BILBAO!

to put it shortly.... bilbao was.... bitchin'.


i don't even know how to start writing a blog post about Bilbao because i just absolutely fell in love with the city. the pinchos (kind of like an appetizer, but you normally eat a few at a time - for a meal), the night life, the architecture, the shopping, the people, the red martinis. everything. was. amazing. we went to the Basque museum and the Guggenheim on friday morning.. and then had free time until saying goodbye to Pujol (our director) in the afternoon. then we found our hostel which was conveniently located across from the Guggenheim. we shared a mixed dorm at a nice hostel with some interesting people... and got ready to go out. the nightlife in Bilbao is better than Santander, but with that also comes a little more danger, weirdos etc. but we had a great time out and all managed to get back to the hostel safetly. today (3/3) we woke up and had breakfast and decided to go find the market which lizzy had heard about. little did i know it was A GYPSY MARKET... only the best kind of market. where there were local artists, second hand type vendors, and gypsies, of course. at this point i decided Bilbao is the Asheville of Spain and fell in love  with it right then and there. i bought some jewelry, a belt, and a fringed jacket all for 24 euros.


one of the best parts of the day though.. was lunch. we sat by a church in the middle of the city and had the best meal i've had yet in Spain. we had red wine, pasta w/ pesto (i know, that's italian), paella, and i had a spanish rendition of a hamburger (only the meat - with ham & egg on top, served with patatas fritas or as we know french fries). while we were all sitting by the markets and the church sipping our wine.. a wedding procession came out of the church. it was like a fairy tale. at this point i was pinching myself because i didn't know a day could be as perfect as this. the bride and groom and family gathered outside of the church and there was a customary cultural show put on for them including dancers, balloons, etc. it was so beautiful. the newlyweds looked so happy and it was a phenomenal cultural experience for us to witness, especially because it was unplanned. 


we took pictures of all the former events and finished our meal then continued on to shop a little more at Zara and some other street markets. finally, we decided to sadly start making plans to head back to Santander. even the bus ride home was awesome!!! we were given refreshments and souvenirs and were catered to.. which has never happened to me on a charter bus before. i had a great discussion with Cristina and Jessica on the way back and got to know a little more about them.. we talked about our best friends at home. :) i'm on cloud nine now.. and i'm exhausted so i think i will eat whatever my senora has prepared for me for dinner and plank in my bed for the next 15 hours or so!!!


un beso! meg