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Bilbao

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 Bilbao, a place I passed through with Dennis once, but a chance to visit the famous Guggenheim museum, designed by an American, O Gehry, and what I didn’t realise, only open since 1997. In its first ten years, 10 million visited it. Luckily it wasn’t too busy when I went! The walk to it from my hostel was really pleasant, along the Nervion River, where there are lovely pedestrian walkways on both sides.  The city was hosting the Investec rugby finals at the weekend. Fortunately, I was there a day earlier! The famous Guggenheim spider, being sold in miniature by the dozens of illegal sales guys along the riverside, reared up above me! The Puente La Salve, next to the museum is also a fabulous structure. I had intended to cross it, but in the heat chose a different, less energetic crossing. Inside the building, an oval shape, is equally as incredible as outside. I’m no architect, but I take my hat off to those who designed it. An elegant, exciting design. I loved this exhibit, ...
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Zumaia Geopark - an incredible place to explore

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 Luckily for me I am not keen on big, bustling cities and I also have wonderful friends in Switzerland who recommend incredible places to me. When I mentioned Zumaia to Spanish friends, they hadn’t heard of it. Amazingly, because it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest highlights of this trip. It was a day with a Wow factor! And it was easily done by a slow but comfortable train from near my hostel, which wound around the area just inland from the coast. Pretty scenery but not giving me any clues as to what was to come.  When you arrive at Zumaia, you still have no idea what lies ahead. Fortunately, the wind of a few days ago, which had caused them to cancel boat trips, had died down, and it was a calm, perfect day. I took the little boat from just in front of the town. Only 25 on the boat plus a highly well versed, animated guide, whose commentary i could fortunately follow without a translator, making it much more enjoyable.  Zumaia geopark is a Unesco site, as well i...
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San Sebastián and Hondarribia

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 So, off I went on my own. It seemed rather strange but the advantage is that you tend to make new contacts, and that’s exactly what happened on the train trip from Burgos, where Dennis dropped me off, to San Sebastián. I sat next to a very friendly lady, Catalina, and we chatted in Spanish all the way. You will see her later in Burgos. A wonderful meeting! I had a great room in San Sebastián with a lovely balcony. I loved the patterns of the shadows the wrought iron cast. I decided to head to the seaside town of Honarribia, having read about it in guide book. It was a very significant place during the war, being across a river from France and on the coast. Thinking it was a fishing village, I was surprised to find the main old town on a hill, which sadly having climbed the hill in the heat, I found to have one of those great lifts. The view from the top, which I had walked up to, was sensational, with mountains in the distance and lush vegetation in the valleys. It was a captivati...
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