Our cruise started in Bilbao, a city on the northern coast of Spain. To get there we took the train: first to Madrid, then to Bilbao.

The train from Madrid to Bilbao was long (almost 5 hours), and slow by Spanish standards. But it was a comfortable ride, and it traversed some beautiful scenery. Especially notable was the segment from the town of “Miranda de Ebro” to Bilbao. The train passed through stunning green mountains. Huge white and light brown cattle grazed peacefully in pastures. Wide valleys opened up, and we went through small towns of stone houses.

The last stop of the train was the  picturesque Abando station in downtown Bilbao. A large stained glass window dominates the north end of the terminal, though to me the view of pastel colored buildings seen through the open end of the other side was just as lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with many train stations in Spain, the interior of the station was a lively center with shops and restaurants. It is a shame that so few stations in the United States are like this.

 

 

Our hotel was quite close to the station. After we dropped off our bags, we wandered around the city. The first order of business was getting something to eat. We headed over a bridge, past the opera house, to the city’s “Casco Viejo” (Old quarter) and found a nice restaurant with tables outdoors.

 

 

 

 

Our hunger satisfied, we continued rambling through the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nervion River winds through Bilbao, and provides many opportunities for panoramic views of sectors of the city.

 

We headed through a commercial district, past Jado Plaza,

 

 

 

 

 

 

past Moyua Plaza, and along the Gran Via, until we reached the Sacred Heart monument.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we worked our way, back along the river toward our hotel.

 

Wide walkways along the river make it a perfect area for strolling, jogging, or bicycling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Iberdrola tower in Bilbao is one of the tallest buildings in Spain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guggenheim Museum

 

 

 

In front of the Guggenheim is a piece of living art: A dog constructed of living flowers. Apparently it was supposed to have been a temporary installation, but it proved so popular that it has been maintained.

 

The next day we took the Metro from downtown to the suburb of Gexto where the cruise port is located.

 

 

Time to board the ship and head for other cities!

 

 

A note about the Basque language:

Bilbao is in the Basque area of Spain. Although “Spanish” (Often called “Castellano” in Spain) is spoken by most people in the region, there is another language that is native to the Basque area called “Euskara”. The language is of special interest to those who study languages because, not only is it not a “romance langauge”- derived from a form of latin, such as Castellano, Portuguese, French, Italian, etc., but it does not even belong to the larger “Indo-European” language family. Although I made a half-hearted effort to learn a few words of Euskara for this trip, I quickly gave up. It is nothing like any other language I have ever seen. This picture shows a page from a local newspaper.