País Vasco

The month of march is nothing but traveling for us! Though at times it is exhausting to travel, the experiences I am having are well worth the hours spent on a bus.

This week we ventured to Bilbao. Along the way we made some pretty amazing stops. Our first stop was Burgos. We only spent the afternoon there but it was a nice break. The architecture was so quaint and it sat next to a river (which was just to the right of the picture below) We visited the Cathedral of Burgos which is a Gothic styled cathedral and the burial place of "El Cid."

Yes I did say this town was cute and quaint...but it was! This was just a small demonstration made by what looked like teenagers and young adults that none of us can quite figure out what it was about. I grabbed a few photos before the police told us to stop.

Our next stop was Pamplona. We were only there for the night but I have to make note that Pamplona is where the "running of the bulls" takes place. For those of you who don't know what that is... well it takes place in the summer and basically they let several bulls run loose through the streets of Pamplona. Anyone who is brave enough will get in the bulls path and try to outrun them! A site to see I'm sure!

Though we were literally less than an hour from the France border we had to keep moving to make it so our next stop...which was my FAVORITE.

San Sebastian! Apparently the weather had been terrible in the days prior...but somehow we got lucky enough to be there on a day that was beautiful! We all sat on the beach (some swam in the still freezing water) for so long just soaking up the sun. Some of us hiked to the top of a small hill to get this view.
I was amazed at how fast the tide came in! All of this sand had been dry literally a half hour before. Unfortunately, some beach goers didn't realize how quickly the water was rising. We watched as the water crept closer and close to one woman who had fallen asleep on top of her sleeping bag. Other people who saw the situation unfolding ran to tell her...but unfortunately it was too late! The water had surrounded her, soaking her sleeping bag, book and clothing. Grumbling she got up and slowly moved her stuff about 20 feet away and continued sun bathing. About 8 minutes later..the same thing happened. You'd think she would have learned her lesson after it happened 3 times!!

Our final stop was Bilbao! I wasn't sure what to expect. First of all, driving through the countryside was so beautiful! The hills were full of green trees, sheep and homes that reminded me more of Germany. We got to Bilbao which was set down in a valley. We came in above it so we got to see the whole city from above. Such a cool view.
The next morning we set out with one thing in mind...to find the Guggenheim!! It was just down the street from our hotel so we walked there along the river watching the rowers practicing. The Guggenheim was an incredible structure (it actually reminded me a lot of the EMP in Seattle) Unfortunately the batteries in my camera died..but I was able to get a few good shots!