San Sebastian, or Donostia to the local Basque people, is located on the Bay of Biscay on Spain's northern coast, with breath-taking views of green hills and winding coastlines in a region that is a true gourmet’s paradise. During our stay, however, we were treated to the region's renowned weather conditions and the town lived up to its reputation as being the rainiest in Spain. The Basque Country has a unique culture that does not seem to fit the typical image of Spain. Its distinctive geography of rugged mountains and jagged coastlines has made it difficult for invaders throughout history. Although the Romans did reach the area, the ethnic Basques—who can trace their roots in the region back to Neolithic times—managed to keep most of their heritage and culture intact. Neither Latin nor Arabic had any influence on the Basque language and many locals speak Basque rather than Spanish. The Basques therefore have a unique language—Euskera—that is unrelated to any other spoken in Europe, or indeed the world. One hypothesis is that the Basque language is of Caucasian origin, theorising that it and the languages of the Caucasus may be directly related, explaining why they share some linguistic typologies absent in the Indo-European languages. However, the mainstream theory is that the Basque language developed over the millennia entirely in the north of the Iberian Peninsula and the south of France, but it has not yet been possible to prove any kind of relationship between it and other modern languages in other regions. The coastal town of San Sebastian was already a resort for Spanish royals in the 19th century and nowadays has turned into the place with the highest number of Michelin star restaurants per square kilometre in the world! Today the town, home to the freshest and best seafood in Spain, counts seventeen Michelin-star restaurants. The town is particularly famous for the local specialty ‘pintxos’, the Basque answer to tapas… read more