Happy Friday! Or almost Friday back in California. I have had unreliable internet this week and haven't really stayed inside long enough to write a post. But here I am! So currently I'm in Barcelona just to let you know.
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I walked all over Bilbao and now know that city pretty well. Oh! I finally got a Spanish phone number to keep in contact with people and hostels I'm staying with. I bought a cheapy phone because the place I went to didn't have a micro SIM for my phone. I'm a bit upset because I later passed a bunch of known phone companies that probably would have had one...would have been kind of cheaper considering I wouldn't have to buy a whole new phone. But look how cute it is....
Anyway, it rained most days in Bilbao but it was still fun. Went around Bilbao's old town (which had a lot of good pintxo bars), went on a boat ride on the river, walked f**king everywhere...my feet still hurt because I still walk everywhere. I did take the metro at one point and it is exactly BART but much cleaner, interesting looking, and the trains don't sound like death so you could probably have a conversation if you wanted to. Bilbao is really into contemporary art and the buildings are interesting. A good mix of old and new buildiings with different styles.
I also found a cool spot to just chill on a bench overlooking the city. When you're heading more into the hills there's elevators outside that can take you up maybe one street or several. Also escalators...I'm sure they'd be interesting to have in San Francisco especially for lazy people like me. Escalator land! Fairly Odd Parents reference...No?...Okay moving on. I also have to add that my host, Carlos, hosted a dinner party Monday night with a few fellow couchsurfers and his friends. Really fun and great to meet new people. I made pancit mom! I had to make it vegan (withn chicken and shrimp on the side for the meat eaters) though and use vegetable broth and it wasn't as good to me but everyone else liked it.
I took a bus ride to the small town of Bakio and went on a 30-45 minute hike to San Juan De Gaztelugatxe. It's a little island with a 10th century hermitage at the top dedicated to John the Baptist. It's off the Coast of Biscay and can be reached by a winding staircase with 241 steps. Most people drive there but I depended on the bus and my feet. The bus ride was cool because I got to kind of see the country side of the Basque country. And Bakio has a beach.
Had a flight to around 10:50pm and arrived in Barcelona a little before midnight. Luckily my new Couchsurfing host was okay with the late arrival. Didn't really sleep until 2:30am. I've realized around here that people go out and stay out late and wake up early. Bars can be open until the wee hours of the morning in Barcelona. In Bilbao it was like that on weekends but weekdays close relatively early. I went from rainy Bilbao to sunny, hot Barcelona. I love and hate the sun. I've walked around a good amount of the city already and have seen some Gaudi buildings, Sagrada Familia, Plaza De Espana, La Rambla and Plaza De Catalunya. I've seen a good amount of the touristy things. My host, Jose, took me out to La Raval and Poble Sec and I got to see a more relaxed side of Barcelona where not a lot of tourists are. Found a cool little bar with the ambiance of a "dive bar" which I love. I also passed a churreria...basically a bakery just for churros. If you know me you know I f***ing love churros damn it. Need to hit that up today. Traditional Spanish churros come with chocolate and I am excited. Anyway, I was able to see a different side of the city that I probably wouldn't have otherwise seen by myself (well maybe, I like to just wander). I still have a couple of days here before Pamplona.
Also there's an artist by the name of Fernandon Botero and he makes all his subjects fat. Here's a statue of a fat cat....
