San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Bilbao

Together with a friend from the language course and the 'Club del Viajero' we set off. We were hoping for nice weather, but the locals quickly took away any illusions about that: Rain is particularly common in the north, especially in autumn. So we are surprised when it is actually dry when we get off the bus.

We have a little hike ahead of us to reach Gatzelugatxe - by the way, the location of some series in Game of Thrones. Again and again, the rain catches up with us. We quickly close the umbrella we brought along, the wind is too strong for it to be of any help. To reach the church, you have to climb a small staircase of more than 200 steps, but at the top you get a nice view - unlike at Hallein Gymnasium ;) . The church up there is an important place for sailors and you can look inside through two small windows - there are ships hanging from the ceiling in the altar area. In front of the church there is a bell. You have to ring it exactly three times to ward off bad luck.

After we have walked everything back, we have some time for a little break in a café. In the meantime, the weather has cleared up a bit and even the sun has made an appearance!

We continue by bus to the city of Bilbao. If you think you are slowly getting used to the Spanish language, a trip there is just the right thing. Because you may not understand anything at all. In the Basque Country there are two different languages: Castellano (what we understand as Spanish) and Euskara (another language of Spain).

After a lunch break, we have the opportunity to join a walk through the city and we do that and I try to tell you a bit about what we have learned. Once again, we were lucky - it stayed dry the whole time!

We start at the famous Guggenheim Museum with the famous 'Puppy Statue', a dog made entirely of flowers that looks different in every season. The Guggenheim Museum, as part of 'New Bilbao', has changed the image of the city. If you take a walk around the museum, you will also pass the spider, which is also part of the museum, and you will have a nice view of the Law Faculty of the University. The tall building behind the museum is the Iberdrola Tower, the tallest building in Bilbao.

We continue to the La Salve Bridge, from where you have a nice view of Bilbao. Because the river 'La Ría' flows through Bilbao, there are many bridges. Another well-known one is called 'Zubizuri' - Basque for 'white bridge'. It was not always the case that you see so many colorful buildings along the river. Bilbao used to be an industrial city and all the facades were dirty. But in recent years, they have started to restore them - the result is a colorful city. One of these buildings is the town hall, in front of which there is another beautiful sculpture (and a pretty original chestnut stand). Through the alleys of Bilbao we continue to Plaza Nueva, then to the cathedral, to a train station with an impressive depiction of the city and then to the Mercado de la Ribera, a kind of shopping center. On the way back, we pass the Church and Bridge of San Antón, the Teatro Arriaga and then Azkuna Zentroa, the cultural meeting point of the city. When you walk through the building, no column looks like the other, and if you look up, you can see people swimming - there is a swimming pool with a transparent bottom. Before we return to the bus, we cross the Chavarri Palace and pass a lantern artwork and other impressive buildings.

And then it's time to go home. What remains is a nice impression of a fascinating city and the knowledge that a weekend trip here can definitely do no harm. There is much more to see and I would like to see the inside of the Guggenheim Museum as well...