We’ve really enjoyed our time in Bilbao. It’s felt clean, safe and relaxed which is just what we needed to kick off our break. I’m still not sure that my body clock would cope with the late starts and late evening for long though!
The continued recognition of the Basque Country is prominent and interesting. I remember hearing about the conflict in the 80’s as the region fought for independence from Spain. I didn’t expect the Basque flag and language to be so prominent today. I wonder where the average resident stands on the issue.
Bilbao seems to have managed the streetscape well in the city centre. Buildings are fairly consistent at a height that means natural light and air can flow. The style is similar throughout, regardless of age so it makes for a tidy feeling town.
Being on a road trip has heightened our awareness of all things driving related. I’d love to understand the impact of the drinking culture on the road toll and drink driving stats. I gather they’ve recently reduced the blood alcohol limit from 0.1 to 0.05.
Line markings are much more clear to stop for pedestrians. Meanwhile the traffic lights in the city are fascinating… lights directly in front of you are red to stop you entering the intersection, and the lights on ahead will be green to permit cars in the intersection to drive over the pedestrian crossing. Feels very dangerous to have green and red lights in front of you simultaneously!
It’s only a couple of hours from Bilbao to Pamplona where we planned to break our trip for the day. The city centre is small and walled, and as we wandered the perimeter we pondered whether the true reason for the walls was to keep people out, or keep people in…
Of course, Pamplona is best known for the Running of the Bulls. The event is part of the San Fermin Festival held from 6-14 July each year, with the run at 8am each day from 7-14 July.
The course goes through the centre of town – 875m uphill through narrow streets, with 6-10 bulls chasing you to the Bull Ring. It’s all over in about 2 minutes 30 seconds… What could possibly go wrong???
The Plaza de Toros de Pamplona (bull ring) is huge, with capacity for about 20,000 people. A tour didn’t make me any more likely to return for a bull fight or the San Fermin festival. Some people choose to put themselves at serious risk, others are paid to do it as part of their job, while the bulls are used for sport. I’m sure that some people might say they’re well looked after, I just can’t find any entertainment value in harm to each other or animals.
Our base for the next few nights is Ainsa, an access point to the Spanish Pyrenees. We hit the supermarket to load up on lunch supplies and to try and get some fresh fruit and veggies that seem to have been in short supply in our diet this week. The beverage section caught our eye for a couple of reasons… wine (or versions of!) in soft drink bottle and tetra packs, and our Brisbane mate Bluey helping to sell water to the kids of the region! We’ve also been amazed at the range of olive oil, asparagus and artichokes – tells you so much about the dietary preferences of the region!
I’ve also thrown in an image from the market at Pamplona… any suggestions for what we might do with trotters???
More to come on Ainsa in the next few days, for now we’re going to try and get a decent night’s sleep before exploring the outdoors tomorrow!
Love M & A x
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