Spanish Castle Magic

Here, the word for having a chest cold or being congested is constipado.  So, you could say I woke up constipado this morning.  Although that sounds similar to the word constipated, it's only a funny coincidence.  After a bit of rolling around, I forced my self to get out of bed and take advantage of the day.  Some friends and I trekked to a castle outside of Plentzia.  La Castilla de Butron was about a two hour walk/hike that followed la ria for most of the way.  Although it was described as a small castle, to me it seemed quite large and a picture perfect image of what we imagine castles to be... minus the moat.  So, we would have had no trouble breaking into this castle.  We took along my friend's dog, the first dog I have been able to spend time with since leaving home sweet home, a German Shepherd named Blitz.  I had been missing man's best friend, and Ella!

Spanish Nightlife

This weekend I had my first piece of the Spanish nightlife, and it was a blast.  I met a couple new friends to go to an Erasmus Party at a local bar.  The bars are pretty empty until about one in the morning and they stay open all night.  Besides that, they weren't very different from bars in America, but it was cool getting to meet some other travelers and college students.  We also got into the VIP section of one of the bars, free drinks and fancy chairs.  Don't worry though, I made it home safe and unharmed.  By the way, that was my first real night on the town, so no need to worry.

We Travel By Land

My first bit of travel within Spain was to San Sebastian on Saturday.  The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was a bit different than that of Bilbao.  My new American friend and I took the bus for about an hour and a half to the small beach city, and it ended up costing less than 15 euros round trip.  The Old Town section had a beautiful charm.  We stumbled into a crowd or about 100 people singing a Basque song in a beautiful harmony.  The pintxos in San Sebastian are the best I have had yet, although they were a bit more expensive.  We were able to find some magnificent buildings and spend some time on the soft sands of the beach.  There were many other travelers and we were able to find some Americans also, a good find. 

Making Camp

After some time to settle in, I was able to get down to business.  What was unexpected, was how similar Spain is to the United States.  I had envisioned a new lifestyle bursting with a totally new culture, but the adjustments that I've made weren't very big.  There are still mega-marts, shopping malls, American music, and American movies.

The food here has been delicious, but almost overwhelming so.  Bars, cafes, bakeries, and restaurants are constantly surrounding you and amazing food is always on display.  The bars here are a lot more acceptable and pleasant than most in the states, more like a cafes than bars.  They display their pintxos along the bar on platters for customers to ogle while they enjoy their tasty Spanish wine, a brilliant way to entice customers to order more food.  I assume the Spaniards drinking beer aren't enjoying it, however, Spanish cerveza isn't as tasty as the brews we have at home. The Spanish pintxo bars make for a very social atmosphere and a great way to meet new people. 

I've been able to make some friends since I have arrived, but I have also realized how the language barrier makes it very difficult at times.  So, for now I'm looking for friends who speak some English.  Now, bumping into an English speaker is like finding money in an old jacket, and it is just about impossible to ignore.  "You speak English!" has become my favorite pick-up line.

While the food is delicious, it is only my number two, favorite thing about Spain so far.   The part that keeps my jaw hanging low is the architecture.  The history and the details in Spanish architecture keeps me in aw everywhere I go.  The old cathedrals, palaces, and museums are spectacular, and I wish their full beauty could have been captured in my pictures.

The rain added some haze to this pic

Street view of the Guggenheim in Bilbao

Guggenheim

Iparraquire Cathedral

Pintxos in Spanish Bar

Plaza and street corner in Old Town Bilbao

I Have Discovered a New Land

Did anyone know there are people that inhabit the land East of America? I have discovered a new land and a strange new people that appear to speak some kind of gibberish.  I'll continue to call the land what the natives here refer to it as, "Ethpaña."

The flight to SLC was quick and easy, but the flight to Paris would be the longest I had ever traveled.  10 hours of sitting, bad movies, and a noisy jet plane.  After almost nearly pulling an all nighter before my travels I expected to fall asleep right away, not even close... thanks a lot Air France. The Charles de Gaulle airport was terrible and confusing, it is divided into multiple buildings that require buses to reach.  Also, the french are rude and don't care to answer questions.  After worrying that I would miss my flight, I made it with a bit of time to spare.  I didn't arrive into Bilbao until about 14:30 (24-hour clocks here) local time, so the whole trip took about seventeen hours.  The family was very excited to meet me and Nico jumped to greet me with open arms and a big smile that was minus a few teeth. 

That first night I slept for thirteen straight hours after missing sleep during travel.  After getting my Metro pass and a quick tour of the city I was able to go for my first run of the trip.  I went for a quick tour of the area with my camera and was able to see some cool spots.  As advertised the family home is a ten minute walk from the beach.  There seems to be a lot of other runners in the area so I am hoping to find some running mates and some good trails.  We would have Gula for dinner, and the explanation may scare some of you a bit.  Gula is an imitation meat that is formed into noodles like spaghetti, and it is meant to imitate a delicacy here that from what I gather is baby Eels.  They are sauteed with garlic and are very tasty.   

 The next morning I would start my first adventure and embark on the Metro towards Getxo, then on to Bilbao, the big city. I didn't know if it was a bad idea or a great idea, but I wore my baseball cap and rain jacket to look like an American, hoping to meet some other travelers.  Getxo has a beautiful hanging bridge called the Bizkaia bridge that is about 120 years old and shows some real industrial character.  The city is busy and people are bustling about everywhere. 

I was able to grab some tapas after working up an appetite.  The food was excellent and for less than 5 Euros I was able to enjoy some tasty wine, a tortilla, and some sort of bocadillo. They add ham, tomato, egg, shrimp, and cheese to make many of their tapas. I also enjoyed a glass of Rioja, delicious red Spanish wine. The server said it was Villa Roca or something like that. After eating I hopped a metro to Bilbao, the big city, and was in awe of the beautiful women and magnificent architecture.  The people are full of life, but the buildings seem to hold characteristics of a different age.  I ran my camera battery into the ground and headed for home to enjoy some Potatas y Chorizo, very delicious. 

Thanks for reading and keep checking for my next post!