Spain & Portugal Pilgrimage

After a fitful night, the alarm went off at 6.45am Spanish time & we got ourselves ready & packed to return to Pearl at 7.30 as requested. This was not before we had popped up to the sun deck to discover it was as forecast a grey wet morning in Bilbao. We were however surprised to see a dedicated Mr Orca Spotter still on lookout.

For some unknown reason we weren’t allowed to get to our cars until 7.50. The disembarkation went fairly smoothly & without getting stopped for a search, however, whilst queuing at passport control we saw Tw*t in his black Maserati. Hopefully that would be the last we see of him!

Just after 9am we pulled up outside our hotel for the night, the super posh Ibis Budget Central Hotel. I popped in to reception & the very helpful receptionist allowed us to park in their underground car park until the following day for just €20.

It was too early to check in, so we packed a rucksack with essentials & headed out. 1st stop was a Bertiz Bakery where we had breakfast of coffee, orange juice and a croissant. Jackie accidentally had her 1st Pintxo (pronounced Peen Cho) which consisted of a rather pleasant tomato paste on 2 slices of toast.

Today was one of my ‘much loved’ guided walking tours, which unfortunately started with a 1.1 mile hike across the City Center to the Puente del Arenal bridge that spans the Nervion River. The bridge lampposts had yellow cycles attached which we were later to discover was because the Tour de France was starting in Bilbao on the 1sr July.

Our first sight was the Teatro Arriaga Opera House built in 1890, then we strolled alongside the river to the Town Hall. Next we crossed Zubizuri (white) Bridge, a tied arch footbridge & continued alongside the Nervion River until we reached the star attraction - the Guggenheim Museum.

The Guggenheim Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art. The iconic building was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The museum was inaugurated on 18 October 1997 by former King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Before entering the Guggenheim, we photographed Maman a giant 9 metre tall metal spider sculpture, the tower of shiny spheres known as ‘Tall Tree and the Eye’ and Puppy - the world’s largest flower sculpture. Entry to the Guggenheim Museum was the hefty sum of €18 each. Our decision to enter was made easier by the fact that it had started to rain.

On the ground floor was an enormous room with huge sheets of metal laid out in various shapes. This piece by Richard Serra was titled ‘The Matter of Time’, although Jackie felt that the word ‘waste’ in the title may have been more appropriate.

The museum was on 3 floors & the essentials included a yellow & red painting by Mark Rothko titled ‘Untitled’, a Jeff Koons sculpture titled ‘Tulips’, Eduardo Chillida’s marble sculpture ‘How Profound Is The Air?’ & Jenny Holder’s ‘Installation for Bilbao’. Some of the modern art left us both dumbfounded, particularly a painting that was totally black apart from a small unpainted bit in the bottom left hand corner & a huge room with the walls painted in several bright colours as if the decorator couldn’t make his mind up.

An hour later we departed the Guggenheim & set off in search of refreshments. Nearby we found a cafe called Sua San - For Healthy Food Lovers. We had a glass of beer and shared a pintxo - a not so healthy posh cheese and ham toastie. Talking of posh, to our utter dismay Tw*t and his wife were also in the cafe.

After lunch we continued the tour, passing the Iberdrola Tower, an office skyscraper that is the 8th tallest building in Spain. We then hurried (it was now raining heavily) through Doña Casilda Iturrizar Park to look at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall, but we passed it without realising. Instead we looked at some other official building set in a park that I thought was it. Weirdly, the Athletic Bilbao football stadium was next door to this park, but we didn’t see it for the trees.

Still raining, we took shelter in a lovely theatrical bar, called Chester’s Pub, for a glass of beer. When it stopped raining, we walked back through Doña Casilda Iturrizar Park, past Bilbao’s Museum of Fine Arts to Plaza Eliptica, described as one of the finest squares in Bilbao. It is in fact a very attractive roundabout with a large fountain & brightly coloured flowerbeds. The surrounding architecture is also very impressive with Flemish style Chavarri Palace & the Carlton Hotel. The Metro Station at Plaza Eliptica was designed by acclaimed architect Norman Foster, so we went down for a look. It was very grey & industrial, hard to work out what he had actually designed. The highlight was when I asked Jackie if she knew who Norman Foster was to which her reply was “Yes, the famous runner”.

My tour ended at the Parroquia de San Vincente Martir de Abando - an apparently stunning church with wooden sculptures. Unfortunately it was closed.

It was by now 4.30pm and we were knackered, so I dug out my Lonely Planet & researched the locations of their recommended Pintxo cafes.

So exactly what is a Pintxo?

A pintxo (pincho in Spanish) is a small dish that you will find in most dining establishments in Basque Country. Pintxos aren’t a specific thing but rather an idea or concept or what food can be.

Pintxos and tapas are not the same thing, despite what many people might think. Tapas are often thought of as small plates of food, but pintxos are specifically designed to be small and bite-sized. They are typically served on bread and held together with a cocktail stick. There is no larger size of a Pintxo. If you want more of the dish you need to order multiples.

Pintxos are typically on display behind glass on top of the bar. There are no strict rules for what pintxos can include, they can be made with a variety of meats, vegetables, and seafood. Beyond these few commonalities there are no real rules to what a pintxo can and can’t be.

This wonderfully delicious finger food forms the spine of Baque cuisine. Pintxo comes from the Spanish root word “pinchar” which means to “poke” or “stab.” Over the years the variety of pintxos has increased dramatically. Artists do love to create new works of art. However, there is one pintxo that you will find at pretty much every establishment. And that is the Spanish omelette.

Our first recommended Pintxo cafe was Cafe Bar Bilbao in the delightful Plaza Nuevo. We ordered a glass of beer and a Pintxo each. Jackie’s consisted of caramelised onion, goat’s cheese & fish, whilst I had caramelised onion, steamed apple, goat’s cheese & foie gras. They were both apparently delicious, but mine even more so, so we ordered another round each of mine.

Next stop was Sorginzulo at the other end of Plaza Nuevo. We found a table & both went in to choose a Pintxos. The waiter was not very patient or helpful resulting in Jackie choosing a Pintxos for us to share, which turned out to be cod in a yellow sauce. I console myself with a beer. The waiter didn’t get a tip.

Next we started to head to our hotel, but stopped at the recommended El Globe. I had fluffy omelette and truffle, whilst Jackie had another cheesy one. Again delicious so we finished off with a creamy mushroom and ham one each, washed down with beer and wine.

Now absolutely knackered, we trudged back to our hotel, not before stopping at a bar for a couple of cheap red wine nightcaps. We eventually checked into our hotel close to 10pm and after showering fell asleep almost straight away.

Conclusion: It was a very very long day, but we have now done Bilbao. The food has been fantastic & apart from one dodgy waiter, the Spanish people, particularly all the waitresses have been so pleasant and helpful.

Song of the Day : Tonight in Bilbao by Sun Kil Moon.Read more