We change the courtesy flag to Spanish and Basque combination and cross the River Bidasoa to Hondarribia in Spain. The old French flag starts to look rather bleached after a year in the bright sun and it has served us well since we crossed the English channel last year.

The Hondarribia marina is also big and modern. Half price, great location and friendly, English speaking staff. The city beach is just around the corner and just next to the city. We go to explore and take a Pinxtos break at the central San Pedro Street with its restaurants and bars. There is the Hondarribia Blues Festival going on so music is played on the streets and the big scene down at the harbour making the day even better.

We take a walk up to the old town with a great view over the bay. The impressive but rather unromantic castle of Charles V looks out over the river and the bay and must have had a perfect strategic location. We take some time to wander around in the narrow streets with its shops, restaurants and bars before we return down to the Marina district with its brightly coloured fisherman houses. The evening is spent on the town with music and a lot of people in the streets.

I go up early to get us some bread and I notice that we now have moved from sleepy France to Spain with its late habits. The streets are filled with people looking for some place to go after the last bar has closed at seven, some to cafes, some kiss and hug and others take a morning swim.

It is Jessica’s birthday and we have decided to celebrate it in San Sebastian. It is some hours away and people have told us that we probably would not get space in the small harbour. We therefore leave Melody in the marina, rent an apartment and take the bus. The apartment is located in the Gros district with a ten-minute walk down to the old town and the city beach Playa de la Concha. As expected, San Sebastian is beautiful with its semi-circled beach and an old town sitting at the foot of the mountain rising high above it crowned with a fortress and a statue of Jesus.

On Instagram, I have noticed that an old friend and colleague is in San Sebastian so we meet together in the old town. As usual, it is good to meet with old friends and meeting them abroad is even better. We spend a nice afternoon talking of old times and our travel plans.

We re-join Alexander and Jessica who gets a birthday balloon before we enjoy the sunset and then go to old town for a nice dinner and a walk through the beautiful old town.

The next morning, it is time for some running again. The plan is to go up to the fort and have a look out over the town. The road up the mountain is steep so this is good exercise. Well up on top, the view is stunning. As I know that the others will sleep, I stay on this spot, find a corner of the fortress for myself, enjoy the view and reflect about life. I feel extremely energized and filled with energy as I come back to the apartment to join the others.

We leave our luggage in the train station and go for a nice Pinxtos lunch in the old town. As I descibed the view from the mountain, we all climb up the steep slopes and enjoy the views before heading back to Hondarribia.

Early in the morning, we steam out of the harbour and set sail towards Bilbao. The weather is nice and we have a nice sunset in our backs. The wind increases and we need to go down one reef outside San Sebastian. We get good speed in modest seas. The coast is beautiful with the mountains with its green sides coming down into the sea.

We reach Bilbao in the late afternoon and check into the modern Getxo marina. This is one of the three marinas located in the big Bilbao port with a restaurant complex connected to it. Bilbao is a half-hour Metro ride so we decide to check up the old parts of Getxo instead. This turns out to be a good decision as the small but beautiful old village is climbing up a steep hill overlooking the old port. A good photographer with patience could make good posters and postcards here. Narrow streets and two neighbouring restaurants on a small garden. We sit down in the garden and enjoy this secluded area of the world.

Next day is Bilbao expedition. But first I jump into the running shoes and run out to the lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour. With its hills, it is a good exercise and, as usual, I stay out longer than I thought from the beginning. The fresh morning air, nice views, solitude and thought process fills me with energy and on the way back I manage to get some fresh bread as well.

We take the Metro into the town and land in the bustling capital of Basque. We head for the Guggenheim museum and spend some hours in this futuristic building. As usual, no photos is allowed so I only have a picture from the interior to get a grasp. The building in itself is just as interesting as the art.

After a shopping break, we continue down to the old town with its narrow streets filled with restaurants and bars. We are getting spoiled with these picturesque settings so we return to the more restaurant district and have a nice dinner before returning to Getxo.

We go up early in the morning as Jessica and Alexander needs to catch a flight at nine after three weeks at the boat. It feels sad to see them leave but we have had a great time and experienced a lot. Birgitta and I return to Bilbao where she digs one level deeper into the shops and I take a more relaxed tour into the old city soaking up the atmosphere. We meet later and go down to the Plaza Nuevo to have some Pinxtos and relax.