Let the Adventure Begin!

We're off on another great adventure.
 This time it's to Spain

       

and the Canary Islands!

           For the next 6 weeks, or 43 days, we'll be traveling and hiking throughout Spain and the Canary Islands. 

          First stop will be sightseeing for 6 days in Bilbao and Santander before heading to Arenas where we will begin our week of hiking in the Picos de Europa Mountains.  

         Then it's two weeks traveling and hiking in Seville, Ronda, Grazalema and finally to Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol. 

           From there we'll fly to the Canary Islands and hike for 10 days on the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera. After the Canary Islands, we'll fly to Madrid for our trip's final 5 days to do some relaxation before we head home to Seattle! Whew! 
              We look forward to being immersed in the rich Spanish culture and we can't wait for our adventure to begin!

WE'RE OFF!

TRAVEL DAYS
Monday and Tuesday
September 17th-18th 2018 
Seattle, WA to Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany to Bilbao, Spain

After a 20 hour travel day, we arrived in Bilbao, Spain.

     We settled into our lovely hotel, the Bilbao Plaza which is the building to the left of the one with the steeple. That huge building with the steeple is city hall. 

We walked to a restaurant in Old Town and enjoyed the beautiful early evening stroll.  

    

  With its promenade along the river and its well lit wrought-iron lampposts, Bilbao gave us the reminiscent feeling of Paris. Families were out pushing their baby strollers as bicyclists and joggers went by. Many folks were walking their well-groomed dogs. Sidewalk cafes were filling up. The air had a friendly feeling, inviting us to feel welcome. 

     In Old Town, the Victor Montes' restaurant has outdoor seating and the temperature was a delightful 70 degrees at 8pm. After our delicious dinner 

we walked back and hit the hay. Time to catch up on the new time zone change with Bilbao which is 9 hours ahead of Seattle.

Bienvenidos Bilbao!

     And the WINNER of the 2018 European City of the Year award announced just last week by the Acadamy of Urbanism is... Bilbao, Spain! Who knew when we planned our trip last year that we'd be visiting THE 2018 European City of the Year? 
     So here we are in Bilbao, the fourth largest city in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. Bilbao is located in the northern part of Spain in Spain's Basque country. And just in case you were ever wondering how to pronounce this incredible city, Bilbao's first syllable is pronounced "Bill" and its second syllable rhymes with "cow"..............bil-BOW.
     
      Bilbao is a cultural and gastronomy center of Spain with an amazing array of marvelous things to experience and eat. There is so much to see and do here! With only four days, we'll barely scratch  the surface.

     Just look at the beautiful day that welcomed us this morning.




    A few of today's highlights:
This morning we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and walked over to the 103-year-old Artxanda Funicular which took us to the top of Mount Artxanda in the photo below.

            

     This classic cable car's 3 minute ride 

 took us to the top for  spectacular, sweeping views of Bilbao. One can almost see all the way to the sea! The Nurvion River which curves its way thru town. Bilbao is a mere 8 miles from the Bay of Biscay in the Cantabrian Sea.

Once back down, we walked along the river's promenade over to  

  the Zubizuri

 or "White Bridge", so named for the Basque language "zubi" meaning "white" and "zuri" meaning "bridge". It is arched and curved. It even features a glass floor!

It has a striking, curved walkway. 

 We walked to the Mercado de la Ribera 

which is a market that needs to be seen to be believed. The building itself is quite remarkable. This 1929 building was refurbished and reopened in 2011 to an enthusiastic public.




When viewed from the water, the Mercado de la Ribera resembles a boat stranded along the Nervion River.

The Mercado de la Ribera has an escalator connecting the two floors. The upper level's interior is filled with stunning Art Deco stained glass windows 



complete with an Art Deco stained glass ceiling that runs the full length of the top floor.  


The Mercado was extremely clean. One could tell the vendors take great pride in the quality of their products and the experience they provide to those who shop and eat there.

        

        

Throughout the Mercado, the stalls are beautifully displayed with fresh fruits and vegetables,
       


          


 stalls of fresh fish and shellfish galore 




along with mounds of meat.

      

Not only does the Mercado house fresh food; but delicious restaurants as well.
Bilbao is known for its Basque culture of gastronomy and everywhere one looks, the chefs at the Mercado have created some amazing tapas-bars! 



Tapas-bars are everywhere at the Mercado!



Wine and draft beer abound with your tapas and "raciones" for those who want to share a larger portion.









It was a tough choice but we decided to eat the "menu del dia" (menu of the day) at Casa Loren. Three courses of delicious food and wine all for 15 euros! I'd go back in a heartbeat! 

The fresh food was fabulous and we enjoyed our leisurely, lovely late lunch on the deck overlooking the river.

Other highlights included hopping on the tram 

for $3.50 euros and riding it from one end of Bilbao the line and back again. It is a great way to get oriented and see some sights.

We explored for hours more of the rich history of Old Town (Casco Viejo), by strolling thru their tall narrow lanes filled with shops and tapa bars. We touched buildings with their original medieval stone 

We strolled back thru the Plaza Nueva where we had eaten the night before and it did look different in the daylight with fewer folks around. 

We visited beautiful centuries-old churches

such as Bilbao's centerpiece, the 14th-century Gothic church, the Santiago Cathedral.

with its golden glow interior.

Later that night we returned to Casco Vieja and Plaza Nueva in search for more delicious "pintxos" (what the locals call tapas). 

The Basque Country is known for its very own style of tapas, "pintxos" which are pieces of bread topped with a multitude of various ingredients and the city of Bilbao serves some of the best!

Mmmmm a pintxo and a draft beer..life is good!

Cheers!