There are a few different ways of getting to Bilbao from Madrid. I could fly, which would take less than an hour, but would also cost well over 100 euros. My second option was to take the train. It would take four hours and cost 100 euros...each way! That wasn't going to happen. My third choice was to take the bus. The ride took five hours, but cost just 50 euros round trip. The bus it was!
Though I'd been dreading the long ride in a stuffy bus, it really wasn't that bad. The seats were comfy enough, I had snacks and music, and I didn't get car sick (Thank goodness!). For the first few hours there wasn't much to see scenery-wise. Everything was brown and flat, with the occasional bush or tree. As we neared our destination however, we started to see more trees, and mountains appeared on the horizon. Before I knew it we were winding our way through green, tree covered mountains that were dotted with tiny Spanish villages. It was beautiful. The mountains and tall evergreens reminded me of home. We were in Basque Country.
I met Caron at the bus station and we took my backpack to her place before heading back into Bilbao to see some sights and walk around. We first went to the famous Guggenheim Museum and took pictures of all the neat sculptures around the building. We didn't go inside, but the sculptures and fountains outside were definitely worth going to see. From there we walked across and along the river. Bilbao is really nice. It's a lot less busy than Madrid. There are tons of colorful buildings and fountains throughout the city. We walked through some of the narrow streets lined with shops and cafes, and went into a few of them to look around. After a couple of hours we headed back to her place. That evening we walked to the beach that's only a few minutes away. I'm uber jealous that she has a beautiful beach practically in her backyard!
That night we planned out the next day, Saturday.
Saturday morning we got up early. We took the metro to the bus station, where we bought our tickets and took the hour and twenty minute bus ride to San Sebastian.
We arrived in San Sebastian around 10:30am. The walk from the bus station to the Tourist Office was long, but the weather was great and we got to see the city with its many gardens, cafes, and stores. Like Barcelona, San Sebastian is a city meets beach town. But San Sebastian is smaller, and cleaner, and felt safer. I liked it there at once.
We got a map at the Tourist Office and headed towards the trail that led up the hill to the old castle and the "Jesus Statue" as we called it. Caron had been here before so she had a basic idea of what to do and where to go, which was nice. On our way to the start of the trail we walked along the coast, looking out at the seemingly endless water. The view was awesome, and it got even better as we started climbing up the hill. There were viewpoints every few minutes that allowed us to look out over the city and beach. It was about a thirty minute hike to the top. When we'd finally made it we took pictures with the statue and enjoyed the cool breeze as we took in the spectacular views of the beach and city.
By the time we made our way back down to sea level it was time for food. Caron had told me the night before about the amazing gelato she'd gotten last time she was in San Sebastian. We were both tempted to go straight for the gelato shop, but knew we should probably eat real food first. We found a little place that sold burgers and sandwiches and stopped there to eat. Besides containing amounts of mayonnaise that Grandma Rosemary would have approved of, my grilled sandwich was really good :)
Next stop: Gelato. It was only two euros for a a huge scoop of two different flavors. I got Ferrero Rocher (and another flavor I can't remember because of how amazing the Ferrero Rocher was!). This was seriously the best ice cream I've ever had. Ever. It trumps Barcelona, Toledo, and Dublin. It was creamy and delicious and I'm actually a little nervous to go to Italy now for fear of the gelato not measuring up. We enjoyed our gelato as we walked the short distance to the beach. Pair amazing gelato with a beautiful beach, and everything seems perfect :)
We didn't stay long at the beach. It was time to start the long walk back through town to the train station. We boarded the "train" (it was basically a metro) around 2:15pm, and by 3:00 we had set foot in France.
I had assumed, since we were only going right across the border, that Hendaia wouldn't seem too different from Spain. I was wrong. The buildings looked different, hardly anyone was walking (People walk everywhere in Spain), and there was obviously a language difference. Right away stepping off the train we were surrounded by French signs and people speaking French. And since the only French words we knew were "Hello", "Thanks", "Yes", "No", and '1,2,3"...we were feeling just a bit nervous as we walked towards town.
The first thing we did in France was walk back to the border. We took pictures of the "Espagne" sign and stood where we can now officially check "be in two places at once" off of our bucket lists. We also walked a part of the Camino de Santiago, though the sign was covered in graffiti. Sad.
After that we walked towards what we thought would be more shops and bakeries. It took a long time before we finally found anything that was open. After a half an hour of walking over a bridge, through a park, and by the harbor we finally found the "tourist" part of town. It wasn't much, just a few beach shops and the beach itself. Everyone was out surfing. There were so many people on the beach. We walked along the water for awhile, expecting to find more shops across the street. Eventually we decided to start walking back. On the way back we stopped in a few souvenir shops and bakeries. I bought French bread and a croissant :) By 5:30 we were on a train back to Spain, exhausted from all of the walking we'd done. Hendaia may not have been the most exciting place to visit, but hey, it was France! That's what counts :)
We returned to Bilbao with sore legs and feet. For dinner we made PB&Js (OMG! Peanut Butter!) and then watched "Frozen". I felt like a little kid: Peanut butter sandwiches and Disney movies. It was great.
Sunday we slept in, and then spent the morning/early afternoon at the beach in Bilbao. It was sunny and in the 80's, perfect for laying and relaxing with our feet in the nice, warm sand. After sunbathing we walked in the water a bit. The tide was out, and we were able to walk among the rocks looking for shells. I found the coolest shell ever. It was one of the big, swirly ones you always picture finding when you go hunting for seashells. Such a cool souvenir :)
On Monday morning I took the metro with Caron into the city. She went off to class, and I went to wait for my bus. The ride felt longer this time, probably because the weekend was over. It was a fun weekend. I'm really glad I got the chance to see this part of Spain, and to spend time hanging out with Caron. San Sebastian was absolutely beautiful, and it was neat to go to France, even if there wasn't really much there.
I got off the bus in Madrid extremely glad to finally use my legs. I grabbed my backpack, walked into the bus station, and (Though I was tired of long bus rides) went to the ticket machine. Five hours really isn't that bad. So...next weekend I'm doing it again. Next up: Granada!
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