Popping out of the sea in a dramatic show of what the earth can create, the jagged rocks of Itzurun beach are guaranteed to take your breath away. Standing on the beach is the most humbling, inspiring and other-worldly experience I have had on a beach.
The walk from the tourist office, after we got off the train, up to the beach is through the cute town of Zumaia. There are some really cute clothing stores, cafe’s, and a couple of souvenir shops. You can’t miss the Game of Thrones t-shirts in the windows (Zumaia appeared in Season 7). There is a pretty tree covered sidewalk leading the way to this hidden treasure which added to the sense of our experience being incredibly special. At the entrance there are two lion statues, a cafe and stone steps leading to the beach. We weren’t there at the ideal time, so I wasn’t sure the experience was going to be what I had hoped for. What we saw was much more incredible than I could have imagined.
The jagged stone pops out of the ocean, running perpendicular to the shore, beautiful greys, browns. blacks, whites and copper colors shining as the water recedes. They point to a large hill which runs along the shore and is absolutely unbelievable. The jagged edges that run vertically up the mountain, creating layer after layer of unique colored slabs. As the hill continues down the shore there is a small cave, a beach and more gorgeous towering jagged slabs. It seems like something from another planet, in fact it is a very rare phenomenon on earth. One I felt incredibly blessed to stand in the presence of.
At Itzurun beach I was overcome with the luck of being able to see this special place on our planet. It is so high on my list of things I have seen so far on our 8 month journey.
The wind was quite strong, whipping sand into my eyes, and almost blowing me over when I was try to sit down for a picture. So J. urged me to come up to the cafe which overlooks the entire beach. We sat there together enjoying coffee and losing ourselves in the mesmerizing rhythm of the surfers sitting patiently as they wait for the perfect wave. There is a great mix of younger and older surfers, swimmers, body boarders, and people just enjoying the healing waters of this special beach. (It is said the water here has special properties due to the high iodine level in the water.) I can’t imagine a better way to spend a few hours of a day.
I can’t recommend a day trip to Zumaia enough. You won’t be sorry for the experience or the journey. It is one more example of the glory the Basque country in Spain can offer.