Bilbao to Portugalete

There are three ways to leave Bilbao and none of them seem great. The official route is quite a bit longer, and my Camino app warned of a steep 1 km hill. My calves wanted a rest so I chose one of the shorter, flatter options. When I walked this route before I walked past the Guggenheim on my way out of town and stayed on a pedestrian walkway along the river for most of the way into Portugalete until finally crossing the river on the Vizcaya Bridge, also known as the Puente Colgante - hanging bridge. It's the first of its kind, built in 1893. It carries vehicles and passengers on a suspended gondola.

The route that I ended up on today was not very scenic, and didn't have the advantage of going past a stunning museum. It was basically city streets and an industrial zone. So I decided to take pictures of some public art and graffiti (of which there was plenty!)

The overcast skies kept the temperature just right for walking and I arrived quite early. I was able to drop my backpack off at the pensión, and take a couple of trips across the river on the bridge.

I saw only one other person walking the Camino on this route, I'm hoping to meet some other pilgrims tomorrow.Read more