The beautiful Basque Country in Spain is in the northeastern part of the country and is best known for its delicious food. You basically can't buy anything nasty there, and while my digestive system didn't love all the variety I introduced over the two days we were there, I still tried some of the local tapas and enjoyed every bite.
Basque Country Tapas
Smoked Salmon Tapa in Bilbao
We went on a field trip to the Basque country and made some stops in some beautiful historic sites along the way. We first stopped in Bilbao where we visited the famous Guggenheim museum which has a huge dog-shaped 3D planter out front. I don't understand a lot of modern art, but I really enjoyed a room that had large spiral structures you could go inside of. The sound in each one was different depending on the shape, and I spent most of my time going from shape to shape ringing the little bike bell on my front-end power assist to see how they all sounded. It was really fascinating.
3D Living Sculpture
Sound Sculptures (Photo from the Gift Shop)
We got to ride across a river on the Puente Colgante, the world's first hanging transporter bridge. You enter the cars which hang from cables attached to a large beam. That was kind of cool. We then stayed the night in Bilbao before going on into San Sebastián the next day. On the way, we stopped in Getaria, the birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elcano. He was the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a ship in the year 1522. There was a monument built to him there, and we spent a few minutes on the shore. It was cold and rainy, so we didn't stay long, but it was a beautiful place, nonetheless.
Classmates Waving from Juan Sebastián Elcano's Monument
(I didn't go up there because...stairs.)
Beach at the Birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elcano
In San Sebastián, we got on a pontoon boat and went out into the Bay of Biscay. After lunch of more delicious tapas, we spent some time on La Playa de la Concha where we saw someone propose to their novia. She said yes, and everyone on the beach erupted into cheers. We also saw some huge sand art on the shore which was really fascinating.
Beautiful Bay of Biscay
Tapas in San Sebastián
Grilled Cuttlefish in San Sebastian
Proposal
Sand Art on Playa de la Concha
On our way home, we stopped at a place that had these huge blow holes that would send a blast of air up whenever a wave hit the shore. I don't recall the name of it, but it was really interesting. If you stood on it, you could feel the air rush past you, and your hair would be blown straight up. Occasionally, you could feel a little salty water spray you as well. They said the waves would force air under the bridge which would then rush up through the holes.
Huge Concha for Sale (I didn't buy it.)
We finished the day off with a beautiful rainbow. All in all, I enjoyed that trip, a lot. Our tour guide, a history teacher named Javier, did an excellent job, and I think most everyone enjoyed it. I know I did! In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I spent the next day resting to recover from all the excitement. I'm so thankful that I've had this amazing opportunity, and I look forward to telling you all about my future excursions, so stay tuned!
Beautiful Rainbow to End the Trip
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