Although it was a dreary day at first, we enjoyed a lovely walk along the bayfront promenade, followed by time exploring the town. By the time we met up for lunch, the skies had cleared, and it was sunny blue-sky afternoon.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Tile mosaic pictures were a unique feature of the city market’s floors.
Truffles
San Sebastian is Spain’s gourmet capital.
San Sebastian is also famous for its Basque Cheesecake. Created in 1988 by Santiago Rivera in La Vina, his pintxos bar, it became a big hit. What makes this cheesecake unique is its caramelized, nearly burnt exterior and its creamy, custard-like interior. Although other restaurants and bakeries have attempted to copy the original, we wanted to try a piece from where it originated. Our intention was to take a slice to go and have it for dessert that night, but we couldn’t help but to sneak a taste. Mmm-mmm good!
Our group lunch was at a fabulous restaurant, the Morgan Kompany. We shared several appetizers, but this goat cheese perfection was my favorite:
The afternoon stroll along the riverfront was so lovely! The sun was shining, we enjoyed more stunning views, and it was a nice way to conclude our visit before traveling on to Pamplona.
Coming up next: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #11: PLEASUREABLE PAMPLONA
Since at least the 14th century, Bilbao, the capital city of Spain’s Biscay province, was an industrial city. Over the centuries, it became more polluted and unattractive! By 1900, the city had developed into a shipbuilding center and was the wealthiest city in all of Spain. But in the mid-20th century, natural disasters and civil war crippled the city.
In the mid 1990’s all that changed, and Bilbao was revived and revitalized. Much of the credit for the turnaround goes to the Frank Gehry designed Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, located on the riverfront. The museum of modern and contemporary art, which opened in 1997, is visually an architectural masterpiece and the prominent centerpiece of Bilbao’s landscape.
Gehry’s choice of construction materials included limestone from Granada, which covered the base of the building and galvanized steel for the structure, which was covered with plates of titanium arranged in scales.
One of the most amazing facts about the construction of the Guggenheim Museum is that it was built on budget and on time. How many architects of buildings of that magnitude can make that claim?
Tourists have come from all over the world to see this gorgeous museum that is considered one of the most important modern architectural works, and the economic impact has been incredible! In its first three years, almost four million tourists visited the museum, helping to generate about 500 million euros in economic activity. The regional council estimated that the money visitors spent on hotels, restaurants, shops and transport allowed it to collect 100 million euros in taxes, which more than paid for the building cost.
Viewing and photographing the Guggenheim Museum from the bridge and across the river, both during the day and at night, was a kick! Bruce and I had looked forward to seeing the museum’s exterior very much, and it did not disappoint!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
“Puppy,” the flower-covered pooch, sits at the entrance of the museum.
View from the bridge
More scenes along the river:
The other thing we looked forward to enjoying in Bilbao, the largest of the Basque Country cities (pop. 347,000+), was pintxos, a small snack with a bread base that is speared with a toothpick. It is the star of northern Spain’s world-renowned cuisine, and it’s fun to eat! Typically served in bars, each bar has its specialty, and they compete in culinary competitions for the coveted prize of having the best pintxos. Throughout the evening, it’s typical for groups of friends to meet up at a bar, have a pintxo or two with a drink, and then move on to another bar to sample more. It is very much part of the Basque Country social and culinary culture.
We sampled pintxos several times throughout our travels in northern Spain, including a lunchtime pintxos crawl in the medieval Old Town, the “Seven Streets” neighborhood. Dating to the 14th century, these were the original seven streets of Bilbao.
Our favorite pintxos presentation was at La Olla, in Plaza Nueva. Displaying their pintxos in themes, the fish pintxos were displayed on a ceramic whale, the other seafood was lined up on an underwater scene, and the pork pintxos sat atop a pig! It was adorable, yet practical for us, especially since we avoid eating red meat when possible and prefer seafood. We could just point to the ones we wanted.
These pintxos were enjoyed at a bar near our hotel.
More scenes from around Bilbao:
The creative entrance to the subway– CUTE!The train station’s incredible stained glass window was designed in 1948 by the celebrated painter Caspar Montes Iturrioz. It comprises 301 pieces of glass and is about 48 feet by 33 feet.
The seven of us on Tom’s pre-trip extension met in the hotel lobby to enjoy the wine and chocolate he gifted us.
Bruce and I found Bilbao, listed in the top ten most walkable cities, to be easy to navigate on foot, and very enjoyable!
SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #9: GUERNICA, THE BASQUE COUNTRYSIDE, AND A HOME-HOSTED DINNER
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 