Susan and I spent a beautiful five days in San Sebastian, probably the best 5 days of our Spain / Portugal run. The last day we took a little boat out to an island in the middle of the bay and hiked up the hill, took some beautiful pics and slept in the sun, then came back down and watched the people swimming in the shallows below. Never has there been such an opportunity to compare breasts. Big, small, fake, droopy, wrinkly, pert, the Spanish seem to have no qualms about taking them out.
After San Sebasatian we took a bus (which we nearly missed, despite being there hours early, because we were so intent on playing a game of concentration, naming as many body parts and good looking guys as we could!) to Santiago de Compostella, famous for its cathedral and the supposed burial place of St John. It is another beautiful, old, cobbled city. I'm not sick of them yet. It still feels like yet another lost world for me. There was a fair there, and markets, and lots of (highly talented) street musicians playing all sorts of music, gathered in celebration of their patron saint. We sat out the front of the cathedral one of the nights to listen to a group in medieval costume with guitars and tambours and accordians playing traditional spanish music, which all the crowd seemed to know and sing along and dance to.
After Santiago de Compostella, we headed for Porto in Portugal. Honestly, not heaps to see, quite run down and sleazy guys. But an awesome meal by the river. And we had heaps of fun reading the translated-into-english menus along the river front. My favourite item on one menu was "Breaded with pig guts you frie". MMmmmm. We didn't go to that restaurant, needless to say.
We spent a night in Coimbra. I think the plan was to see the university there or some such stuff, but it was hot, we were tired and the hotel had a bar fridge and english tv, so we didn't see anything. OOps.
We then got down to Lisbon, but the hotel ended up being up about a hundred flights of stairs. Our room did have a really nice view of one of the big squares and a lovely receptionist, and a big tv- bonus. The centre of Lisbon itself I didn't find all that exciting, but just outside of Lisbon is a new development with a huge shopping centre, oceanarium, restaurants, a stadium, a few parks, a cable car and a nice view over the water. It was a really nice area to check out and relax and read the new Harry Potter. Susan and I caught the train out to the beach a couple of times. The water was absolutely freezing. Susan was braver than I and managed to stay in the water, I got in and got straight out again, my skin red and prickling from the cold water. It was definately refreshing after the forty degree heats though.
So that was Spain / Portugal with Susan.
