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As I am not working every Monday and Friday there are a few long weekends planned in and around Europe. It’s a great opportunity to discover new places and even visit a few new countries 👍
The first was a visit to the Basque region in Northern Spain with its own language and culture plus a long held wish to be an independent state. We got up at early o’clock last Friday and headed to Gatwick to enjoy breakfast before experiencing a first flight with Vueling, a Spanish low cost airline. You get your seat and then, like other low cost airlines you add on cabin baggage, hold luggage etc. We only needed one suitcase so return flights were less than £270 for both of us.
We arrived in Bilbao and had lunch ( a lot of food was consumed on this trip 😉) before boarding a bus to San Sebastián for 2 nights. This city is famous for its food, particularly the pintxos which are small snacks usually served on crusty bread and eaten in bars with a drink. Pincho is Spanish for a cocktail stick and most of the snacks are held together with one. The choices
were amazing and jamon,prawns,olives,peppers, squid,goose liver and croquettes were just a few of the things on offer.
Our accommodation was only 10 minutes from the bus station and the manager met us as we rounded the cathedral. A quick check in and sort out before walking into town. The heavy rain had stopped and we were able to visit the cathedral and wander down to the port before trying out a couple of different bars. When in Rome - insert San Sebastián 🤣 We also found a wonderful ice cream shop called Loco Polo on the way back to our accommodation. Wonderful choice of ice creams or pure fruit lollies which could be half or fully dipped in white, milk or dark chocolate and toppings. The raspberry lollies were 😋
No need for an alarm clock as the bells started ringing at 8am. We had breakfast near our accommodation as it was raining heavily but it had stopped by the time we left to walk down to the sea front. The bay is called La Concha, which means the shell in Spanish. There are 2 beaches here and a third on the other side of the old town.
The beach is largely protected by the small island , Santa Clara. There were about a dozen boys and girls football matches being played on the main beach and a wide promenade which was busy with people and dogs. We walked to the end of the beach and took the funicular up to the top of Monte Igueldo. Unfortunately it started raining heavily but, luckily, there was a cafe where we could take refuge. We took the funicular down and ,fortuitously, a bus arrived to take us to the other side of the bay. The rain had stopped so we were able to walk from the port around the base of Mount Urgull to the other side of the old town. We sampled the local dessert, burnt basque cheesecake and had a rest before heading out to dinner. We queued outside Bar Nestor, which is famous for its steak and it didn’t disappoint. We had drinks in the queue then managed to demolish a huge steak with tomatoes and padron peppers. Luckily there was just enough room for ice lollies on the way back 🤣
On Sunday we checked out and had breakfast en route to the bus station
where we caught the 10:30 bus to Bilbao. The ☀️was out for this journey and our accommodation was a short metro ride away from the bus station. Bilbao is the 4th largest city in Spain and is dissected by the River Nervión. Our room, near the cathedral again, was ready so we checked in and made our way alongside the river to the Guggenheim Museum with its 9 metre high steel spider on one side and a floral West Highland terrier puppy guarding the entrance. The iconic building was designed by Frank Gerry and opened in 1997. The building was definitely the main attraction although some of the pop art was interesting and the Japanese bulb room was fun.We wandered back to the hotel via a bakery to sample the local butter buns and then had dinner in Cafe Iruna, the oldest cafe in Bilbao. Opened in 1903 it has a stunning interior with moorish tiles and wooden carved pillars.
We checked out on Monday, left our luggage and had breakfast next door. We then visited the beautiful indoor market, Mercado de la Ribera and afterwards walked up to the Basillica of Begona at the top of the hill.
This church is on the Camino de Santiago route and there has been a church on this site since the 16th century. A stroll down through the park led us to the funicular via a bar and,this time, the weather was much better - warm and sunny, Great views over the city and after a trip down we walked back via the railway station and tapas to pick up our luggage, We had discovered a branch of Loco Polo which was handily en route to the airport bus stop. Like most other European countries the public transport was reliable, frequent, well linked and cheap. Within 20 minutes we were at the airport for £2:58 each! A swift check in and early arrival in Gatwick, albeit having ‘lost’ an hour, was the perfect end to a fantastic trip.
Bilbao photos to follow 😉
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Vera Giles
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Great Blog Coral
Seems more of a Gourmet Weekend Steph and Coral. Great Pictures.