I think I jam-packed more touristy things in this week than in my entire time in Spain so far. I had a good reason though; my mother is here! She braved the ten-hour flight to come spend six days with me in the Basque Country.
Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
I think I was planning her visit here before I even knew that I had been accepted into the University of Deusto. My priorities might be a little switched up, but who cares! It’s surreal to be riding home from the airport with her next to me, the same sights but through new eyes.
We opt to walk to her Airbnb from the bus stop, which is on the opposite side of the city from both my apartment and university. While I babble on about the significance of this building and that thing, I think my mom’s just trying to take it all in.
After she’s unpacked and recovered a bit from the flight, we walk around. We have dinner at a little restaurant I discovered the week before, where I use my somewhat-questionable Spanish skills. It’s a very low-key night, but one we’ve both been looking forward to for months.
The private apartment she rented is exactly what I expected for her stay. The couch can convert into a bed for me and the actual standard bed is fairly comfortable. The bathroom and kitchen are sized just right for two people.
I don’t stay that night with her but instead return to sleep at my host family’s apartment since it’s more hassle than it’s worth for me to pack a bag.
November 3
We catch the metro mid-morning and head over to Getxo. First, we go to the Puente Colgante (i.e. Vizcaya Bridge i.e. Hanging Bridge) and explore the nearby area a little. I get my first ride across the river in the receptacle of the bridge and consider braving my fear of heights to walk across the top. Of course, I chicken out and we cross back over the normal way.
It’s amazing how many cars the bridge can fit at once, considering it’s from 1893. It’s the world’s oldest transporter bridge and was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
Side Note: I’ve made it my life goal to visit each of the 1,073 World Heritage Sites. One down!
On the far side of the bridge, there’s a nice little boardwalk and park. We have a typical Spanish breakfast of coffee and a pastry (a bolla de mantequilla for me and a croissant for her) while we walk to and fro in the little coastal town.
After we’ve perused the area around the Puente Colgante (and had our photo taken by a nice Spanish man!) we continue on the metro line to the same beach that the school took me earlier in the year.
It’s a bit of touch and go while I try to find the exact beach from the metro stop, but it’s nice to wander the idyllic stone streets and see the tiny boutiques and bars that characterize Spain. Eventually, we find the beach but we’re far above it with no access to the road that connects to it. That’s when we find another Spanish staple; a funicular. With the many mountains of the Basque country, the towns are often built on multiple levels. Bilbao and Getxo are but two of many examples. Therefore, funiculars aren’t just for fun, but a practical way to traverse the towns.
It’s one of the few warm days. The water is cold but the sun warms us just enough that we can walk barefooted in the sand. Once my mom and I tire of that, we head up to the same bar that I had my first kalimotxo at. A fun fact I learned after the fact is that this area of Getxo is actually credited with the creation of the cherry-cola flavored drink.
Since it’s a combination of red wine and Coca-Cola, neither of my mom’s favorite things, I order one for myself and stick with Mexican beer for her. Upon trying a sip of mine though, she admits that it’s not that bad! Score one for Basque culture! I’m single-handedly going to try to make kalimotxo a thing in Grand Rapids since it’s since become one of my favorite drinks.
From the bar, we head to lunch at a restaurant recommended to me by my host family.
Another first: pintxos! We order two apiece and *emphasis* they were delicious!
We meander through Getxo a little longer but slowly make our way back to the metro. I have a Skype appointment with one of my professors and my mom wants to take a nap. She’s already adjusting to the Spanish lifestyle!
November 4
We might have escaped the inevitable yesterday, but it is the Basque Country after all: it rains on and off all day today. As we wind through the city during a self-made walking tour past the river, my university and then south towards Plaza Moyua, my mom gets a feel for the culture of a normal Bilbao morning.
We cross the river from the left side to the right to walk through the University of Deusto. I show my mom the international students’ area where all my classes are, the two micro-plazas with palm trees and the older part of the Jesuit university that has the churches. Since it’s Saturday, we mostly have it to ourselves!
Afterwards, we take a path to Plaza Moyua that is very familiar to me; I use it every day to go to and from class.
Plaza Moyua is the first thing I saw when I arrived in Bilbao, and it hasn’t lost any of its beauty due to cold. The flowers are still in bloom, the fountain as tranquil as always. The sun comes out long enough that we can snap a quick selfie together!
Near Plaza Moyua, there’s a bar called Café y Tapas that has always intrigued me so my mom and I have a small breakfast there. For me, the tortilla de patatas that’s so popular here and for my mom, a sandwich de jamón y queso. We both agree it’s one of the better restaurants we’ve visited thus far.
It’s our ‘shopping day’ and we take refuge from the weather inside tiny—and expensive!—boutiques as well as chain stores that are more within my price range. I show my mom the wonder that is the seven stories of El Corte Inglés, and that takes us several hours to cover only three of the floors. After our full tour of Gran Vía, the longest street in Bilbao that has the monopoly in shopping, we take a small break.
We do a bit more shopping in that area of town, near the soccer stadium, but overall we rest knowing that the next two days are going to busy and exhausting!
November 5
It’s Sunday in Spain, so there isn’t much that is open. So, before my mom arrived, I took the liberty to purchase us two tickets to San Sebastián for the day. It’s a gorgeous coastal town with claims to have the best beach in Northern Spain. Being partial to the beaches in Getxo, I was a little doubtful but after having been there, I will say that San Sebastián has a right to say that!
On the bus ride over, I give my mom a quick geography lesson. In Spain, the Basque culture is centered in two of their autonomous communities—similar to provinces—called Euskadi and Navarra. Within Euskadi, or the Basque Country in English, there are three actual provinces called Vizcaya, Guipuzkoa and Álava in Spanish. Bilbao is the capital of Vizcaya. And San Sebastián, or Donostia in the Basque language, is the capital of Guipuzkoa.
Donostia-San Sebastián or, more simply, Donostia. In the Basque Country, their native language comes first, Spanish second in all things. Schools, street signs, instructions…Basque is the primary language. It’s legally protected and in certain industries, it is required that all employees know it.
After the lesson, we spend the rest of the ride enjoying the scenery that flies by the window. It’s cold and windy when we step outside the bus station, located next to their river, but it’s not surprising after Bilbao’s weather.
We follow the canal to the ocean, admiring the vast expanse of blue, crashing up against geometrical stones. On our way, we stop at a tiny cafe for coffee and a pastry, something that is becoming our norm.
The sun peeks out from behind us and the ocean glitters in response as we go down a boardwalk the winds between the cliffs of the town and the Atlantic.
After the wind off the water chills us to the bone, my mom and I wander further into the town to seek shelter. There’s churches, souvenir shops and bars open aplenty, despite it being Sunday. We duck from one awning to the next as the rain comes and goes. It’s their Parte Vieja, the oldest part of San Sebastián and very similar to Bilbao’s Casco Viejo.
Eventually, we make it to Playa de la Concha, a magnificent beach that stretches nearly a mile long in a crescent-moon shape. In the center is a tiny island, Santa Clara Island, that can be reached by boat, of which we are not lacking. Sailboats, motorboats, rowboats…there are even a few brave surfers among the waves today. It’s about mid-tide waning towards low, and more and more of the sandy beach is uncovered. Dogs and children alike take advantage of the wider expanse as my mom and I stick to the boardwalk.
We angle towards the right side of the crescent, passing a carousel, library and multiple restaurants. It gives us new angles to admire the beach from as the sidewalk takes us to the local aquarium.
We spend nearly thirty minutes searching for the entrance to the aquarium, thinking that it would be a nice refuge from the cold. After climbing up one flight of stairs, then down the same stairs to an elevator, then wandering around the platform at the top of the elevator, we’re hopelessly lost. Then, Eureka! The main entrance had been in front of us the entire time, at the base of the original staircase. Sheepish but amused, we pay the entry fee.
The aquarium starts with a section devoted to marine history, which we peruse through fairly quickly. Then, we move into the area with the tanks. There’s starfish, adorably little jellyfish and tropical fish, but their crowning jewel is their Oceanarium; a glass tunnel that crosses through their largest tank, meaning you can see the ocean life from 360 degrees! There’s plenty of fish, big and small, as well as two sharks and a handful of manta rays. My favorites ever since I petted one in Grand Rapids. They’re adorable and they always look like they’re smiling!
Outside of the aquarium, there isn’t much to do so we head back over towards the beach. Our bus back to Bilbao isn’t until 4:40pm, so we kill time in a bar with two glasses of wine.
Once back in Bilbao, I make the executive decision to spend the night with my mom at her Airbnb so we can leave together in the morning for our next day trip to La Rioja.
Continued in Part 2!
