On the way from Bordeaux to Bilbao we stopped at a beach near Bidart to have another picnic lunch. Really fantastic places just show up out of nowhere for us to enjoy. On the coastal road by the ocean, we travelled through many small villages and towns and noticed the strange Basque language appearing everywhere. There seems to be a consistent font that they use and the words appear to have no relation whatsoever to the latin languages. We have included a few examples below. It turns out that about 30% of the population of the Basque/Vasque/Euskara territory use this language. See the font and signs below. It was very interesting. FYI that's a self-cleaning public toilet that sprays everything down with water between patrons.
The next day we had another picnic lunch in a lovely park after riding up the funicular to the top of the mountain overlooking the city below. Before we came here, we had no idea that Bilbao (in the Basque it is called Bilbo) was in a valley between two mountains. Below are a few pics of the town. It was a great day to walk around and see all the main sights. The old town with the 5 oldest streets was particularly charming.
There were flags everywhere that turned out to be for the Bilbao Athletic club, which we can only assume is for support of their local soccer team. Very patriotic place.
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The main reason I wanted to visit this town was to see the Frank Geary architecture of the Guggenheim Museum here. Years after seeing it in a photo, here we are. It really is impressive and you want to photograph it every couple of steps as it changes shape and form and catches the light each moment. I recommend seeing the whole exterior. Neither of us had any strong interest in seeing the inside and after reading other reviews, agreed that really the only need is to view the building itself.
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