The arrow on my map app is pointing to the left. I look up and see it’s the garage of a bus line and currently not open to the public. I turn around and start going back to where I came from. The arrow starts blinking furiously at me, as if reprimanding me for not following directions properly. The truth is, I simply don’t have the skill to follow a moving map.
How did I end up here, at the top of San Sebastian? I look around and realize I’m almost surrounded by houses and trees. Am I on my way up to Mount Ulia? My app can’t tell me as it appears to have frozen.
WTF. I don’t have an internet connection.
Just a few minutes ago, I confidently stepped onto a bus at a stop near the Kursaal Center. My plan was to get off at the promenade and enjoy the famous San Sebastian sunset before heading back to my hotel somewhere at the center of town.
I have been enjoying this quaint coastal town for the past three days, as many holiday-makers have done for over 150 years. Ever since Queen Isabella II chose it as her summer residence in the mid-19th century to escape the Madrid heat—followed later by Queen Maria Cristina—San Sebastian has been a premier destination for royalty and holiday-seekers from both Spain and across Europe. People keep coming back here for its Belle Époque architecture, its world-renowned culinary scene, and that rare, perfect blend of elegant city life right on the edge of nature.
I am in town myself for the San Sebastian International Film Festival, something I have always dreamed of. In fact, I just came from a film screening and have decided to explore a bit.
But I must have missed a turn. Because instead of the promenade, the bus started ascending the mountainside—somewhere unfamiliar.
And now, here I am. In a deserted street.
I am completely lost.
I feel like a character in a vampire film, and the only thing between me and certain death is the sun. The sun pleasantly setting across the sea.
It is around 5pm and the sun is beginning to cover everything in beautiful golden light. From where I stand, I can see the peaceful Cantabrian Sea. All of a sudden, the panic slowly fades away, replaced by something more… familiar. I feel joy, as if I just arrived home.
After a while, I see a car parking not so far away. A man alights and I half-run, half-walk towards him. What a sight I must be, almost like a stalker or a serial killer. It’s a good thing he’s busy unloading his things and does not see me approach.
What follows is a clumsy, charades-type conversation. With my non-existent Spanish and his lack of English, we rely entirely on exaggerated hand gestures, pointed fingers, and desperate facial expressions. I mimic the rolling waves of the beach; he mimics walking downhill. Finally, a spark of recognition lights up his face. He laughs warmly, points over the ridge, and maps out the path with a sweeping gesture of his arm.
Following his pantomimed directions, I head back down the hillside where the bus stop is. Watching the golden light hit the water, I finally understand why people have sought this place out for generations. San Sebastian has a way of capturing you—whether you are finding your way through its historic streets, or happily losing yourself above them. –XX
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Interested in Spain? Read some of my articles from the archives!
Notes on the Camino Ignaciano: Communing with Nature at the Aizkorri-Artz Natural Park
Tren Al Andalus: The Palace on Wheels
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