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SS/DONOSTIA |
| Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in SPAIN |
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30th Annual Convention Donostia - San Sebastían 9-11 March, 2007 St Patrick's English School THEME: "Content and Language learning: Two Birds, One Stone" Convention coordinator: Joe O´Dowd convention2007@tesol-spain.org |
DONOSTIA - SAN SEBASTIÁN:
INFORMATION "Donostia " is the Basque Word for "San Sebastián" and comes from the Word "Donebastian" (Done = Saint and Sebastián). Although its exact origins are unknown, there are mentions of the the area during the 11th Century. Originally destined to be a port for the country of Navarre, it came under the authority of the Castillian Monarchy and for sometime was an important trading post until Seville secured the monopoly of trading with the Americas. Only 21 kilometres west of the French Border, San Sebastian was to become embroiled in the numbers of wars during not only the Middle Ages but including the 19th century when it was for a time occupied by the French invading forces under Napolean. Over the centuries San Sebastian suffered from a number of fires and the only remaining part of the"old town" "El Viejo" is the "Calle 31 de agosto" which remained intact after the fire of 1813. In 1845, the city's fortunes took an upturn when the Royal Family of the time decided to "summer" there and from that day on, San Sebastian has remained a popular place for Spaniards to escape from the heat during the summer months. It also became a very popular "gambling" spot for Europeans in general until gambling was banned in 1925 by the dictator, Primo de Rivera. Suffering badly from shortages during the civil war, San Sebastian again became a popular destination for the new elite with the "Palacio de Aiete" (not to be confused with the hotel) becoming Franco's summer home during the month of August. The annual Film Festival inaugurated in 1953 added to its attraction bringing the likes of Ava Gardner, Charlton Heston to spend time there. Another important cultural tradition began in 1966 with the introduction of the yearly Jazz Festival. Being situated at the foot of the Pyrenees, San Sebastian is a "hilly" city but extremely walkable. For those who live in the south of Spain, the various shades of green in the vegetation is quite amazing. The city boasts 3 beaches, the most famous being "La Playa de La Concha" (Shell Beach) featured on the TESOL-SPAIN Convention 2007 poster. The oldest part of the city is "Parte Vieja" not to be confused with "Parte Antiguo" which is situated near the Ondarreta Beach, just west of "Shell Beach". The liveliest parts of San Sebastian tend to be the "Parte Vieja" and the "Gros" area the latter of which has been completely turned round from a run down area into one of the smartest and "hippiest" areas of the city. San Sebastian's crime rate is also very low in comparison to many other famous cities although it is recommended to be on your guard as always. It is a city that "reminds" one of something although the "finger" cannot place what it actually is. The people are friendly, the city welcoming so, as well as attending what looks like to be an excellent convention, you will leave Donastia with other good memories. Follow these links for more information and images: In English In Spanish Choose your language! |
