The emblematic railing of La Concha beach
"The incomparable setting". At some point someone pronounced these three words that bring together the essence, topic and personality of Donostia - San Sebastián.
I don't know who did it, but I do know the exact coordinates in which it had to be done: 43°19'03″N 1°59'12″W or, what is the same, the railing of La Concha beach.
There is no more beautiful place in the whole country (no, there isn't) and this is a guide to enjoy it, like important things, very seriously. San Sebastian word.
La Concha is the perfect postcard. It's the smell of saltpeter, it's the children playing beach soccer, it's the ladies who bathe stoically every day of the year.
the perfect postcard
the shell is the place of the television direct of the news, is the view of Santa Clara Island, is the fireworks in August, the blue and white canopies, and the head jumps from the gabarrón.
the shell is the reason why an orange juice has the price of champagne in any bar in the city, even if it doesn't have a view. It is a toll and a pearl at the same time.
It is the homesickness of donostiarras around the world and the photo of the tourists. It really is authentic.
IN DATA
La Concha is not the only beach in San Sebastián (there are two others, Ondarreta and La Zurriola ), but it is the most iconic. Measure 1,350 meters, from the Pico del Loro to the footbridge of the Club Náutico, but disappear several times a day (a whim that causes the tide) .
It is decorated by a legendary railing, built in 1910 by the architect Juan Rafael Alday and that King Alfonso XIII himself inaugurated in 1916.
This happened because then San Sebastian was the holiday retreat of royalty and aristocracy, It was the belle époque.
La Concha is capricious and disappears several times a day
So symbolic is the railing that this year 225 sections have been drawn: it had to be changed for a new one but the people of San Sebastian are unable to send it to the scrapyard. Nostalgia is a very own feeling.
The queens of Hollywood also passed by this beach. Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve.
Also Rita Hayworth she fell in love with the city and legend has it that San Sebastián responded to the actress by creating for her the simplest and most famous snack to this day: the gilda, the perfect pintxo.
Also to Ernest Hemingway he liked La Concha beach, with “smooth, firm, yellow sand, warm to the touch of the feet,” he said.
They say that in the 1920s he would dive into La Concha and then drink a lemon granita and double whiskey with soda. A custom (to enjoy a drink without excuses) very Donostiarra, topic that we will address later.
THE PHOTO
There are infinite frames that delight Instagram, but if what you want is the effigy photo, you need them to come out three elements: the railing, the island and the sea. Without filters.
FOOD
Food is a very serious subject. , even when one goes to spend a day at the beach.
The shrimp pintxo, a classic from Narru
So much so that on foot from the promenade one can take a grilled shrimp pintxo on concassé tomato, pine nuts and romescu sauce –for example– while enjoying the views, in the Naru.
And we are only talking about the bar, the restaurant on the ground floor is one of the most serious gastronomic stops in the city: proof of this is the baby squid, pocha cream and roasted tomato.
The dessert is also very tempting (look at the brioche torrija with butter, cream and ice cream). The coffee, however, must be taken right in front, in the Shell Cafe, enjoying of the perfect postcard of summer at your feet.
DINNER
He said Dumas that dinner is the main act of the day and that it can only be carried out in a dignified manner by diners with ingenuity and humour... If the French novelist were to set foot in San Sebastian today, he would add an exact location and an eager palate.
The site, ** Bokado ** _(Plaza Jaques Cousteau 1, at the end of the port, in the Aquarium building) _; the chef, Mikel Santamaria; and the plate could be a hake loin with kokotxas and clams or a Roasted black monkfish with mojo de carabineros.
The policemen of Bokado: another story
THE CUP
Drinking is also a matter that requires use and enjoyment, and for this it is ** Gu ,** located on the top floor of the Yacht Club, which is at the same time cocktail bar, gastrobar and disco, with another impressive panoramic view of the bay. A place where locals and foreigners come together.
BED
Lie down to the sound of the waves at La Concha beach It is a pleasure that everyone, locals and tourists, should enjoy at least once in their lives.
The London and England hotel has four stars and the most beautiful panoramic view of the city. There is only one photograph that surpasses the one of the La Concha railing and that is the one of the bay from above.
THE MOST IMPORTANT
The shell is enjoyed in summer and in winter, with sun and with rain. Living San Sebastian means embracing sunny days and enjoying the beach in a sweater when it cools down.
Sleep listening to the waves and wake up with La Concha as a backdrop