Exploring Bilboa
Day 8 was really the final day of the tour. As you will see in the next post, Day 9 was pretty much breakfast and head on to the next adventure, whether that was back home or a new European adventure. Todd led us on an extended walking tour of Bilboa before we spent the afternoon at the Guggenheim, a star attraction in Bilboa. The night ended with us having our farewell dinner, as most were leaving early the next day.
We left the hotel and walked over to the Casco Viejo, or Old Town in Bilboa. Located on the other side of the Nervion River, this area has beautiful architecture. It was much bigger than the towns we had recently visited but Casco Viejo had that small town charm. It has its pedestrian only streets with wide open Plaza Nueva. Quaint restaurants and pintxos bars similar to those found in Pamplona and San Sebastian. We passed by gothic style churches and theatres that gave Bilboa a unique and appealing look.
Exploring the Guggenheim Bilbao
Honestly, we had never been in a Guggenheim. If I am being really honest, I had no idea what these museums were. Because of the Rick Steves Tour of the Basque Country, not only did I learn about the Guggenheim, we got to explore the Guggenheim Bilbao. If you are like me and have no idea about them, I’d suggest heading over to the main Guggenheim page.
With no expectations, this museum really satisfied my artistic side. The exterior is quite extraordinary. A large dog sits right outside the main entrance made of flowers, requiring constant upkeeping and replacing for each season. We split into two groups, each with our own Guggenheim tour guide. Traveling through the different rooms provided different forms of shock and awe in artistic nature. The largest room contains maze like structures with tall walls. Other rooms were special projects by different artists. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and helped us make our way through the Guggenheim with ease.
Basque Country Farewell Dinner
The night ended with our farewell dinner in Restaurante Larruz. The dinner marked the last time we would see many of our tour mates. Some had early morning flights or bus rides out of town. It is amazing the bonds created during an experience such as this one. Even with our host, Todd, friendships formed.
