A day in San Sebastian

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Experience in San Sebastian, Spain

A day in San Sebastian

Though not many people are familiar with Basque country, it harbors some of Spain’s most special treasures.

San Sebastian, one of my favorite cities in Europe, is one of them.

Best known as having the highest concentration of Michelin stars per square kilometer in all of Europe, this city is a foodie’s dream.

That’s a pretty impressive stat for a place that shares a continent with France and Italy!

The fine dining scene is accompanied by Pintxos culture (pronounced peen-cho). Pintxos are small bar snacks, similar to tapas, that are typically skewered to a piece of bread with a toothpick.

To wash it all that food down, try some of Basque Country’s famous cider; a light apple-based alcoholic beverage typically served straight from the barrel.

But, there’s more to San Sebastian than food and drinks: beaches, architecture, museums, shopping, and beautiful vistas.

Start your day with a view by taking the 100-year-old funicular up to Monte Igeldo.

Then head back down to hit the beach you were just admiring — La Concha, the most famous beach in San Sebastian.

People watch, enjoy the water, swim out to the floating slides, and walk down the promenade; maybe stopping to grab some lunch on the water.

After you’ve had your fix of sunshine, you can head into town to shop or simply admire the city’s architecture.

You’ll likely have worked up an appetite — It’s time for Pintxos!

They won’t be hard to find. If you see a place with trays on the counter filled with mountains of skewered snacks, you’ve hit the jackpot.

Bop in and out of a few places and try some different options to see what you like.

That’ll hold you over until dinner, where you’ll have your pick of the finest restaurant scene in Europe.

And don’t forget the cider!

Weekly Write-up

Trial and Error

Trial and error is a concept most of us first learn about in school.

It’s the process of trying a bunch of random stuff and failing along the way until you get to an answer that satisfies you.

This concept has a negative connotation.

If you resorted to trial and error at school, you likely had no understanding of what you were supposed to be learning, didn’t study the material, or some combination of both.

Trial and error was never the best option.

But in the real world, where no one really knows what they’re doing anyway, I’d argue it is the best we have.

I read this interesting piece recently by Jason Fried (linked here).

In it, he gives an example and poses a question:

“Give me two people — Person A has spent two years in business school studying how to start a business that doesn’t yet exist. Person B has never set foot in business school, but has been running their own business for two years.

Who has the advantage in year three?”

Most people would likely choose Person B.

As Yogi Berra said, “In theory, there is no difference between practice and theory. In practice, there is.”

You can read and study all you want, but that’s nothing compared to the learning that comes from doing the real thing.

Plus, trying new things is a great way to learn more about yourself.

Whether it’s travel, business, or everyday life, experimentation means making the most of your precious time here.

If trying new things makes you anxious, think about it this way: you’ll likely regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.

Airplane Content

If you haven’t read any of Tim Urban’s work, I’d encourage you to check it out. He has become well-known for using simple drawings and analogies to complement his writing. This piece is a perfect example — a great explainer on why we should stop caring about what people think and why we do in the first place.

AI Travel Art Piece of the Week

Here’s a wombat enjoying a drink on a cruise.

Cheers ‘til next week,

T.O.