plaza for a drink or two and it was always lovely to enjoy that to see off another lovely evening.
Friday 18th July – Bilbao Brilliance
The Love In My Heart and I got up reasonably early this morning and once we were ready were off to Amara station in central Donostia / San Sebastián. This was so that we could get the Euskotren train service to Bilbao for the day – and to be on the safe side we purchased the tickets for the Guggenheim Museum online yesterday so that we would be able to go and get entry. We did note a couple of places close to the station for food, but actually the best one was the small café in the station itself, where we got a bacon roll with egg, a café con leche and a cold soft drink for the train for around €11, so not too bad really.
The Euskotren train does stop at pretty much every stop on the way, and as a result takes around two and a half hours, but on the plus side that does mean you get to see some pretty lovely scenery of the Basque country along the way, including small villages, the lovely little resort town of Deba (and the beach looked inviting – the locals getting off the train the other way were proof of that) and then inland through Eibar and Durango before then going underground and entering the centre of Bilbao. We got off at the Casco Viejo stop which is right in the middle of the old town area, but also handily quite close to the Bilbao tram system. With our discount on the Basque card (same as MUGI) the fare for the train was a mere €2.40. Considering that’s around a 120km journey, that’s very impressive value for money.
In fact, more discount came our way on the tram as we headed from Arriaga to Guggenheim – the tram has one single fare, it’s normally €1.90, but with discount this goes down to €0.44! Yes, 44 cents, just under 40p. Build value for money public transport and people will use it, and the tram was busy as a result, but goes to show just how popular it proves to be. That didn’t take us too long and we arrived at the Guggenheim in good time, walked up the stairs and admired the Jeff Koons puppy sculpture and that from there meant that we could see the impressive building in all its glory, which was lovely.
The museum itself was thoroughly enjoyable, we walked around all three floors of exhibits including the epic The Matter of Time by Richard Serra, all steel curves with ways to get lost inside which was good, as well as the permanent light display of scrolling lettering and the Soft Shuttlecock sculpture. You could venture outside and see the fog created with water, as well as of course Maman, the spider sculpture that is somewhat iconic. The highlight for me was the Barbara Kruger exhibition Another Day Another Night on the first floor with her iconic red and white text, and that certainly was striking as you went around. This also contained the excellent artwork for the Consolidated album Business of Punishment which she did, and so from that album tune of the day is the title track.
I also really liked the iconic sculptures too dotted around such as the Jeff Koons tulips inside on the third floor, and an interactive massive display that was taking place and felt a hugely immersive experience along the way too. There was also the top of the Soft Shuttlecock to see, and on the ground floor an exhibition dedicated to the paintings of Helen Frankenthaler, which certainly were thought provoking. Yes, it does cost €18 to get in, but you do get to see all the exhibits inside for that price, which for me makes it more than worth it. I can highly recommend it to anyone to be honest, even if you’re not a massive art fan.
Afterwards we walked towards the city centre and spotted a nice place that did pizza for lunch. And actually it was very good indeed, with The Love really enjoying her ham and mushroom one – I had one with a barbecue sauce base and toppings and that was also really good. And we could see the Jeff Koons puppy sculpture from our table, so that was a bonus. We ended up walking to one of the main central squares with a fountain, and then from there along to one of the cultural centres which had a small garden in front. This was actually really nice as it had a roof terrace with lovely views of the city and a sun deck if you wanted to sunbathe there – which was surprisingly very empty indeed!
We walked back past the large El Corte Ingles department store and spotted all the hawkers selling fake goods outside – which is a real blight on the city as a whole unfortunately – they hang around the Guggenheim also. We headed for a walk through the old town and the cathedral before having a nice walk along the river and cross the modern pedestrian bridge. There we came up with a plan – get the express bus back from the bus station, and go for a drink by the river. In fact we saw a really nice bar close by and stopped there which was lovely and had a good view with some nice drinks, so that really set the tone for more rest and relaxation – and why not?
We got to the bus station and after some confusion, managed to get the ticket for the bus back. You have to buy this first before boarding (not on the bus) and it debits the Basque Card (or MUGI if you have one) by the discounted fare, which is €5.45 instead of 13.65, so definitely a considerable saving all round. It was more like a coach and took the motorway almost all the way back, making one stop at Zarautz at a stop close to the Euskotren train station before then back on the motorway and heading to the coach station in Donostia / San Sebastián. From there we walked back across the bridge to the Plaza Bilbao fountain and had an evening meal close by which was a good way to rest and relax and then head back to the hotel for drinks. A grand day all round.
Thursday 17th July – Cathedrals and Beaches
It was nice to have a little bit of a lie in with The Love In My Heart this morning. I did nip out to get some pastries for breakfast and that with some nice coffee did the business to get me feeling up and ready for the day. We were planning originally to head to Bilbao today but as the weather was nicer and essentially better for taking in the sun, we switched it to tomorrow and so The Love could do some sunbathing on the beach as well. It was set to be a fine day all round and so once we were ready to go, we decided to take a walk around the city centre of Donostia / San Sebastián and have a good look around at the shops too.
In fact, we did a walk through the centre to Amara station, the terminus for Euskotren, so we could get our bearings for tomorrow and for the train, which proved to be a good move as we could scope out cafés and takeaways for breakfast to take with us. After that we walked back and located a small shopping centre we had seen on the bus yesterday and so that meant I could pop into FNAC and have a good look around, and The Love had a massive Zara to check out. There was a dress that she liked, so I suspect she might head back to one when back home and get it, as it did look very nice on her too.
We walked around some more shops and then spotted the main cathedral in the city centre. You could go in for free so we had a look inside, and the Gothic architecture was simply stunning – reminding me a bit of the John Rylands Library back home in Manchester which has similar architectural style. The views of the outside too were gorgeous and really showed that if you look after those historic buildings, they look after you very well. We did also have a good mooch around some more nice shops before then stopping off for lunch close to the Plaza Bilbao fountain. It was nice actually, I had a large hot baguette with steak and cheese, and The Love went for Iberian ham and cheese which definitely seemed spot on too – so that was a positive.
A quick pop back to the hotel for the beach stuff and we walked over Zurriola Bridge and to the beach there in the district of Gros. It was notable that due to the sea wall offering some shade, plenty of families were basing themselves close to that wall and so were having some shade with the intense sun, and that made sense to do what the locals did. My ankles had already got some sunburn so wanted to be careful, and The Love could be ahead of me out of the shade, so everyone was a winner there. It was nice to take it all in to be honest and even without listening to anything on the iPod, the calm stillness was a welcome distraction, and On the Beach by Chris Rea entered the head and didn’t let go, so tune of the day there for definite.
After a while we walked along the very nice promenade and stopped off at the Basqueland Brewery bar for a drink, which was nice in the mid-afternoon with not many people around just to chill out too, so that was a definite win all round. It was tempting to stay for more but we were being good for later, and so headed back across the Zurriola Bridge via the Kursaal and admired that centre – and noted that for the jazz festival on, Jamie Cullum was playing there next week. I am sure that would be good if you liked that sort of thing. In fact, niiiiiiiiiiiiice.
In the evening we decided to head out for a meal, but do something different – go to one bar and share multiple pinxtos between us and have those as the main course. We did see some nice places as we’ve wandered around the old town, but in the end decided after a walk to the harbour and seeing more local customs around the whole current festival, it was a short walk to the rather nice Muxumartin – and this proved to be a great move. We had the ham croquette with pork jowel veil, the pressed beef sandwich (which was hot), the pickled chicken crest, the scallops with green curry and wakame – served in its shell, and best of all, the glazed ribs with mash, with beef that just melted in the mouth and was so nice with the sauce and mash. In fact we vowed to come back and have that for a little lunch and have one each!
We did of course end up in Constitution Plaza once again and had a nice drink at the Plaza Berri taverna, which had the local Keler beer and that was lovely, along with some good wine for The Love too. We definitely felt like we could settle nicely into this life if we were able to, but appreciated the local feel of everywhere as we walked around and headed back to the hotel. In fact, we got back in time for the Euro 2025 quarter final between England and Sweden, and ended up in a late night watch as the agony of extra time and penalties turned to ecstasy as England won, just about, with Chloe Kelly as ever having a hand in the outcome with her well taken penalty to keep us in it at one stage. They never know when they are beaten!
Wednesday 16th July – Funfair Fun
The Love In My Heart and I woke up and I nipped out to one of the local bakeries to get some croissants for breakfast. The Love had sensibly packed some Azera coffee so we had some nice coffee already, and having gone into the local Carrefour nearby yesterday, we did get some milk for the fridge so we could have a coffee with some nice milk. That meant that we could enjoy a relaxing breakfast together and then be ready to get ourselves all changed and off to face the day, which looked bright and sunny, so we came up with an idea – head off exploring in the morning and then beach in the afternoon, so best of both worlds.
Late yesterday we picked up the Basque Card from the tourist office. This effectively costs €21 and with each card you get €15 for transport, which is at the same discounted rate as the MUGI card, which is the local transport card for the area. That card has photo cards for locals with even more discounts, but the anonymous card is similar to Oyster, and the rates of discount are good. So for example if you take a local bus within the Donostia / San Sebastián city boundaries, it is €0.78 which is really good value. And in fact we would be using one of those to get to where we wanted to get to this morning – Monte Igueldo (Igeldo in Basque) which is the large mount on the Western end of La Concha Bay. So we did our research thanks to the map provided with the Basque Card, and this meant we could walk round the corner and get the number 16 bus, which took us along the bay, up and over via some houses, and then back along via Ondarreta beach to the stop for the funicular railway station.
So to get up to Monte Igueldo, you can get a funicular railway, and tickets are at the base station. It normally is €4.75 for a return, but Basque Card discount reduces that to €4, so that was helpful. The funicular was lovely, and it soon took us up to the summit station. Once we left that and arrived, we were able to see what was around the summit, which we had seen a taster of in the base station. It is a very lovely older type amusement park, with some rides and attractions which are aimed at families. So the usual likes of hook a duck, hitting tin cans with a bean bag ball to knock them over, as well as some younger little rides too. There was also a labyrinth, some water boats and a small rollercoaster called Swiss Mountain, which goes around with some gorgeous views of the sea. In fact there was also a water boat ride like a log flume where similar nice views were offered. Tune of the day because of this is the theme Magic Carousel from the film Rollercoaster.
The views all around were spectacular and even more so seeing the tower (on the site of the old lighthouse) as well as finding a bar close to the very top called Paradise, with Aperol branded deckchairs. We did have a couple of drinks in a nice spot where we could see the Swiss Mountain coaster and people riding it, and also would be able to take in the sun. The good thing was that it wasn’t that expensive either and a good place to just take it relatively easy. On the way back down we did see the Turtle Race which was basically Kentucky Derby but with a couple of differences: the horses were turtles, and also when you rolled the balls to the holes, if you missed, it didn’t fall down a chute but come straight back towards you. The Love beat me hands down but as all 10 lanes were operational, someone else did the business and won – they were superb at it!
We then headed back to get the funicular back down to the base station and waited outside for the 16 bus back to the city centre, which was much busier than it was when we were going. On the flip side we did not have long to wait so that was good. The Love and I had a quick change, picked up our beach towels and sun cream, and headed off to the La Concha beach for a few hours of relaxation time. The Love really was taking this time to chill, shades on, and all just soaking it all in. I was pleased to see that really and sat back and took it all easy too. There were some seagulls around though and people feeding them clearly was not a good move!
We headed out for the evening later and got ourselves heading to the old town, and spotted that there were various parades and things going on. The harbour had a temporary bar and also people cooking sardines. As we would find out later on, this was all down to today being the official day of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of fishermen, which is very popular in Spain. This also represented a chance for the Basques to celebrate their heritage that whole week too, so tonight had a parade of giants which made their way through the old town, along with musicians, drummers, and locals all dressed in a lot of blue with a neck scarf in particular. In fact the parade went past us when having our evening meal at a nice Italian restaurant where we were sat outside, and then when we decided to have some drinks at Constitution Plaza, the parade went past us again too.
In fact the Basques also use this as an opportunity to put forward their views on how they would like to be a more independent state – they are an autonomous region currently but I do think long term they may wish to be completely separate. In fact Basque is one of the four languages you often see everywhere apart from Spanish, French and English, and use of the language is very much encouraged and welcomed. I really appreciated their more democratic way to express this and it was pretty clear that the red lobster was also a symbol of this movement, with shops selling traditional outfits including that on the blue checked neck scarf. We enjoyed the evening and it was dark by the time we left the plaza and headed back to the hotel, so had a really good positive day.
Tuesday 15th July – Beautiful Old Town
Today was a case of familiarisation with the city we were in to get an idea of where everything was, how walkable it would all be and what might be good to do later in the week. We had thankfully noted that close by to the hotel there was a Carrefour Express but also an Eroski Rapid, so both of them had wine, water and beer if we needed it (and indeed the latter also had bakery goods so croissants were an option.) In fact, we had a couple of bakery shops close by too if we felt the need to dine in and have coffee and pastries. There was (not that we would necessarily use it) a McDonalds in a nearby small shopping centre, and this would prove to be absolutely rammed most evenings, maybe because it was the only one for some distance?
We decided that with the weather this morning being a mix of cloud and potential rain, that we would explore the city of Donostia / San Sebastián a little more. We in fact headed towards the bay of La Concha, and admired the view, and the small park close by which housed some lovely plants and trees, as well as some flowers, and also an old carousel that was in front of the town hall. Walkjng past that and along to the harbour front, the moored boats all looked very nice with one of the gates to the old town to the right – and in fact the last remaining part of the old city walls that surrounded the old town too. We headed along the harbour front and spotted a number of restaurants where the speciality was fish, fish and more fish. Fine for me, but The Love In My Heart may not be so convinced somehow.
We did walk along to where the aquarium is, which looked a good place to visit, but not today, as there were plenty of school groups who were heading there – most likely for an end of term visit, and so thought it best to avoid that. Instead we did walk around the road which takes you all the way around the foot of Monte Urgull, and that was good to be able to explore and see the coast from there as well as the hill behind with people taking various paths in order to get to the top, nice. We did end up at the other side and walked past the San Telmo Museum and a really nice church and off to 31 de Agosto Kalea – part of the old town. We did decide that lunch was in order and stopped off at one of the recommended stops for some well earned pintxos. In fact this one specialised in Basque cheesecake so we decided to try that as well as some croquettes with cheese and ham. Both of these were very nice and it certainly was telling just how many people queued for take out just for the cheesecake.
We did have a good walk along the old town (called alde zaharra in Basque) and it was generally really nice to see, even in some of the rain. We did see some beautiful churches, as well as a number of sculptures and statues along the 31 de Agosto Kalea, as well as another stop at a different pintxos bar which meant I could have the Oro cerveza tostada (toasted ale, basically a darker colour) and some more croquettes too. In fact we walked up and down most of the main streets and ended up in the Constitution Plaza, which is a large square with bars around the floor space and also a number of apartments above, as well as the old town hall. Certainly that was really nice to see, and the walk around really did give us a sense of feeling the place and experiencing just how nice it was. The old town did remind The Love of Naples, and I can see why, as well as for me parts of similar in Nice.
Mid-afternoon and the sun came out, so we did a nice walk along the promenade of La Concha, and ended up at a very nice little café close to the sea. In fact we got a good space with a couple of drinks and could see the brightness coming out as the sun broke through. It was really lovely, and we just spent some time there admiring the scenery and making the most of it all. Tune of the day in fact was very much suiting the mood – Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, which I had in my head for most of the day after that. Once we’d had a couple of drinks, we headed back to the hotel, The Love got her beach towel and she headed to the beach for a bit whilst I headed for a walk.
I took the way up via the old town and followed the path up to the battlements above the harbour and then on the steps and paths going towards the summit of Monte Urgull, which has parts of an old castle, La Mota, at the top. In fact the views over the bay of La Concha from here were really good – stunning in fact, and at the top of the castle with its cannons and defences, and lookout points to be able to just sit and admire. It was well worth the walk up, and going down a different path via a bastion showed a view over to Zurriola beach and the Kursaal, and some lovely views of the sea too. The great thing was that it felt like I’d got more of a flavour with it all as well and The Love saved her legs and instead got them tanned, so we both had a good win there!
Monday 14th July – Destination Donostia
It was nice to have The Love In My Heart head down to see me last night, and after a good night’s sleep, and having had some breakfast at my place, we were ready for our holiday. This year we were off to the Basque country, particularly the part in Northern Spain, and so we would be heading off to San Sebastián, which is the Spanish name. The Basque name is Donostia, and in most literature for tourism and so on, the name of the city is in both languages, with Basque first – so you’d see Donostia – San Sebastián that way (or with a slash instead of a dash) – but you get the idea. This to me showed that there is a lot of pride in the Basque identity and hopefully we would see something of that during the week, minus the separatist group ETA that made headlines during the 1980s and 1990s in particular.
As there’s direct flights during the summer from London to Donostia / San Sebastián Airport, The Love came down to me so we could fly from London City Airport and not have to faff changing planes and so on. We left mine, headed on the train from East Croydon to London Bridge and then Woolwich Arsenal, and changed there for the DLR to London City Airport. We could have gone West Croydon to Canada Water, then Canning Town and DLR that way, but the level access ramp at West Croydon isn’t working due to a broken access gate, so did not want to lug luggage on stairs – and if we wanted one change at Shadwell, stairs are definitely involved there too. So the way we went was air conditioned almost all the way and step free, which was a win all round really.
Once at London City Airport, check in and bag drop was a breeze, and so was security. So we were soon at one of the cafés airside and decided to stop at Big Penny Brews which was a wise move as they did lovely coffee but also their own beers which are brewed not far away in Walthamstow, so we had one of their drinks too as we had plenty of time before the flight. In hindsight maybe lunch might have been an idea too, but all was good. We boarded the plane which was an Embraer 190, so this means 2+2 seating – and I’d reserved the seat for The Love and me so we were sat next to each other with no one else. The flight was all good, albeit with drinks and a snack only – even if it is BA City Traveller, and before long we could see parts of the French coast and then the landing approach, where the runway is next to a river that is basically the border between France and Spain.
We landed at San Sebastián Airport which was very very small. In fact only the two BA flights in the Summer (one to London City, one to Edinburgh) need passport control, so we were guided to that and had the passport stamped – and there is just one café and one duty free shop, and that is your lot. It was then to reclaim the luggage and I was a bit worried as mine took some time to come, but it did. We then knew that we could get the E21 bus which would drop us in Gipuzkoa Plaza right close to the hotel we were staying at, and in the Summer things switch, so Stop A by the airport building houses the E30 which goes to the bus station (no good for us) and the other buses such as E21, E20 and E27 stop at Stop B on the main road. We managed to get the next E21 fine and this did a lap of Hondorrabilia before speeding along the motorway to head to the city centre, and it was raining along the way. It dropped us off round the corner from where we needed to be, and we soon arrived at our hotel.
We checked in at Room Mate Gorka, which faces Gipuzkoa Plaza. The staff were really lovely and friendly, giving us some useful information such as a map of the area and a separate sheet detailing all the best bars that do pinxtos (local snacks similar to tapas but particular to this region) so we could be sure to have something good. That was a lovely touch and really made us feel welcome. The room itself was gorgeous – proper air con, a big bathroom with toilet, sink and massive walk in shower, plenty of clothes storage space, a big television, a minibar that also doubled as a good fridge, a Lavazza coffee pod machine, a kettle with some tea and coffee, a safe and also a minibar of snacks if you needed them – they were expensive so we left those well alone! It was a lovely place on the fifth floor to base ourselves in, and soundproofing also meant no noise at night – and blackout curtains too so that will suit The Love rather well.
We decided to head out for the evening and walked across the Zurriola Bridge and to the district of Gros, where we had spotted a nice Italian restaurant before we left. It proved to be a lovely move as the two meals we had were both gorgeous – for me the carbonara risotto which had plenty of pancetta cooked well, which The Love tried and approved of, and a bolognaise for The Love which was more than plentiful to be honest. We enjoyed that first meal a lot and it was handy having the Basqueland Brewery bar on the opposite side of the road, so we headed in there and tried their very nice Santa Clara Helles which was really lovely. That was a good way to introduce ourselves to the city and to make sure we were well fed after a day of transport and flying.
Back in the room I checked over the television channels, and due to the close proximity of France, it meant we could get all the main French channels as well as the Spanish ones, as well as France 24 in English, which would be our go to for the week, especially as there wasn’t BBC News 24 around in any form – which our hotel room in Porto did have last time out and that did prove very useful. Still, we had both felt like we were happy to be here and away from everything for a while which for different reasons is what we both needed really. Tune of the day is the rather excellent In the Light Smetimes by Penfriend, which I had listened to last night and made me feel calm and optimistic about the week ahead. We were going to enjoy this!
Wednesday 9th July – Haircut and Heatwave
It was off to the main office today after spending some time in Hoxton yesterday (which is always a good place to go primarily because of the fact there’s always a good vibe there with good people.) I suspected that it would be busier than normal, primarily due to a heatwave being on its way and the office having some lovely aircon around too – which believe me, really does relax the mind and soul prior to being able to get work done too, so that is something. It was also good that the local place for coffee and brekkie around the corner has a good enough loyalty scheme that I’d earned enough points for a free one, so a nice bacon bap and a coffee were mine to start the day. Winning.
It was a busy day all round as we were hopefully helping some of the final members of staff to be able to migrate over to the new systems that our new company owners had. One of them had postponed it for ages and despite having a replacement laptop delivered, chose to switch it on and start using it instead of going through correct process, so we had to lock the device to spur said person into action. Not ideal but we did have relevant backing to do so, and sure enough we were able to get it all sorted today and be able to get said people over the line and with good preparation for the next set too – where some of the applications in use will be moved over to the standards our new owners have in place.
For me, transition is always a difficult one – you want to ensure continuity of service, of course, but gently drop hints that you need to get moved over to the new things in use. I’ve set an example as has my manager with a message on one of our systems saying “please contact me on Y” where Y is the new system to replace it, and with a view that we then start getting people to realise, especially if we take longer to respond. Somehow you have to snap the rope somewhere, so people are less tied in with certain ways of working. It’s not always a popular decision either, I know, but you have to give some gentle encouragement at times too.
I headed off to my usual barber (James Barbers in Wimbledon Park) after work – and of course the second part of that tube journey from Earls Court onwards is on the District Line, which means lovely aircon. The tennis was on as was the women’s football, where England thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 which was excellent, and we had a good chat about the tennis and the football. Indeed he mentioned that in and around Wimbledon and the village, a number of people had encountered Carlos Alcaraz, and only had good words to say about him. I wasn’t surprised whatsoever by this, but nice to see that the reality does meet the perception too.
It was then off to Wimbledon to get the tram home and you could see some waiting for the train and tube that had left Wimbledon earlier – maybe they were on a court that had already seen all the action as I know Novak Djokovic was still on Centre at that time, but you could tell who were the first time visitors as they attempted to work out which platform to be on to get back to Central London. I must admit when The Love and I went to Wimbledon in 2013, it was a good move to stay in Croydon and get the tram, much easier, much less hassle, and cheaper hotels too at the time which was a definite bonus all round. I do now have the closing theme BBC use (Sporting Occasion by Arnold Steck) in my head, so that is tune of the day.
Sunday 6th July – Lando Time
It was good to be able to have a little lie in today and to be able to take some time to relax with some telly before The Love In My Heart had a bigger lie in, with Brian the cat purring with contentment by her side – he loves a good lie in with his Mummy, that’s for definite. We did though have some lovely breakfast, bacon, sausages, eggs, hash brown, mushrooms and toast. Just the perfect start to the day and one where we would have some quiet time in before heading out later for tea. And there was a very good reason for that – the British Grand Prix, and on proper telly as it’s the one race a year Channel 4 get to do live.
Naturally for me this was manna from heaven, and The Love is quite a fan of the F1 these days (more so since we’ve got together, and of course we did Monaco in 2012) so I was able to relax with a coffee and see some of the build up happening. What I was not missing was the fact that it was raining, and pretty heavily too, so that did mean it would be a real contrast of conditions to try and overcome. I did think that might prove to be a good leveller as the likes of Lewis Hamilton are really good in changeable conditions so even if you don’t have the fastest car (and Ferrari do not always these days) then the driver skill and judgement calls may make up well here.
The race got underway, with intermediate tyres on everyone, but the likes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc gambling to go to slicks straight off. That didn’t pay off initially but the track was drying out a little, although the final sector was still lethal and that did catch some drivers out with how wet it still was. The rain forecast came in for more heavier rain and those that had stayed on intermediates and didn’t need to pit straight off were at a good advantage, avoiding multiple stops and only taking the next set of intermediates once the rain stated to go again. Huge receipients of this were Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg, who catapulted up the order – and this despite Sauber wanting Nico to come in, he said no, and was proved right.
The rain did get really heavy, with visibility being difficult, and this resulted in Isack Hadjar being punted at Copse and off, so the safety car was operational. When it came down to a restart after the safety car, the leader Oscar Piastri braked a bit too quickly causing Max Verstappen to take avoiding action, and then as they came round Stowe, Max spun. Regardless, as soon as I saw that sudden braking, I straight away said to The Love “He’s going to get a 10 second penalty for that!” and so was proved correct. Data later showed that he braking was way more severe than say George Russell in Canada (and in that case the safety car light was still on) and that did not help. Granted, Oscar was a bit narked, but, unfortunately, those are the rules.
Naturally that did mean that once the next round of pit stops would take place (or if they stayed in position) that should mean Lando Norris would be in front, as it proved to be after the pit stops with Piastri serving the time penalty. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg had passed Lance Stroll and was now third in a podium spot, and held off Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari that was skittish to say the least. Hamilton pitted, came back out and soon realised it was too soon for slicks, and Hulkenberg switched spot on, and came out well ahead of Hamilton. As much as I was pleased for Lando Norris to win his home race (yes Lando, yes!) I was also super happy for Nico Hulkenberg to get a fully deserved podium in third – he made the right calls at the right time and drove well – keeping it on the island as they say, and had good pace too. The British crowd loved it too and gave him lots of cheers, and some chanting his name as he got to parc fermé. Super pleased for him – his first podium in 239 starts, but so well deserved, and a well liked driver amongst fans generally.
But yes, Lando Norris winning was really good, and made it for me. The fact he could now realise just how much Lewis Hamilton loved it when he won here multiple times, and with the LandoStand near Stowe corner, a massive bank of fans cheering him on. I do kind of wish Channel 4 had introduced things with The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (forever the proper F1 theme for me and tune of the day because of it) but also because it would have given us a nice warm vibe to think of the late great Murray Walker and how much he would have absolutely loved commentating on this one. Imagine him now: “And Lando Norris wins the Britjsh Grand Prix! Faaaaaaaaaaantastic” – along with “Well done Nico Hulkenberg, you are on the podium! What a great drive!” – oh, I do miss Murray in moments like this.
Saturday 5th July – Solemn Moments
This day (and in fact the whole weekend) was always going to be a difficult one for me. It is usually when I try to be away on holiday and primarily to escape, so I don’t have to think too much about what it represents. However, for this year, with it being an anniversary of sorts, I felt it right that I was here and to be able to pay my respects to some people who are no longer with me that have had a considerable (and positive) effect on my life. The Love In My Heart is always really supportive on this and knows that this is something that I need to do on my own and have my own space for – she always respects this and for that (as well as many many other reasons) I love her dearly.
So after getting myself up and ready this morning, it was off on two buses and to the cemetery. The second bus as it turned out was on diversion, which I later saw the reason why – a right turn at a set of lights was blocked by roadworks, meaning traffic could only go left there, and that would affect the route even more. As it was, it did mean a little bit of a longer walk, but no bad thing. I got to the cemetery, and sat on the bench close to where I needed to be. And admittedly, I did cry. I just felt that it was a real sense of sadness but also I needed to be respectful too, and that did feel solemn as I just paused there and thought about all sorts.
But perhaps most importantly of all, it was thinking about the good times that we had shared – the many days out, the camaraderie, the kindness, and above all else the support and encouragement I had ben given over the years to make me the better person I try to be today. It is not always easy and I think that sometimes you almost need to take a step back, pause, think and then act rather than go all gung ho and realise that you have made an error which makes things worse later on. Above all else, the calm kind nature of this person was one that influenced me, and continues to do so, even to this day.
Naturally I did feel a little tearful but I thought a good breakfast and a chance to sit and pause would do me well – and so that proved. I got a nice bacon roll with an egg on too and some hash browns, along with a coffee, and that just meant I could stare out of the window and watch the world go by. It was much needed to be honest, and a good reset and to get those feelings vented before I went on holiday, so I would feel at ease and at one with myself. That isn’t always easy of course, but I did know that it was good to be able to go and do the right thing, and be alone with my thoughts before others would come along later and pay their respects too. As such today, there is no tune of the day as I didn’t think that would be right.
I did venture through Manchester city centre on the way back to The Love’s place, and it was a nice refresh to think about holiday and get a couple of things. I used my gift card for TK Maxx and got this really nice ringer t-shirt in a navy blue, along with some new trainer socks to fit (and not show) when out and about with shorts on during the hopefully warm days. And in fact, I also got some shorts too – this time in H&M, which were a nice striped pair that looked the part , and as I noted later, fitted pretty well too. Always good to see that the size quoted on the size guide is actually the right one and makes more sense.
The Love and I did head up to see her sister later on which was nice to sit in their back garden and just relax with a coffee, and later on in the afternoon we headed back into the city centre and into Seven Bro7ers Beerhouse for a quiet drink, and that was just nice to be able to rest and recuperate a little and be together too. In fact, when we got back Brian the cat must have sensed something because he let me give him a little fuss and some cuddles, which was nice. See, he does love me occasionally when he feels like it. We did relax in the evening and I had some nice salmon with potatoes and vegetables for tea, so that felt good to be able to use that up and have something nice and relatively healthy too.