Bilbao

July 24-25

I got a great place to stay in the Pension Ladero. It’s in the Casco Viejo (old city) which is pretty and very walkable. I walked around the area and then along the river to the Guggenheim. I spent about 3 hours there – it was really interesting, but definitely tiring by the end of the experience. Now I’ve been to two of the four.

Bilbao is a nice place – you definitely feel that you are in a city in that there is a lot of commerce, but not in the sense that it’s overwhelming or dirty. It seems surrounded by hills and then mountains, which provide a nice backdrop to most of the views.

The eating pattern here is definitely big comida at lunchtime and then pintxos at night. The bars get packed for about 2 hours with people drinking beer and eating those. Later, kids hang out in the alleys in the old city, which it pretty typical Spanish. Everyone can speak Spanish here, but you definitely know you’re in Pais Basco by the street signs and the talk in the street.