What the people of San Sebastián reminded me about life

...a love letter to doing things differently, on simplicity, and pintxos!

San Sebastián is also known by the bilingual name Donostia and to rightly credit the Basque people, I will refer to it as such from this point onwards.

This post could merely be a summary of all the delicious things we ate and drank across four days in Donostia (and Biarritz too!), however, you can basically find all that over on instagram (under ‘San Sebastian’ highlights).

Instead, I want to reflect here on what I noticed, and what felt starkly different, whilst walking the streets of Donostia.

A welcome ‘culture-shock’ of sorts, but actually more of a firm reminder about how life can/could actually be. Of ways of living, that I realise have become rare in a place like London, in 2025.

So, here’s what I noticed …

1. Orange juice that is freshly squeezed using local oranges is in fact…THE BEST. Why did I forget this? And why did I ever start drinking juice out of cartons?

2. Everyone walks at a slower pace, and not in an ‘I’m dawdling to be annoying’, or the arrogant ‘I’ll go at the pace that I want and you’ll get bottlenecked behind me’ vibe, or the ‘I’m too busy staring down at my phone to give a toss that I am slowing you down’. No, none of this. The entire pace of walking of locals is just… slower. They are still walking with intention, purpose and without distraction, but slowly. The fast walker in me, thought I might not cope, but actually it was relaxing. Even just to watch.

3. See above. I also did not see people glued to their phone screens whilst in the street, even teenagers. No one was walking around whilst scrolling endlessly or listening to Tiktoks/reels on loud '(*sigh*). In fact, not that many people on local transport even had their phones out. People who recognised each other, were actually chatting (LIVE, people!) on the bus. I even saw strangers chatting. In fact, the only people with phones out a lot were lost tourists, like us, looking at Google maps.

4. People actually care. Ergo, the numerous people that jumped up on a local bus to help a disabled lady safely navigate her power chair when disembarking. Or the groups of locals camped out in squares, all chatting and looking after each other’s children, after morning coffees or mass.

5. Hospitality staff will tell you straight if you have ordered like an idiot (surprisingly easy to do as visitors) and I am here for that upfront honesty. A staff member in one of the places we ate actually told us we had ordered too much. Too much. Lifesaver. We had in fact… ordered too much. She saved us from sore bellies!

6. We were not rushed out of any restaurant or cafe or bar after 1.5 hours or an ‘allotted’ timeslot, there was no pressure to leave (or stay). Everyone just seemed much more chill and hospitable.

7. People (particularly those over say 50 years old) take dressing very seriously, even just for a short walk to the bakery, quick nip to the produce shop, or to walk the dogs. I’m talking nice trousers, blazers, silk scarves, leather shoes, crisp shirts. Heck, I saw the cutest elderly man (multiple times) wearing a three piece suit on this daily dog walk. Locals take pride in dressing well, but not in a way that feels ‘put on’, or superficial or fake. It just is what you do. They are stylish people who look after themselves. In fact, I love Europeans for this and have noticed a similar thing in Italy and France previously. When I dress like this in London, I often feel awkward and overdressed, but alas I need to remember my European roots. My life goal is to be as stylish in my 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s as the women of Donostia seem to be. My 87 year old Italian Nonna, will always be my number one style icon.

8. People shop at the butchers, fresh produce store, fishmongers and bakeries, and go frequently, so things are fresh, instead of doing a ‘big shop’ in a supermarket. Fresh produce seemed to be loose and largely not wrapped in plastic either, and there were many, many food stores dotted around. It seemed easier to shop this way, not harder. I also imagine this means that you get to know all the store owners and their staff too, as a repeat customer. A sense of community, but also knowing where your food comes from. In fact, all-in-one huge supermarkets, didn’t seem to exist as much, at least that we saw in the inner city parts. I miss this. In London, it feels like an expensive trek to shop this way, at least in most areas I have lived in.

So, thank you, to the people of Donostia, for treating us to the best four days, with the utmost kindness and respect (including being encouraging of our frankly awful Spanish and Basque!). We will be back.

Also, shout out to the lovely shop owner at Cabo Rojo store, who was so lovely and helpful in spite of my poor Spanish speaking skills, when I was buying a pair of shoes (handmade in Spain). Great hospitality and respect knows no language barriers, really.

Have a great weekend.

Camilla x