Hola España!

For the past nine days I have been lucky enough to be joined by two close Canadian friends, Lauren Marshall and Chad Desrosiers, as we explored cities, mountains and beaches in northeastern Spain. This adventure had been planned for awhile, but still seemed to sneak up on me as I was kept busy writing essays and attending Glastonbury. Before I knew it I was on a 6:45am bus to Dublin to catch a flight to Bilbao, Spain.

We arrived in Bilbao in later afternoon after a successful, but slightly delayed flight. The weather was warm, humid and hazy, but a pleasantly manageable temperature. We had purposely chosen northern Spain in the hopes of avoiding the sweltering southern heat. On the bus ride into the city we discussed what the famous Guggenheim museum might look like, as we were supposed to get off the bus near the world-renowned art museum. As we drove onto a bridge, smooth glistening metal wound into coils and jutting out in waves drew our eyes to the riverside. There was no doubt in any of our minds that we were looking at the Guggenheim. An ultra-modern building to reflect the contemporary art it housed. Since its opening in 1997, the museum has been an urban landmark for Bilbao and the main tourist draw to the city.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering and resting before starting again fresh in the morning. We headed back to the Guggenheim to devote it more deserved attention. Even walking around the structure is an exhibit in itself. Guarding the main entrance is a tall statue of a seated puppy covered entirely by living flowers. Judging by the number of photos being taken, the canine is a favourite with visitors, including myself.

Inside the museum photos were not allowed though I did sneak a picture of these elliptical steel structures titled The Matter of Time by Richard Serra. It is one of the few permanent exhibits located on the main floor of the museum.

The rest of the museum were dedicated to temporary exhibits. The second floor exhibited The Art of War showcasing art in France during World War II and the third floor displayed Riotous Baroque, a comparison between the vitality, extravagance and desire of Baroque and modern art. Some of the modern works on the third floor really stood out to me including a large blue painting of a horse head by Glenn Brown, a replica woman suspended in a crate by Maurizio Cattelan, a photo of a baby playing in silver paint by Marilyn Minter and a video called Into the Wild depicting artist Cristina Lucas being willingly tarred, feathered and exiled. I do not always understand modern art, but I still enjoy looking at it!

After the museum I picked up my first of many ice cream cones and headed with Lauren and Chad to a nearby tram which would take us up a mountain for panoramic views. The views did not disappoint though the was a slight haze over the city. We spied a nice park on a far right towards the hostel and old town. Feeling adventurous, we decided to walk down the mountain in search of this park.

We headed down a street branching in the right direction and shortly came across a trail leading downhill. It seemed a perfect trail, even if the gate was a bit graffitied. We headed downhill and shortly passed some Spanish people resting on picnic tables. We continued on even as the trail got steeper and narrower, not the best conditions for me to tackle in a sundress and sandals. Eventually we ended up in an apparent grassy dead-end. Just before we were ready to turn around we found yet another small trail further up hill which took us the rest of the way down the mountain to a road. We were nowhere near our intended destination. As we sat together on a shaded bench for a much-needed rest, I looked down to realize that the three clasps at the front of my had become unthreaded and my undergarments were on display through a gaping V-neck. Though Chad jovially offered me his sweaty t-shirt, I feared my only option was to put on my sweater even though it was so HOT! I thought Lauren was joking at first when she offered me a band-aid, but after some persistence I agreed to try. I synched the dress back together and taped in closed on the inside. Much to my surprise it held... all the way back to the hotel! Just another travel tip I can store for the future. Who knew a first aid kit could be used beyond health concerns to fix a wardrobe malfunction?

 Lauren and I hiking our way down the mountain (dress still intact) and below Chad looks back from one of the narrower parts of the trail.

After touring around Bilbao, our next stop was along the coast to the touristy town of San Sebastian. Located around a deep bay, San Sebastian is a cozy little city which attracts backpackers, families, surfers, etc. All three if us immediately fell in love with this town, and were sad that we were only staying one night. We spent the afternoon basking on the beach and soaking in the ocean, then went out in the evening to try the Basque tradition of pintxos (called tapas in the rest of Spain). Pintxos is a light supper composed of hors d'oeuvres and drinks. The idea is to enjoy a few items at one bar before moving to another, then another, etc. Since we were on the coast, I found the seafood of the pintxos delicious, plus the sangria and txakoli (fresh white wine made this spring in Spain) was pretty great as well.

That evening we also celebrated the day by watching the sunset from a pristine walkway along the coastline. The red glow of the sun silhouetted the men fishing along the break-wall. They were pulling up small silver fish with their long fishing poles and if I had spoke Spanish I might have asked for a turn.

The next morning our team split up to accomplish as much as possible before we needed to spend the rest of the day on a bus to Barcelona. Chad went on a search for beach sandals, while Lauren and I set our sights on the highest point of San Sebastian: the large overlooking statue of Jesus atop Monte Urgull. I believe we under-anticipated the challenge we were facing. By the time we reached the top we were both sweating profusely. We took a quick look around the old fortress and snapped some shots of Jesus before quickly headed down to trek back to the bus station.

I was already really enjoying Spanish culture and the places I was seeing, plus I was soaking up every minute of sunshine I could manage. However, we were all looking forward to the next stage of our trip, two days of outdoor adventures in the Pyrenees Mountains including white-water rafting, canyoning and jumping from a bridge. Those tales to come in the next blog.

Adios,
Shannon