Only a scenic bus ride away, the welcoming shores of San Sebastian did not disappoint. A highly French-inspired town, San Sebastian was built around a river that led to the Atlantic Ocean. Mangel, our fantastic tour guide, made another appearance as she guided us through the first few hours in the town. We stopped to admire the central bridge with its famous dragon icons and the cool water that ran beneath it. Briefly, we stopped into Cathedral Buen Pastor, or The Cathedral of the Good Shepard. It was a beautiful structure with monuments to the left and right for Mary and Jesus, respectively. I had the honor of attending the end of the Mass. I intended to stay longer, but the group had to keep moving, and thus so did I. We walked along the boardwalk, passing to admire the coast with France itself visible from the highest view in town. The French coast was in my sights! Following more touring and admiring the French-inspired architecture, I was intrigued to find the oldest building in town, which dated back to the tenth century. A quick stop for pintxos (a quintessential theme of the trip) and souvenir shopping prepared us for the rest of the full day. Before we left San Sebastian, I revisited the Cathedral of the Good Shepard and offered prayers and took time to take pictures of the interior.
Before we headed home for the day, we stopped at the beaches of Zumaia, where rocky structures known as flysches defined the sharp, stony shore. I was thrilled to find a few seashells that will be returning with me to America and probably sand that will still be stuck in my shoe for a while :).