The next day, we visited Portugalete, a town on the outskirts of Bilbao. Despite the name, Portugelete had nothing to do with Portugal: the name came about because it was a port city.
To get there, we used the Bilbao subway, with its Norman Foster designed train stations...
The stations themselves were modern and spacious...
...with very comfortable trains...
One of the reasons folks visited Portugalete was to see the Viscaya Bridge...
What so unique about this bridge? The engineering challenge was to build a bridge for vehicles and people that would still allow ships to pass through the waterway...
The solution to this engineering challenge was quite unique: This was the world's first transporter bridge, designed by Basque architect, Alberto de Palacio. This had a hanging gondola, suspended by cables, hanging below a metal structure 45m above sea-level, travelling from side to side by a mechanical trolley in the upper structure.
What an amazing feat of engineering for 1893!
Apparently this became a example for other similar bridges in Europe and Africa, but not many survive today. This one was still in use for daily commuting, and was also a tourist attraction.
For a small fee, you could take a small elevator to the upper level pedestrian walkway...
...and cross the whole span of the bridge (Although you could only enter and exit from one side, not cross the river, from the walkway).
This was not for anyone afraid of heights. The wooden slatted floor had gaps in them, wide enough for small objects, and even phones to slip through...
Worth a visit, especially for engineering geeks...
After visiting the bridge, we wandered around Portugalete for a bit, and had a simple pintxos lunch, before heading back to Bilbao.
From Bilbao, we took a day tour to Gaztelugatxe...
We headed from Bilbao to Gaztelugatxe by coach...
The hike to Gaztelugatxe would be 2.5km round trip: downhill towards the coastline, then up to the chapel on the top of the islet, then back down to sea level and a long climb up again to the start point.
The route was very scenic..
Gaztelugatxe itself was stunning...
Gaztelugatxe first become well known several years ago when a couple decided to hold their wedding there. This made the Spanish news, as guests to the wedding all had to make their way up (on foot) to attend the wedding. Then the HBO cast and production crew of Game of Thrones came to the area fo location shoots, and picked Gaztelugatxe as the filming location for Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryan's ancestral castle.
Since that time, Gaztelugatxe had become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Basque Country.
We made our way slowly to the top...
...pausing only to gape at the jawdropping views around us...
At the top, a small chapel, which was now closed.
It was a long trek back from the chapel to the starting point...this involved both descending the steps of the chapel back to sea level, then an long uphill trek back to the starting point.
While only 2.5km round trip, this was physically exhausting on account of all the climbing, and almost everyone who went there was dripping in perspiration by the time they returned to the start point.
On our first evening in Bilbao, we headed to Serantes, just a block away from the Ercilla, for dinner.
Serantes was a seafood restaurant that specialised in the fresh daily catch from the Bay of Biscay...
To drink, we ordered a bottle of the local Txakoli wine. This was a dry, slightly sparkling wine made in the Basque region...
We were delighted to see Angulas on the menu here. We would finally get to try this dish...
The angulas were served under a silver dome...which when lifted revaaled a hot ceramic bowl, with Angulas prepared the traditional way, sauteed in olive oil with garlic and a little chilli pepper...
The 3 of us shared one portion, eating them with wooden forks, as metal forks were said to affect the taste...
Yum...these were really delicious. Texturally, they were fairly firm, with a very mild and subtle flavour...
This dish did come with some controversy, as some say that these eels are becoming endangered, and tthere was an ever greater risk of illegal catching.and smuggling of these baby eels, however this dish has been a traditional delicacy in the Basque region for generations, and remains a prized dish for many locals.
Location-wise, this hotel was near perfect as well, located along a pedestrian mall in the heart of the city...
...close to the centre of Bilbao...
...and walking distance from attractions including the Old Town, and the Guggenheim Museum...
Perhaps most importantly, the staff here were simply superb. I'm not talking about one or two star staff members. Everyone here, from the reception to concierge, the restaurant staff, the bar staff and housekeeping -- all were warm, super friendly and very helpful. This is something I've seldom encountered in my travels.
This is a hotel at the top of its game, with a lot of attention to detail and an energy about it that is unmistakeable. I would highly recommended this hotel for a visit to Bilbao.
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