With the excuse to visit my brother in Erasmus Bilbao I was given three days to relax outside of Italy. Destination Bilbao, but not all.
been years since I dreamed of seeing live the phantasmagoric Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry ... So I jumped at the opportunity! Moreover, given the super organization of my brother, I managed to go to San Sebastian and Santander. In short, there were more than 6 months I had not seen the sea ... now my eyes have had a good feast!
First Saturday in May has been dedicated San Sebastian (Donostia in Basque) ... a seaside town of some 170,000 inhabitants about 30 km from the French border. At first the weather was not the best, but we cheated and we are there, after a brief survey of the shops in the Casco Viejo (old quarter), we have slings in the most beautiful beach, Playa de la Concha! This is a true bay (in fact means conch shell) that borders the town to the north.
I must say that my first encounter with the ocean was breathtaking ... I think I did a hundred photos is virtually identical ... I wanted to capture the beauty in one shot that I had before my eyes ... alas! cosa impossibile.
Dopo aver mangiato in spiaggia una super baguette con il jamon serrano ( un tipico prosciutto spagnolo, simil crudo, buonissimo!!!) siamo andati a fare un giro più approfondito per la città. Sarà che era l'ora della siesta o sarà che era il primo maggio, ma all'inizio non c'era molta gente in giro e, a parte nel casco viejo, tutti i negozi e bar erano chiusi (a dir la verità cercavamo un negozietto cinese dove comprare un paio di jeans da 4 soldi visto che eravamo fradici dopo esser stati distesi sulla sabbia umida...ma a San Sebastian i negozietti cinesi, notoriamente sempre aperti, erano rigorosamente "cerrados").
The thing that catches one's eye walking around this town is the presence of several architectural styles, especially the period of the Belle Epoque. At about 16 o'clock in the afternoon we realized that a few rays of sun was making its way through the clouds and then again we sling beach ... this time to Playa Zurriola. Here too, the show was very impressive ... even for the presence of a giant statue of Christ overlooking the mountain that overlooks the Playa (as in Rio!).
Alle 19, orario aperitivo, ci ritroviamo immersi del caos dei mille localini della parte vecchia... è il momento dei pintxos (pronuncia: pincios)...degli stuzzichini a base di pesce, troppo sfiziosi, buonissimi e coloratissimi...ma anche abbastanza cari (anche 2 euro l'uno!)...e, dopo aver mangiato dei pintxos accompagnati da una buona sangrìa, la nostra giornata in questo luogo meraviglioso volge al termine (non a caso si parla di San Sebastian come della "Perla dell'Oceano") e ci avviamo al nostro autobus che ci riporterà a Bilbao).
Sunday, May 2 remain in Bilbao to visit the city. I was no longer in the skin from close range to see the building of the Guggenheim sculpture ... but I was struck by the fact that the city in general has turned architecture into a sort of flag of his economic revival (and cultural, of course). Beautiful Calatrava bridge, the towers of Isozaki e.. Great idea by Norman Foster to design the revenue of the subway (if such a thing in Milan ???). Undoubtedly something seemingly so insignificant contributes to a wave of innovation to the city!
Then suddenly I find myself in front of the Guggenheim in all its majesty ... everything is huge, it looks like being in a dreamlike dimension, in a Dali painting ... in part along the river stands a giant spider .. but outside the main entrance there is a huge cat made a hedge! And then you can touch the titanium plates that are half a millimeter of the building (50 meters high!) as if they were fish scales ....! Inside spaces are huge (nothing to do with the Guggenheim in Venice ...)... huge rooms that can accommodate even uno o due quadri. Molto interessante il secondo piano interamente dedicato all'artista indiano Anish Kapoor e particolare il terzo piano dedicato a Rauschenberg. Devo ammettere, però, che la cosa più bella da vedere di questo Guggenheim è la sua architettura...non si può descrivere la sensazione di maestosità, bisogna vederlo dal vivo!
Al termine di questa visita culturale della città, passiamo alla parte "paesaggistica". Siamo andati sulla collina di Artxandra con la funicolare (uno dei lati positivi di Bilbao è che è letteralmente circondata di verde!)...la vista dall'alto della città con gli inconfondibili profili del Guggenheim e del ponte di Calatrava è veramente suggestiva.
Infine abbiamo deciso di raggiungere una delle mete più belle della città...la Playa de Sopelana. Grazie all'efficienza dei mezzi pubblici in mezz'ora di metro abbiamo raggiunto la costa...ci siamo inerpicati sulla collina che sovrasta la Playa... la salita è stata abbastanza faticosa Having regard to the wind ... but that was definitely worth it for the show that you appeared before! It was almost like being in Ireland with these huge cliffs strabiombo completely surrounded with green ... and with these semi-deserted beaches (gloomy view of the time there was only a few surfers). Here nature reigns in all her beauty ... and these places have recharging energy indescribable ...
When we returned we found the center in a city in turmoil for the upcoming game ... literally revered by Atletico Bilbao Bilbaino, they call their stadium (located in center), "la Catedral."
The evening was all more or less desert, but we have not given up a walk ... this time, instead of sangria, we took a glass of juice (buonissimo!!) With lots of olive oil and slices of 'orange. :)
Monday, May 3 (my last day in spain .... sigh ..), after a morning spent doing the last shopping around Bilbao, we left for Santander. Here too, the weather was not the best, but we, undeterred, we decided to take the ferry to go to Playa de Somo Playa de El and Puntal, or a "Language sand "where one side you have the ocean and the other forms a sort of inland sea. We spent an hour to put it mildly exciting to walk (dragging my mini trolley!) on the sand, with the 'ocean "howling" ... it was something magical ...!
At 18 we were able to take the ferry to return to the center of Santander .. After a stroll among the shops, we refreshed with cake typical of the city (it was really good ... but I do not remember the name ...!).
The city, a typical seaside resort with a long driveway lined with palm trees, I was very very impressed ... too bad that the sun was made to see and pity the weather has been very little. Another reason to come back! The 20:00 arrived too quickly ... and I had to start from the airport ... but 3 days have been really intense and beautiful, like all the places I've seen ... Thanks Brother! Hasta Lueg!
PS: I hope with this story and these photos made me want to have someone to go to these wonderful places ... (3 days and 50 € Flight A / R) ... really deserve!
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