A Trip to Bilbao

In June we took a trip up to the Rioja wine region and the north coast of Spain.

One of the places we visited is the city of Bilbao. We did not know a lot about Bilbao, but from what we read it sounded like an interesting place to go.

Travelling from a short stay in Rioja, we drove over the mountain range separating it from the coast and towards the metropolis. Immediately we were struck by the change in the scenery.

Whereas most of Spain is sparsely vegetated, here we were greeted with lush tree and vegetative cover.

We had read that the north coast climate was akin to that of England and Ireland and that proved to be true. True to form, our stay in Bilbao included periods of rain throughout. We noted that almost everyone carried umbrellas during our forays, and we followed suit.

The city proved to be quite impressive. It has an extensive retail area, excellent restaurants and a thriving art culture.

The “must see” museum in Bilbao is the Guggenheim. The building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry and the exterior and interior features are incredibly intricate and beautiful.

The art in the building is modernist and, while impressive, not really our cup of tea as they say.

Outside the building is the famed “Puppy”. The giant West Highland terrier is completely covered in flowering plants and makes for an iconic photo opportunity.

As I mentioned earlier, Bilbao is home to some wonderful restaurants. In this area of Spain there are numerous pintxos bars.  Pintxos are this area’s tapas and are small bites of food, usually on a slice of bread. Visiting a couple of bars to sample their specialties and enjoy a caña (small beer) is a fun way to spend a afternoon or evening. I don't remember what was in the pintxos pictured above, but I do remember they were delicious.

The shopping scene here is also great. We found that the stores here were larger and nicer than in Alicante and there were more specialty stores. 

Photo from Google Maps

Topping things off, we found a bar that specialized in Scotch. According to their website, the owner wanted to create a bar that he would want to drink at. It is a small space but boasts an impressive array of Scotch and other liquors.

Overall, we found Bilbao to be well worth visiting. Even the rain didn’t diminish our impression of this wonderful city.

Salud.