Spain – August 2021

The capital of the Basque country was after Madrid always on the top of my bucket list of places to visit in Spain. A couple times I was THIS close to booking a city trip there, but then there was always something and I didn’t do it. So naturally, for my grand tour of Spain and Portugal I just had to make it there. Michèle & I pack our bags in the AirBnB in San Sebastián and hop on a short 1-hour bus ride to Bilbao.

The arrival at Intermundial bus terminal and the walk to our 4-star(!) hotel on Gran Via is a little underwhelming to say the least. We pass the huuge soccer stadium, but apart from that there is nothing worth seeing on that end of town. Nevertheless, after checking in and a little aperitif in form of a sip of wine from a carton and some chips, we head out into the cloudy afternoon. Deciding to start our stay off with a visit to the main attractions we know of, we head to the river.

Our first stop is the unmistakable Guggenheim Museum. Saying that the building is impressive doesn’t do it justice. It’s literally a work of art. Blown away by the amazing architecture and the thought that must have gone into planning and construction, we continue our walk up the river without heading inside to check out the actual art exhibitions. Only a little further up the next work of architectural art, the futuristic looking Zubizuri bridge, is waiting for us.

And just like that we arrive at the edge of the historical town center. Finally, we get to see a bit of that Basque country charm we have liked so much when strolling through San Sebastián. We walk up and down the small alleys, marveling at the pretty colours of the houses and the flowers on the small balcony. A little tired after a day of walking around, we sit down on a lively square and do what we do best: Eat Pintxos – the Basque tapas.

The next day our goal is to visit the big “Bilbao” sign on top of one of the hills surrounding the city. The weather is once again misty and so we decide to take the funicular up hill instead of walking. Even with the clouds hanging low, creating a kind of apocalyptic ambiance, the views are stunning. On the funicular ride back down we spot a bunch of cute white houses we promptly visit before heading back across the river.

The joys of longer trips include washing your clothes regularly on the go. And this had to happen today. Laundry in the washing machine, we use the 40 minute wait to visit Azkuna Zentroa. Having heard great things about the views from its roof top, we head straight for the elevator up. What awaits us is once again an interesting piece of architecture and gorgeous hangout spot for people visiting the public bath inside the building. As the views don’t live up to what we expected, we head back down and enter the culture centre.

On the ground floor there is a shop that sells products by local Basque artist and a small pub. Inside a cube shaped structure floating on beautiful pillars there is a library which sports reading windows with views on the art installation on one of the inside walls of the hall. All in all an impressive place. Pleased with this find, we head back to the hotel to drop off my clean clothes and then head to Ribera market for yet another dinner of Pintxos.

Kinda tired from the past days of exploring, we spend Michèle’s last day in Spain on the beach. Though Bilbao is located a little further in from the sea, it’s only a 30-minute Metro ride from the centre to the beach town of Getxo. The water is refreshingly cool on this hot summer day and the wind makes the summer heat bearable. On the way back to the hotel we stop by Portugalete and visit the famous Bizkaiko Zubia bridge.