October 1st – Day 7 – Part 2
One of my main draws to San Sebastian was the giant statue of Jesus on a hill overlooking La Concha Bay. The view sounded incredible in my travel guide, and I am always down for a hike.
After eating my first full meal in over 4 days, I ventured up toward the statue.
Visiting a new country, and a new culture, I began to appreciate the subtle differences from area to area. The sea air in Spain differed from the heavy mist over much of Northern France for example.
The buildings were colored brightly, giving the area a more optimistic tone then the dull grays found in a lot of French architecture.
The whole area, and much of my backpacking trip was very reminiscent of Super Nintendo RPG Secret of Mana in that regard. Every area a new culture, and a new outlook on the world. Also, yes, I am aware of how geeky that reference makes me look.
October 1st is the cutoff day marking the end of the tourist season in much of Europe. Hostels tend to be cheaper after that date, but parks and some businesses tend to close earlier as well. The park and hiking path weren’t particularly crowded, so I was able to explore everything at my leisure. The sign to the left of the gate on the above picture signified the changing open and close times of the park effective on October 1st.
As I passed an elementary school on the way up the path toward the statue, I noticed this big white dog walking around the park. Like any other self respecting fan of Air Bud, I tried calling the dog over to pet it. It looked adorable with it’s white fur, bloodshot eyes, and foaming mouth.
After analyzing the above statement, I realized the dog probably had rabies. It was walking toward me at kind of a high speed, so I did what I could to take a different path. Finally, as it was approaching me, I found an old set of stairs leading up toward the statue. The stairs were half collapsed, and they must have been a few hundred years old, but the dog had no interest in climbing a hill after me, so I kept on my way.
Eventually, the stairs dead ended at a solid wall of granite, so I decided to shimmy across a precarious ledge, and crawl up a steep hill to reach the peak of the mountain. My temporary study abroad health insurance was still in effect, so I figured it’d be okay to risk an accidental 50 foot cliff dive onto gravel for a slight detour.
I was unaware before attempting the hike, but the Jesus statue rested on an old military fortification, and the area was covered in small brick buildings.
This cannon was completely devoid of any treasure.
There was a free museum inside the main fortress. I perused it for a little while and it contain uniforms and armaments from San Sebastian’s past, but I was running out of daylight, and I really wanted to see the view from the top of the mountain.
The Jesus Statue, and the area around it were about as awe inspiring as I expected. A couple in their twenty’s watched me record the above video, and they helped take any of the third person shots you see in this entry.
Moments like this really made the student loan debt worth it. Standing an a mountain top, overlooking a town you are probably mispronouncing, in a country you’d only seen in pictures prior to that day. It’s humbling, and I suggest everyone do it.
An island sat in the middle of the bay. I wasn’t sure of it’s significance, and it seemed like boat’s weren’t running to it this time of year, but it would have made for a fun adventure I am sure.
I love old architecture, because it helps you get kind of an anthropological look at the people who lived before you. This staircase in particular was very narrow. At 5’11″ and 125lbs I am a skinny person, but it was difficult even for me to get through.
After exploring the fortress, I took a nap on a nearby bench on top of the mountain. The rabid dog from earlier wandered toward me as I was waking up, but I had noticed some of the locals openly playing with it, so I wasn’t too worried about my safety. I am mostly gristle anyway.
After another few hours wandering through the park, I headed back to the hostel. Elizabeth invited me to a night exploring the town’s Tapas bars, and I was excited to eat whatever type of food that entailed.
[...] I explored the grounds around the giant Jesus statue / fortress overlooking San Sebastian, I noticed a few things of [...]