But the rest, you seriously have to see for yourself. Once away from industrial Bilbao and the tourists' haven San Sebastián, you can really get a good gauge on what País Vasco is, and why the people who stay here love it so much.
A group of our friends took a weekend trip to Bakio, Mundaka and Bermeo this weekend, all basically a stone's throw from each other and an hour on the bus from Bilbao. And, apart from when I went Maui with my family when I was 16, I don't think I've ever seen white sandy beach, green hillside and aquamarine ocean combine in such a majestic way as I did this weekend.We started the trip early Friday afternoon, when we took the bus from Bilbao to what we thought was Bermeo. Turns out it didn't, because the highway apparently had been closed down for some while, leaving the route we had planned on taking closed. But that only heightened the adventure, as we ended up in Bakio, a quaint little pueblo right on the coast.
After spending a few hours eating our picnic lunch, taking some great pictures and climbing the monstrous rocks on the sandy beach, we left for Mundaka, another small pueblo famous for its surfing and all-around awesomeness.
Once we checked into our hotel, we went out to explore what Mundaka has to offer: beach, beach and more beach. But, unlike Barcelona, Málaga or even San Sebastián where the beaches verge on mediocre, taking in the Mundaka beach landscape can take a full day. And even better, we were the only tourists.
Any words I conjure up, no matter how many adjectives I slap on, don't do it justice. Even the pictures don't, but you can see them here. It's just the way everything comes together - the green hills, the rocky cliffs, the deep blue and clear water, the white sandy beach, the bright blue skies - that's just so mesmerizing it's hard not to spend an entire sunny afternoon enjoying it all. To come to País Vasco without at least taking one day to see it should be criminal.After we tore ourselves from this unforgettable scenery and night began to fall, we of course checked out the Mundaka nightlife, which is limited to say the least. In Bilbao, you won't go too far looking for a good pintxo bar at midnight. In Mundaka, we roamed the little streets for quite a while until we finally found a little smoky bar, where we spent the rest of the night with good music, good friends and good drinks.
The next morning we couldn't wait for more beach time. We checked out of the hotel, left our bags in the baggage room, and headed off for some more sun at what had already become my favorite beach in Spain. (Yes, seriously. Better than San Sebastián and Málaga. Better than them all...) Please though, look at the pictures. If you find a better beach in Spain with all the elements that make a beach a perfect beach, let me know. :)
This next part's where luck came in play. After an exhausting day in the sun, we didn't know whether we'd all be up for completing the trifecta of País Vasco towns and going to Bermeo. Thus, we thought we'd leave it up to EU tender. Tails we go home, heads we see the world.I'm so glad that penny landed heads. Bermeo was almost as pretty as Mundaka, but still beautiful in its own unique Basque way. But, after seeing a pirate ship, staring in awe as the waves pounded against yet another beautiful cliffside beach and taking way too many pictures, we left the tranquil and serene scenery for the hustle and bustle of Bilbao.
And so ends another weekend journey. The more I see all of what País Vasco has to offer outside of Bilbao - most especially its amazing countryside - the more I just love being here. Only two weeks left, though. Even though I love it here, I think I'm ready to go back home. I miss family, friends, food and English. :)
Para todos mis amigos y mi familia en los estados, nos vemos en dos semanas. Para mis amigos aquí, nunca voy a olvidaros. For all my friends and family back in the states, I'll see you in two weeks. For everyone here in Bilbao, I'll never forget y'all. :)
Sinceramente,
Bana
No comments:
Post a Comment