Vamos a Euskadi

Viva España!

The beginning of this month, I decided to escape the crazy Parisian city-life and went on a little trip to País Vasco – Basque Country, a region in the north of Spain. – I’ve got to be honest though that I’ve actually been planning this get-away when I was still living in San Francisco, which is more than 6 months ago!! :O – To let you know; I’m am not the most punctual/ plan-ahead kinda girl, so props to me!

The reason of visiting my friendly neighboring country was not the amazing food, – although I did have my fair share of the Spanish cuisine during my stay (read further!!) – but was in fact to see one of my friends, whom I met in San Francisco, again!! #reunitingtrip

It was great to finally be with her and spend time together after almost half a year. We literally had the most wonderful time talking, laughing, and catching up with each other. But those weren’t the only things we did. As a true Vasco, my friend – the lovely Yulia – showed me all the beauty Basque Country has to offer! – which is a lot! (good excuse to go back one day ;p).

So, Wednesday evening, May 9, I arrived at Bilbao airport, where Yulia was waiting for me. Being a bit tired from the flight – even though it’s only 1 hour and 30 minutes from Paris – she brought me back to her home to have a relaxing first evening. We still had a little drive to go as she lives in Zumarraga, which is 45 minutes by car from Bilbao. Once at here place, I got the chance to unpack a bit and freshen up, before going on a little pre-dinner walk around town.

What I instantly noticed – even when the plane was landing – is that everywhere you look, you see green! And not your normal shade of green, no, it was a vibrant kind of green which almost made you think everything was photoshopped! I never knew that the north of Spain has such a rich nature life. Up till now, I had only been to the south of Spain, where the surroundings are basically desert-like. So, I was very surprised by my arrival to see this totally different environment – and I only mean this in a positive way!

After a home-cooked dinner, which was one of my all-time favorite Spanish dishes: TORTILLA DE PATATAS! – soooo delicious! Best way to start off the Spanish adventure :D – it was time to get some sleep.

My first full day in Spain, on the schedule: Donostia - San Sebastián!

Not knowing what to expect – as I didn’t do much research trusting fully on Yulia to guide me throughout this weekend – I was yet again amazed by the – according to me (just to clarify) – non-Spanish look and feel of the city. We started by walking along the river towards the old town with its narrow and picturesque streets filled with many cute shops and most importantly; a lot of pinxtos-bars!! – We were ready to start our culinary adventure.

At our first stop, we went for some warm tapas – well, “we”, Yulia did all the ordering as I wasn’t kidding when saying I would leave it all up to her :P – At the second bar, I got presented by some tasty pinxtos and another one of my favorites…… PATATAS BRAVAS! – Can you see the patatas-theme going on here….

Filled up and ready to conquer the rest of the day, it was time for our big walk alongside the gorgeous beach of San Sebastián. A few hours went by and after walking from one side of the bay to the other side and then back again, our stomachs were getting a bit empty, so you guessed it: Tapas-time! Only this time nothing savory, but sweet, and let me tell you that the Spanish know how to make a good cake, especially cheesecake!! The perfect way to finish our first day.

Friday, it was Bilbao’s turn to blow me away. We parked the car at the border of the city and walked through the modern neighborhood to our first visit: Mercado de la Ribera. I love going to food markets, just strolling around, looking at all the fresh produce, and of course a bit of tasting here and there – which is exactly what we did!

A cortado, an Etxeko biskotxa (Basque Pie), and a lovely chat later, up on our feet again to continue our route through Bilbao! From the market we entered the old city center in all its glory. Just like Donostia, Bilbao also has to offer beautiful ancient buildings and small streets filled with, yet again, many charming shops and cafés.

Following the river, we ended up at the city’s most iconic feature: The Guggenheim museum! – We didn’t go in, but the outside was already impressive enough!

Time passed by quickly as the clock hit lunchtime! Yulia took me to a restaurant called La Mary, were we ate a delicious menu starting with a salad, followed by a mushroom lasagna with hummus – surprisingly, a great combination!!

Hereby we finished up our tour of Bilbao, but as the day was far from over, we took a little detour on the way back home and visited Getxo, a small town just outside of Bilbao. We only went for a brief visit, climbing up and down the hill to the historical part of the village, and taking a stroll on the beach boulevard before returning to Zumarraga.

The next day, the weather wasn’t exactly in our favor as the temperature dropped below 10 degrees and the rain started to kick in. – For a second, I was afraid winter would return. –

Being a bit down because of the weather situation (and after two days of walking up to 14 km!!) we both agreed on having a chill morning and going back out in the afternoon when the rain would have blown over.

5pm, we left for Getaria! An old fisherman village and the home of Balenciaga – unfortunately there wasn’t much shopping involved :P. – Even though the bad weather, we still made it work and strolled through the center, enjoying the view and each other’s company.

It was time…. my last day in Spain and of visiting Yulia had arrived. Sad to be leaving, Yulia made sure I wouldn’t return to Paris without seeing all her favorite spots of Basque Country! – Isn’t she amazing?!

So, after a lovely breakfast of homemade blueberry pancakes, I packed my stuff, loaded the car, and let Yulia drive me to our last stops.

First up: Bermeo. Another picturesque seaside village, but with its own charm and colorful buildings who brighten the old harbor.

From Bermeo, we drove to Gaztelugatxeko Doniene – don’t even think about trying to pronounce that right J. – We had planned on following the path all the way down to the island, but unfortunately, they were working on the road, so we just walked till the viewing point, had a look at the wonderful view, and got back in the car on our way to Bilbao center for some lunch. Once there, Yulia brought me to this nice café where we ate some avocado toast and continued chitchatting until the time of saying goodbye had arrived.

Donastia - San Sebastián

Tapas

Bilbao

Mercado de la Ribera

La Mary

Getxo

Getaria

Bermeo

Gaztelugatxeko Doniene

I honestly had the most amazing weekend and I enjoyed every moment of it! I am so grateful I got the chance of meeting wonderful people this year from all around the world. Yulia, you were the best guide someone could ever ask for, Muchas gracias mi corazón!!

( for more pictures check my gallery )

And to the rest of you, till next time!

Liefs

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