Lunch In San Sebastian

We rented a roomy Skoda sedan at the Bilbao Airport (which looks a lot like the Milwaukee Art Museum, also designed by the budget-busting architect Santiago Calatrava). I got to take the wheel for our entire road trip because I was the only one of us who knew how to use a stick shift.

We stopped to take some pictures on the Bay of Biscay, known for the huge wave swells that strike terror into the hearts of yachtsmen.

Despite arriving just in time for a demonstration, San Sebastian, a beach resort just 12 miles south of the French border, could not have been more picturesque.  Or politically active.

We didn't expect to see palm trees this far north.

City Hall sits right on the water.

A golden statue of Jesus overlooks the harbor.

You can row or kayak your way across it.

I'm going to add carousels to my list of photographic obsessions.  This brightly painted one celebrated mermaids and famous artists.

Here's Dan with the waitress who served us the best lunch of the trip at Gandarias.  Too bad Thom was too sick to join us.  Travel note to self:  always ask the proprietor of the local shop where you dropped a bundle to recommend a place to eat.

The fried anchovies looked so tasty that I dug right in before I remembered to document the dish.

On our way back to the car we passed this shiny Art Nouveau structure.

And walked through a small park with some strange foliage.

Can you develop a crush on a statue?  This one is certainly my type.

After crossing the border into France, we drove a couple of hours east along the northern edge of the Pyrenees to Pau for the night.  Robbie Williams joined us on the i-Pod while Tom puked along the side of the road.  After checking into a hotel, I took a walk and came across this enigmatic water spout.  I can't tell if it's a devil or a lion.