Abba Parque Bilbao

Having disembarked the Pride of Bilbao, following our two day mini-cruise (the highlights of which were DVD horse races, bingo, Geordies on the lash and two memorable dining experiences at Langans Brasserie), we faced the delights of industrial Bilbao, which proved to be a fitting introduction to North Spain. Undaunted we headed to ...

... time to walk around Bilbao. <br><br>Wow! Bilbao is fantastic! It reminds me of Bogota, only cooler. It is surrounded by beautiful hills (unless you live in Texas, then they&#8217;re mountains!). You can almost smell the sea. We had a short nap after we checked in then got up and had lunch (we showed up at a bout 2:30 and the guy told us we were just a bit early for lunch, but he served us). Sure enough ...

We drove from Madrid, got a bit lost trying to find Lurdea. We thought it is a name of a village but it is not it is just the name of the Hotel/Casa Rural.<br><br>The place is amazing. Located in the hills above Bermeo, with magnificent view of the ocean. It is clean (like really clean) and has the air of a relaxing boutique hotel.<br>

Bilbao, the capital of Viscaya in the county, with the nice weather and climate that is milder than in most other parts of the peninsula, rarely falling below freezing in winter or rising above 35 degree C in summer. <br><br>One of the best features of this place is the collection of Museums that exhibit the artifacts that well ...

... but much of the rest of the contents is just a bit too modern for me. Its the sort of art that challenges you to think what is art, which unlike most people I don't think is a bad thing, but only in small doses. One of the floors was closed when I was there being prepared for a new temporary exhibition.<br><br>I ate at the Guggenheim. To be honest I probably wouldn't have bothered had I not booked it some weeks ...

... backpack and set off.   The bus trip was surprisingly short and I checked into the hostel with no problems. Here I staged my backpack and took only my purse out for a walking tour of Bilbao. Right away I happened upon the main park, which led to the Museo de Bellas Artes. Technically I am not a student (I will be again one day) but I flashed my C of I card to save a few Euros at the door. It was well worth it and I spent a couple of hours ...

... the tube to head to camping Soplena. After the blow out in Ibiza we thought we'd keep it cheap and camp. The plan was to spend a few days here, then head to San Sebastien and then into France.<br><br>Camping Sopelana - DONT STAY HERE! Although the beach it is is AMAZING and beautiful, the campsite here is not. It's dirty, dirty, dirty and really ...

... the sun decides it's not worth his time to come out, either. Who could blame him? Came across a Galician festival in one of the main plazas. An incredible selection of tapas and barbequed meats were available, but having just eaten a kebab, I didn't have the room. I noticed that they are having a final celebration later tonight, so I will return for that. I walked over to the Guggenheim and browsed in a few souvenir shops - the girl working ...

... it. I also have pictures of my hotel, and more of Madrid. However, I fear I don't have the time to put them up. I guess you'll just have to see them in person. On Sunday, we left at 8:00 and headed to Segovia. Segovia was once a Roman military base and in need of water. A 9 mile a aqueduct was constructed to channel water to the city. This remarkable tribute to Roman engineering was built two ...

... since the 13th century and I ended up staying for mass. It was so awesome! I have, being Jewish, never actually been to a Catholic mass before, so the fact that I go to do it in Spain, in a 13th century Gothic cathedral, while speaking Spanish was amazing. Then, we hiked (and I really do mean hiked!) to this ancient fortress overlooking the entire city and ocean. We stopped there for lunch and sat watching the waves on the beach while dining on a delightful meal ...