It is no secret that Ross and I love to spend our
free time in nature and hiking is one of our favourite ways to do that. Moving here to Valladolid makes that hobby a
lot more challenging to partake in, and so when the opportunity arises we
cannot pass it up. We had heard there
were some great trails up in San Sebastian so when we could finally find a good
deal on train tickets we were game for an adventure. Despite having to wake up at 515 am to be on
our 630 train we were keen for the day.
The weather forecast was not in our favour but we
figured a little rain wouldn’t hurt us.
I mean we are from Vancouver we have spent many years soaking wet in the
woods. Well it turns out when they said
rain throughout the day what they really meant was all the rain in about five
minutes. We literally got off the train
and after a couple minutes of walking through town the sky opened up and we
were drenched in less than thirty seconds. It was insane. I did not think clouds could hold that much
water! We just laughed it off though and
continued to our trail.
We started at the beach and the path lead us up
some crazy steep stairs and towards the coastal trail. It was gorgeous from the very beginning! Once up the stairs you can turn and look back
and see San Sebastian from above and if you remember from my last blog about
this city it is spectacular! Because of
the ridiculous wind storm that was raging around us the waves in the ocean were
intense and mesmerizing. We were lucky
to have the rain hold off for most of the hike but the wind never let up for a
moment.
We wandered down the trail and through some
lovely fields full of donkeys and roosters.
I just love donkeys. I really
never give them much thought but whenever I see them I feel this connection
with them. I am sure my dad would say it’s
because I am a smart ass (his term of endearment for me) I just think they seem
like such peaceful animals. Ross
patiently stood by as I made friends with every single one of them.
The trail is right along the coast for the majority
of the 7 km so the views are stunning.
The vast ocean stretched out in front of us and a trail along the cliffs
makes for great photos. It felt so good
to be in nature again. It is the thing I
miss most about Canada. Just being in
the woods, smelling the ocean air and feeling the earth beneath my feet. Walking in the city does not compare to
walking in nature. If I could I would
live in the forest.
We were watching the storm out over the ocean and
knew we would be lucky to get through the hike without being rained on again, and
that just made the hike more exciting! As
it turns out we were not lucky. At one
point about ¾ through we found a picnic table and thought it might be a good
time for a snack but about 3 minutes into our bread and hummus the hail
came. Hail! I cant even remember the last time I saw
hail. Yes it was cold and a little scary
but I love being in the middle of such a powerful force. It is exhilarating! Hail turned to rain and we were again soaked.
Once we got near the end of the trail we had to descend
some stairs almost down to sea level and we stood there for quite some time
listening to the waves crashing against the walls of the staircase. We both miss living near the ocean so being
able to feel so close for even a few minutes is bliss.
The trail then turned into a walking path along
the water and lead into a fishing village.
It was much calmer here and the rain had completely stopped. From here we grabbed a bus back into the main
center of San Sebastian and were starved so we grabbed Lunch at Green Break.
Green Break is a vegan restaurant and it is delicious! We had eaten there the last time we were up
visiting the city so I was excited to have lunch there again. Burritos,
burgers, potatos and Raw Spaghetti. Amazing. I wish Valladolid had more options for vegan
food, even more vegetarian options would be awesome. Alas it is what it is so I appreciate the vegan
food when it is available.
We had a few hours before our train home so we
wandered by the beaches and through the city center drinking tea and coffee and
warming up when possible. On our walk
back to the train station we were talking about how we didn’t think we would
dry off before getting the train and of course as luck would have it the sky
opened up just long enough to completely soak us again. So we spent the entire
4 hours back to Valladolid shivering in our seats.
It was a great day and a gorgeous hike. I am so
happy we made it back up to the coast again and were able to see such beautiful
things. As our time comes to and end
here in Spain we are going to attempt to see and do all we can so hopefully some
more great adventures are on the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment