Our kids were the only ones in the water when we arrived at the beach the first morning. Probably because it was raining and while we dressed them in bathing suits we only figured we'd be wading. But the bay was warm (like bathwater warm) and they were wet within seconds anyway so what did it really matter. And they had a lot of fun--so much fun that other people began to drift down to do some swimming nearby. We lasted for a couple hours that day and then it turned into a serious downpour and it was time to leave. Still, that beach morning showed us just how great a week in San Sebastian could be (for when we win the lottery some day). Apparently the water is only warm enough to swim in from mid-June to early September but people still come in droves. Spanish royalty of the 19th century made San Sebastian (or Donostia in Basque) its summer retreat and you can see why with its protected beaches and clear water. We also happened across a big boat race and watched them load and ready themselves while people lined the piers to cheer on their favorite towns' crews as they raced out (and in) across the bay.
And just so you don't think we were living it up in some fancy hotel that made San Sebastian seem better than it really was, here's a photo of our hotel's "breakfast room" with its grotesque clown faces. What you can't see here is the horrific stench in Ed/Nate's room; when Ed asked what could be done, they replied "it's quite normal when it rains" despite the fact that no one else's room had the ammonia/urine reek. No matter. San Sebastian still shines for the Stackler*Williams family.
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