Our Summer Not in Montpellier, II

 

The islet of Gaztelugatxe, about a half-hour drive north of Bilbao.

This is the second of several blogs about our summer travels.

You can find the first one here.

 

Bilbao

We had few expectations for this major city on the north coast. It has the Guggenheim Museum; that was what we knew. We weren’t particularly interested in the city and so planned only one night here, more as a rest stop than anything.

Then we got to talking to a French couple we knew, Cecile and Jean-Francois. They had quite liked their visit, and recommended a hotel overlooking the city. Paula booked us a couple of nights, and we’re glad she did!

Bilbao at night, from our hotel high above the city.

Bilbao is an old city, a traditional city; a modern, quirky, artistic city. Upon arriving at our hotel we saw the city far below, stretched out before us, but didn’t get it, yet. We didn't get how great Bilbao really was. We had some other sightseeing to do first.

Paula looks out at Gaztelugatxe on a rainy day.

The hermitage San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, atop its rocky outcropping.

Ready for the climb up!

And now it's a long way down...

The next morning we drove north to the coast, to visit the rock outcropping called Gaztelugatxe*—or, for GoT fans, Dragonstone. (Yes, this was another film location for the Game of Thrones series). It’s an impressive sight! We were very pleased to spend a few hours climbing down (and down!) to the water, and then up (and up!) to the church of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe at the top of the rock.

^*And no, I have no idea how to pronounce that!

 

Above: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
Below: Dragonstone! (enhanced with a bit of CGI...)

After Gaztelugatxe we drove along the very good but narrow and very windy road to the coastal town of Bermo, the main city in this region. It one of many fishing towns along the coast in Basque Country. The towns are connected by well-paved roads, but they do require patience to drive!

The thriving coastal city of Bermeo.

Bermeo's endlessly interesting port.

Campesina camino del mercado, a statue honoring the fishsellers of Bermeo.
 According to the sign, these women would carry the morning's catch to sell in Bilbao (30 km away!).

Vendedora de pescado, another statue of a fish seller.
(Two statues! They must be an important part of Bermeo's history.)

It wasn’t until our second day, the day we planned to leave, that we visited Bilbao itself. There was a funicular—a cable railway—near the hotel that ran down into the city. We drove the few kilometers to the station, left the car at the extensive parking lot, and rode down into Bilbao.

We board the funicular, built in 1901.

Bilbao follows the river in a narrow valley, surrounded by hills.

Bilbao's magnificent old City Hall (Bilboko Udaletxea in Basque)

We really liked the juxtaposition of the old and new.

A sweeping pedestrian bridge

What a marvelous old café, set among the modern buildings of the city.

We were delighted with the city as we strolled along the river, marveling at the well-preserved older buildings and the beautiful modern ones that seemed to complement the classic originals. There was also plenty of public art, massive sculptures dotting the greenway along the river, some quirky, some inexplicable, some both!

A statue honoring Ramón Rubial Cavia, an important figure in the anti-Franco struggle in Bilbao

Las sirgueras by Dora Salazar; depicting women towing boats through the Ria de Bilbao,
recognizes the importance of the work done by women.

The Guggenheim was a further surprise. We did not go inside (our time was limited), but the plaza in front was lively with people strolling, selling wares, busking, or just hanging out.

The Guggenheim with folks playing music, selling things, or just strolling.

Entrance to the museum... I think.

I hate spiders. This sculpture held a strange fascination for me!

Spiders... Why did it have to be spiders?

Orange dots reflected.

Even the bandstand in the park seems special!

Our time in the city was brief, but we will be going back!

This highway bridge is a massive art project
(and yes, those are real people coming down the green stairs!)

 Once clear of Bilbao our next stop was far out in the country. We would need provisions! We planned a stop at a supermarket on the outskirts of Bilbao to avoid the traffic that is always found in big cities (right?).

Unfortunately, the roads were confusing, and much to our consternation, we ended up smack dab in the middle of Bilbao, where we did find a good supermarket. The traffic wasn’t so bad, we found a parking spot on the street, and were soon on our way. City driving was actually ok; it was the highways that were confusing!

This is the second episode of our summer travels. Next comes our week in the country with sunflowers and a few vineyards; then the mountains and some beaches, and then... well, you'll have to keep following to know!

The sky during our travels was rarely clear. We had this great display over the port city of Bermeo.