JULY 2025 · ESCAPE
Independence. San Sebastian
Basque Country, Spain
The contradiction arrived immediately and didn't move. A banner reading 'GAZTEON INDEPENDENTZIA' hung between two Old Town buildings, ikurriña flags strung either side. Beneath it, a door: 'NO SE ADMITE PROPAGANDA.' Tourists sheltered in the shade below, indifferent to both. I photographed the alley from the far end and let the banner sit above them.
The Parte Vieja is dense with this. Basque language on every surface — not as decoration, not for the visitors. The walls read as a political record. On a corner near the waterfront, 'ERREPRESIORIK' was sprayed in red across the rendering. Bins overflowing on the wet pavement below it. The spray-can and the rubbish in the same frame, neither one commenting on the other.
The park had outlasted its own purpose and wasn't moving on.
San Sebastián (Donostia) — July 2025
The sea defence blocks on the waterfront were tagged end to end. The turquoise Atlantic broke behind them. I shot across the concrete, the surf and Santa Clara Island visible above the graffiti — two very different kinds of persistence.
The harbour itself was smaller than the bay implied. Orange rescue boats on the quay, white rendered buildings with green shutters, a blue lighthouse in the distance. A working harbour operating inside an aesthetic that has nothing to do with the independence flags three streets back.
Monte Igueldo was the last thing. The funicular dropped us at an amusement park that has been stopping since some point in the mid-2000s. Green tiled walls in the empty ticket hall. Yellow queue barriers still in position. A board showing the attractions, preserved under glass as if someone expected to reopen. Outside, a concrete toadstool and a gnome figure stood beside a miniature railway track, weathered through several seasons. The park had outlasted its own purpose and wasn't moving on.
Two people sat on a bench nearby, looking out at the bay. They were looking at the water, not at the gnome.
Large Basque independence banner 'GAZTEON INDEPENDENTZIA' with red star hung between Old Town buildings, ikurriña flags, San Sebastián
Graffiti-tagged concrete sea defence blocks on the San Sebastián waterfront, turquoise-green Atlantic waves crashing behind
Corner of a building sprayed 'ERREPRESIORIK' in red, overflowing bins and boxes on the wet pavement, San Sebastián
Turquoise Atlantic surf and churning white foam, Santa Clara Island and green headland in La Concha bay, San Sebastián
Two people on a bench looking out toward Santa Clara Island in La Concha bay from the Monte Igueldo promenade, San Sebastián
San Sebastián harbour with orange rescue boats on the quay, white rendered buildings with green shutters and blue lighthouse
Narrow Parte Vieja alley with Basque language independence banner strung above, ikurriña flags and bunting, San Sebastián
Old Town alley with 'INDEPENDENTZIA' banner above and tourists below a 'NO SE ADMITE PROPAGANDA' door sign, San Sebastián
Empty Parque de Atracciones de Igueldo ticket hall with green tiled walls, yellow queue barriers and attractions board, San Sebastián
Weathered concrete toadstool and gnome figures beside a miniature railway track at Parque de Atracciones de Igueldo, San Sebastián