Arrival in Bilbao . . . and the Guggenheim
Distance – 65km
Bilbao Snapshot
History – Remains of a 3rd or 2nd century BCE ancient settlement have been found near Bilbao and some burial sites have been dated 6,000 years old. The old settlement of Bilbao may have been called Amanun Portus or Flaviobriga. The ancient walls are from the 11th century and the current town was founded in the 14th century as a commercial hub for ‘Green Spain’.
Elevation – 19mPopulation – 360,000
Arrival . . .
The boat arrived in Bilbao right on schedule at 7:30am. In the meantime we had all packed up our gear, had a pre-purchased breakfast and were sitting on the main deck chatting with other bikers, including the couple who had married on Saturday and caught the boat on Sunday.
The boat arrived in Bilbao right on schedule at 7:30am. In the meantime we had all packed up our gear, had a pre-purchased breakfast and were sitting on the main deck chatting with other bikers, including the couple who had married on Saturday and caught the boat on Sunday.
At the allotted time we all went down to Level 1 to get
our bikes. There was a bit of a delay as
we seemed to be last off (last on - last off . . . how does that work?).
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Getting the bikes ready to go
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No Tolls/No Freeways . . .
Once out of the ship we chose to take a blast west along the coast to Castro Urdiales using the ‘no freeways – no tolls’ option on Garmin where we had breakfast No. 2 and coffee before heading back to Bilbao.
Once out of the ship we chose to take a blast west along the coast to Castro Urdiales using the ‘no freeways – no tolls’ option on Garmin where we had breakfast No. 2 and coffee before heading back to Bilbao.
We meandered our way along various winding coastal roads to Castro Urdiales where we found a
reasonable cafe. We also took a walk to
the beach to see a hotel where Liz stayed in 1968 - the Miramar!
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Castro Urdiales – I think I can see
the Power Rangers theme starting to emerge
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Bilbao Bound . . .
Next step was the motorway back into Bilbao to find the Hotel Conde Duque - which as it turns out is in sight of the Guggenheim. It was a bit of a process getting into the city and I really don't know what we would have done without the GPS. Anyway, we pulled up right outside the hotel, checked in and then went and parked the bikes in a place behind the hotel.
Next step was the motorway back into Bilbao to find the Hotel Conde Duque - which as it turns out is in sight of the Guggenheim. It was a bit of a process getting into the city and I really don't know what we would have done without the GPS. Anyway, we pulled up right outside the hotel, checked in and then went and parked the bikes in a place behind the hotel.
First stop was to try and get John a tinted visor - the
new polychromatic one wasn't doing the job at all and he was pretty desperate
to get it sorted. We walked to a
'nearby' bike shop, but he didn't have the right one in stock. He also needed to see the helmet, so John
came back to the hotel while the rest of us headed to the Guggenheim.
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Outside the Hotel Conde Duque in Bilbao
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Guggenheim . . .
What a marvellous place this is! The building alone is worth coming to see and the David Hockney exhibition just blew us away. Apparently the same exhibition was in London a little while ago and it is was very crowded and very expensive. He has turned English landscape painting on its head with the use of vibrant colours and simple images. And the large 'maze' exhibition was also very interesting. John joined us after a while - apparently the right visor is being arranged.
What a marvellous place this is! The building alone is worth coming to see and the David Hockney exhibition just blew us away. Apparently the same exhibition was in London a little while ago and it is was very crowded and very expensive. He has turned English landscape painting on its head with the use of vibrant colours and simple images. And the large 'maze' exhibition was also very interesting. John joined us after a while - apparently the right visor is being arranged.
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Crossing the Nervión
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| A colourful puppy or kitten? |
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Guggenheim
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Guggenheim guests
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Getting High . . .
At about 4:30pm Chris, Lorraine and I headed back to the hotel for a bit of a sleep while John and Liz went back to the bike shop once more to collect the helmet and new visor.
Chris, Lorraine and I met at about 6:00pm and found our way to the funicular railway to Parque de Etxebarria, which was a much longer ride than we all expected and the views from the top were spectacular - but there wasn't much else to explore up there.
At about 4:30pm Chris, Lorraine and I headed back to the hotel for a bit of a sleep while John and Liz went back to the bike shop once more to collect the helmet and new visor.
Chris, Lorraine and I met at about 6:00pm and found our way to the funicular railway to Parque de Etxebarria, which was a much longer ride than we all expected and the views from the top were spectacular - but there wasn't much else to explore up there.
Once back at sea level we wandered along the river
looking at various things and then into the old city, which was established in
the 1300s and 'expanded' in the 1400s.
It is a lovely area with lots of little streets running here and there -
and of course two rather large churches!
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| Guggenheim from Parque de Etxebarria |
Getting Fed . . .
Eventually we sat ourselves at a tapas bar and had a beer and snacks. John and Liz joined us at the bar. We wandered down the street a little and had dinner at a pretty flash place - Lorraine had a prawn salad and I had salmon.
Eventually we sat ourselves at a tapas bar and had a beer and snacks. John and Liz joined us at the bar. We wandered down the street a little and had dinner at a pretty flash place - Lorraine had a prawn salad and I had salmon.
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Out for dinner in the old
town
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Of course you cannot find any places open 'early', so we didn't sit down at the restaurant until after 9:00pm and it was well after 11:00pm by the time we arrived back at the hotel.
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