Stop 22:
I understand that Bilbao changed quite a bit once Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim was built. And Norman Foster’s subway system only made the city that much more modern (and what a subway system it is!). What was once a major industrial city, Bilbao is the main city of the Basque Country within Spain. It has about 1 million residents.
Highlights:
- Guggenheim, click here for portfolio.
- Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) or Siete Calles (Seven Streets)- this is the Right Bank neighborhood that has lots of bars and restaurants.
- Left Bank, which has the Ensanche neighborhood and the Gran Vía, with lots of stores (including El Corte Ingles where I had to buy extra memory cards because I ran out of camera storage!).
- Metro Bilbao – I swear this is the nicest Metro system I’ve ever seen. It was amazing!
- Ayuntamiento (City Hall) by Joaquín de Rucoba built in 1892.
- Alhóndiga Bilbao. This former municipal wine-storage facility used to store Rioja is now a civic center with shops, cafés, restaurants, and nightlife. We visited at night and thought it was pretty neat all lit up.
- Bilbao to Santander train station.
Thanks to Fodor’s Travel Guides, Trip Advisor, and Wikipedia for the great lessons that helped me to plan and summarize this trip.
