Arrived on Monday morning after an uneventful flight from New York through Lisbon on TAP Portugal airlines. Took total of about 11 hours with connection. Airline very good including food & service.
Bilbao is a lovely city. A good combination of old and new. My hotel is located (although up a hill) 10 minute walk to prime sites. It was very nice for the price of 29 euros per night. I originally planned to stay here for 3 night but changed it to 5 nights. So much to see & do in the area.
Transportation system here is really great. Very modern Metro (cell service throughout), Tram, Rail & Bus system. Reasonably priced and easy to use.
Tuesday, 10/26/10 - Decided to go to San Sebastian to find hotel for my stay there. Good thing I did. Took the slow train (2.5 hours) there which was a nice trip. There is a holiday on Monday (All Saints Day) so the town is relatively full. Had to go to several places before I found a room with a lovely woman in Gros which is 15 minute walk from the historic old town district. This is an upscale city & prices are quite a bit higher. Was able to find this place for 30 euros per night. Walked around a bit before taking bus (1 hour) back to Bilbao.
Wednesday, 10/27/10 - Took La Union bus (all buses leave from Termibus Station which is a modern complex with several busses to all parts of Spain & Europe) to Pamplona in the morning. This is also a lovely city which is famous for the Running of the Bulls & association with Papa Hemingway. Followed Rick Steve´s walking route all around town & also visited the excellent Tourist Office. He made recommendation to buy pastries at Beatriz along the route & this was a wonderful recommendation. Really yummy desserts! Place is classic & bought about 7 euros worth of assorted goodies. Headed back to Bilbao by bus in the afternoon.
Friday, 10/29/10 - Took another excursion today to visit two lovely cities that are nearby plus I also visited one of the only UNESCO Structural sites in the world. Took the EuskoTren first to Bermeo which is a port city about an hour & a half outside of Bilbao. It was recommended to me by the Tourist Office in Bilbao. Very lovely little city with a large fishing harbor & historic upper town. Spent several hours here before heading to another historic Basque city, Guernica. This city is the symbolic heart of Basque Country & was almost completely leveled during the Spanish Civil War. Was able to just get into the Peace Museum before it closed & then walked up to the Assembly House and Oak Tree (unfortunately it was closed due to siesta time) but was able to see the remains of the tree which was the Basque Assembly meeting place since the Middle Ages. Took a short break & had some Pintxo which is almost same as Tapas but better. Also had some of the famous wine from this region - Txakoli by Itsas Mendi which is the vintner recommended by Tourist Office here. Was really good. Very light but has a kick. Took the train back to Bilbao & then got on the Metro for 30 minute trip to the Bizkaia Suspension Bridge that has a transporter carriage that takes people & vehicles across the river between Portagulate & Areeta. This is really a special bridge & I´ve never seen anything quite like this before in all my travels. You can also take an ascensior up to top of bridge & walk across. The weather was raining & high winds so I´ll have to do this another time but the ride on the transporter was great. Came back into Bilbao & had one of best dinners so far. I´m leaving Bilbao for San Sebastian on the bus in the morning so will write again when I get a chance.
Food has been great so far but prices are high. Usually spend about $40 for dinner & they are not fancy places. The siesta period during the day (1:30 or 2:00 pm til 4) is still a pain in the butt. Same as Italy. All stores & attractions close during this time but you work around it. Got a phone here. Had to buy a phone since mine is locked & couldn´t get unlock code from Boost. Only cost about 19 euros & it works fine. If anyone has to reach me, my number is 652403706. You probably have to put a +34 for country code before dialing.
Weather has been on cold side but sunny for first 4 days. Got some overcast & rain last few days. Temperature has been in 50´s during day & high 40´s at night.
No comments:
Post a Comment