Thursday and Friday were holidays in Bilbao! Thursday was a day to celebrate San Jose (St. Joseph), and because St. Joseph was the father of christ, it was also equivalent to our Father's Day. Friday was what the Spanish call a puente (a bridge). A puente is a day off simply to bridge the holiday to the weekend. So, I got a four day weekend! On Friday, I went with Eli and Diana to Getxo, the beach resort in the metropolis of Bilbao. It is on the far north edge of the metropolis, and right on the sea! Eli and I, who both live in Bilbao, took the metro to Getxo (which took about a half hour) to meet Diana who lives close to Getxo.
The first thing we did was go and visit the famous bridge connecting Getxo and Portugalete (another part of the metropolis), Puente Colgante which means transport bridge. There are two ways to cross the bridge; you can get on the ferry which hangs from the bridge on cables (cars, bikes, or pedestrians can use this) or you can take an elevator to the top and walk across. We did the latter. The views from the top were spectacular (there are pictures in the slideshow below). We did a little bit of exploring in Portugalete, but I would like to go back and spend a day there in the future. After Portugalete, we took a tiny boat back to Getxo for 0,30 €. It's shocking how well transport is set up here. There are always multiple options for getting anywhere.
Once back in Getxo, we walked along the 10km of coastline pedestrial paths they have to discover the beaches. The first and smaller beach was Playa Las Arenas. There was a guy building an amazing dragon out of sand. The second and larger beach was Playa Ereaga. It was neat to see so many people out sun-tanning and little kids playing in the sea in March! The water was cold, but no colder than the big lakes in Saskatchewan in August! (see slideshow). After the beaches, we continued along the walkway to the old port to enjoy some delicious pintxos (pintoxos are always delicious) and beer. We sat outside the bar on some steps that were filled with people doing to same. Getxo is one of the ritzier places in the metropolis, and it is said that if you come from Getxo, you have money. Sitting on the steps, it was easy to tell who lived in Getxo and who did not. The people from Getxo were always middle aged couples without children who would be dressed in designer clothes typically with sweaters around their necks haha.
After the old port, we went to explore the neighborhood at the top of the cliff. There is an elevator (glass) that takes you from the bottom to the top of the cliff using your metro pass. I thought this was a great idea! People would hop in the elevator with their bikes, or just to get back home after going to the beach. It would take a long time to drive down to the beach, or walk along the winding paths, but the elevator only took a minute. Someone was thinking. The view from the top was terrific (see slideshow) and the neighborhood at the top was quite cute. However, all shops, cafes, and bars in the neighborhood were closed since we were there around 2pm. So... we went back down the cliff to the harbor for some lunch. In the harbor there is a big cafeteria/food court type of set up where you can choose from a wide variety of foods and so sit on the big patio on the water.
Afterwards, we enjoyed the beaches a bit more and then left Getxo on a big hike to see a castle just outside of the city. The royal family still lives there when they travel to the Basque Country, so unfortunately you can't go inside. They have yet to make it into a museum. However, there was a documentary on tv about Spanish castles...in Spanish... and this castle was one of the ones explored. The inside was beautiful. Also, if you were born in Leioa (where I go to school) you can get married in the castle.
It was an amazing day of exploring, and I was exhausted after walking for seven hours. The weather was great, it was +26 without a cloud in the sky again! I will be sure to frequent Getxo often. However, next time I think I will go get a bike. Apparently, tourist offices have bikes to lend for the day for free if you are a foreigner. The Spanish really seem to think of everything!
Hasta la proximá vez,
Kathlene
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