"Christmas in Bilbao" a Bilbao Travel Page by mikey_e

I first went to Bilbao in 1996, when my dad and I went into the Basque Country for the first time. It was pre-Guggenheim (although the we could see the construction site) and Bilbao wasn't exactly what you would call a tourist attraction. It was an economically depressed and dirty town. Considering that we had just come from San Sebastián, it is no wonder that, after an hour or so of wandering about and looking into the main train station, we decided to head south toward Pamplona. We came back two years later, after the Guggenheim had started to work its wonders on the city, and we visited the world famous museum. I was quite impressed, mainly because there was a large exhibit on Chinese culture and I was pretty fascinated by China and all things Chinese at the time. Still, the town seemed quite changed and revitalized.

I decided to return to Bilbao when I was living in Barcelona because, after so many memorable summer visits to the Basque Country, I wanted to return to Euskadi while I was living in Spain. This time I made the trip in winter, when Euskadi is decidedly less sunny and warm. In fact, it was -2 when I arrived and there was a thin layer of frost on everything in Plaza Moyua. I had to wander about the centre for a bit when I arrived (at 8:30am), and I immediately went to sample some excellent tortilla española. Although I only had one night in Bilbao, I managed to see quite a few of the sights. The city is small and, with the subway system and the light rail network, getting around the city is quite easy. Many of the historic sights and museums are located close together and, despite the confusing nature of the river curl, this is a compact city ideal for short visits.

I arrived in Bilbao December 20 - and Christmas festivities were in full swing. This is a region were food and cuisine are king, and there was no better way to celebrate the season than by stuffing myself fully. The Christmas fair featured broiled sagardoak (cider sausages) served in a cornmeal pancake. Of course, it doesn't need to be Christmas for the Bilbaínos to put on a feast. Tortilla española is one speciality of the bars, and some of them will make a fair number from which to choose. One bar I ate in had up to ten different tortillas: with chorizo, with green peppers, with red peppers, with olives.... Lunch is not quite the same as in other cities on the Peninsula, and one of the most fun things to do is to eat at midday in a bar in the Casco Viejo. Once again, I gorged myself on the numerous tapas (it works on an honour system here) while sipping a glass of cider. Definitely one trip when I returned with some extra baggage!