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San Sebastián - Donostia

	Location The Native Language The beaches The Old Town : la Parte Vieja International arts events The dance The Basque cuisine The gastronomic clubs

Location

It is located in the north of Spain in the province of Guipuzcoa and in the Basque country region.

The Native Language

Their native language is the "Vascuence" or "Euskera" that is a very ancient language and there are many different theories about its origins.

The beaches

The Basque country is full of cliffs broken by rocky coves, rias, and wide bays with beaches of fine yellow sand. San Sebastián is known by the name of Donostia in Euskera and it is the most elegant holiday resort in the Basque country, it is situated around an amazing horseshoe bay of golden sandy beaches. This bay is called the Concha (shell) of San Sebastián.

The Old Town : la Parte Vieja

The old town of San Sebastián is called the Parte Vieja and it is located between the bay and the river Urumea. The area is packed with restaurants and tapas bars that are very lively at night until late. In the centre of the old town is the Constitución Square. The architecture in San Sebastián in general is beautiful as well as its three very popular beaches:

• The beach of Ondarreta
• The beach of La Concha
• The beach of La Zurriola

The two first beaches are both separated by a rocky outcrop and between them is the Miramar Castle, a beautiful piece of architecture with an impressive view.

International arts events

The city hosts international arts events like:

• The jazz festival in July
• A classical musical festival in late August
• The San Sebastián International Film Festival in September (Spain's premier film festival).

The Semana Grande in August is a week festival focused on traditional Basque Folk culture.

The dance

Dance is very traditional in the Basque country, especially in the province of Guipuzcoa (Gipuzkoa, in Euskera). They are group dances and can be seen on the festivals of the cities and towns.

The Basque cuisine

Basque cuisine is exquisite and well-known, one of the most complete and varied cuisine of the world. It is especially good in fish, and many different types of fish are cooked and prepared in many different ways. Some typical Basque dishes are: Txangurro: Hake in green sauce, also called "hake in the Basque style" (merluza a la vasca). Txangurro relleno (filled): Spider Crab, with the meat stuffed into the shell and cooked au gratin. Angulas: Elvers cooked lightly with oil, garlic and chilli. There are also many different ways of preparing cod fish, this is one of them, Bacalao a la Vizcaina: codfish salted and dried cooked with onions, tomatoes and tomato sauce. To go with these dishes, Guipuzcoa or Gipuzkoa produces an excellent white wine called txakoli, a bit bitter.

The gastronomic clubs

The gastronomic clubs are very characteristic of the gastronomy in San Sebatián. Many Basque men in San Sebastián are members of these clubs where they gather together to eat, drink, cook and talk. Women rarely go.

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