San Sebastian – Basque Country – Spain Sanse or Donostia is a pristine beach resort. There are two beaches right next to each other: La Concha and La Perla. They are golden sands with a turquoise, clear ocean where children and dogs frolick happily while parents bake in the sun. For women. Going topless is no big deal and women of all ages sit or lie nonchalantly bare breasted and I saw no males ogling – it all seems just normal here. There are Pitxos (tapas Basque style) with a lot of dried beef but also good seafood – mariscos. I had 4 pitxos with two glasses of wine for about 8 euros which I thought was a good price. Sanse is a gourmet town and is said to have the best food in Spain. This is a perfect place – a “pearl” for a seaside visit for families and couples – as a solo traveller it was just fine I enjoyed my time there. There is a funicular railway that goes up Mt Igelda and right next to the harbour is a hill on which a Christ monument soars high over the area. There was a British standoff here a few hundred years ago and there are remains of a cemetery up there. Great views of the area. Sanse is a gem for beach life and its a classy little town for sure but I had enough in 2 days.....it's a bit of a snob = there is a big rivalry with Bilbao an hour's busride away. There was great joy in Sanse when Barcaleno beat Bilbao in a match earlier this week. Bilbao I was told there wasn't much in Bilbao except Frank Ghery's incredible Guggenheim Museum. I found that not to be the case and I liked Bilbao a lot. It is a city that blends the old with the new very well. It's a bit seedy, ethnically vibrant and has a working-class vibe I liked. It has the old town and the downtown and the seedy neighbourhoods too – it felt like people lived here. It hand an energy lacking in Sanse or maybe Sanse is just so laid back that it doesn't have to do much... Of course my big thrill was going to the Guggenheim – it was everything I expected and more. I was told that the architecture was great but that there wasn't much inside. I discovered there was a David Hockney exhibition – brilliant and vibrant Yorkshire man who had flavours of Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne melded with Hockney's own vibrant palette of purples, reds and burnt orange. I was very impressed by his love of trees and the changing landscape and environment. I could easily live with any of his paintings and never be bored. The building is an endless swaying, glossy titanium rectangles whose shape changes with the refracted light as it moves through the day. It is spectacular, magnificent and vibrant building. I could have spent days walking around it at different times of day witnessing its ever changing visage. Everyone should see this building – there is nothing else like it in this world = space-age and futuristic. It is a brilliant piece of art just by itself. Bilbao is in process of redoing its harbour side and in the not so distant future you will be able to walk along its sidewalk and enjoy the approaching glistening edifice of the Guggenheim, Bilbao.