Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson, Roberth Nordin
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Friday 19th of April
07.02 It's Good Friday and again time to make an Easter trip. It is time for Christer, Roberth and I to return to Spain. This time there will be a visit to the northern part, to the Basque Country. We are at the moment in Christer's apartment in Sundsvall.
08.38 This is probably the 50th travel journal that I write. A lot has happened in all the previous ones. What will happen in this one?
08.59 Roberth's shaver is buzzing. We make the final preparations to the luggage and are getting ready for a foot march down to the railway station.
09.22 A bit late, we have started our walk through a quiet and calm Sundsvall. We'll probably make it in time, but the margins are a bit thin.
10.03 Fortunately, we got to the station before the train arrived. Now we are seated on seats 42-44 in carriage number 2.
11.01 We have left Hudiksvall behind us. The nature outside, is mostly free from snow. Now it feels as if both the spring and travel have begun.
15.25 It's half an hour until it's time to board our plane. We have used the time to drink various forms of coffee at Barino. Christer and I were here before the trip to Tunisia in December. Another similarity is that we are now waiting to fly with Lufthansa to Frankfurt.
GERMANY
18.37 Our pilot Ljungman brought us to the ground and we got off as soon as they got out the stairs. Now it will be bus to the terminal.
20.01 We were served a tasty and good dinner. We also had some great beer. It's international here at the restaurant. We ate German food, were served by a Greek and had Swedes at the table behind us.
SPAIN
23.03 Among those waiting for the luggage at the band at Bilbao Airport (Bilboko Aireportua) are the three of us, people with Kånken backpacks and other passengers. We will hopefully get our luggage and later try to catch a bus into the city centre before they stop going for the day.
Saturday 20th of April
Roberth and the pink bottle on the train to Arlanda airport.
The sky is clear. We can see the south coast of Skåne (Scania).
We are flying over the big city Frankfurt am Main.
River Rhine with its barges.
Opel Arena, home ground for the football team FSV Mainz.
Roberth purchases German pretzels.
Roberth behind the dinner.
A practical beer map.
Peter is having dinner at Hausmann's.
00.26 We eventually found a small Chinese owned shop along the way to the hotel. There we bought long-awaited drinks and also something to eat. We continued to Hotel Vista Alegre (http://www.hotelvistaalegre.com). We now stay in room 222, breakfast is not included. We'll see how we solve it. The reason we are here are the high hotel prices here in Bilbao. This was the only hotel we found with reasonably reasonable prices.
09.19 It is nice to wake up after good sleep. An old Spanish film is currently rolling on our TV. The details of the day are still unclear but it is in any case today we will experience and discover Bilbao, or Bilbo as the city is called in the local language Basque. 10.15 Still we have time here in the room. Now we´ll go out to see Bilbao. We stay a little bit off center so it will not be a place for any siesta in the room until earliest tonight. 10.30 After I returned to the room to get my forgotten wallet, we are now again ready for Bilbao. We will first aim at the oldest part of the city, Casco Viejo.
A basque man with a beret on TV.
Hotel Vista Alegre, Bilbao.
A nice little park near our hotel.
A bend of the Bilbao river.
An elderly lady observes the tourists in Casco Viejo.
Santiago Cathedral, Bilbao.
10.46 After a walk on a bridge over the railroad tracks and some cozy streets, we have come to the bridge Puente de la Merced on the Bilbao River. Here we photograph and watch all the fish swimming around in the river.
10.58 It is early summer and beautiful in Casco Viejo, Bilbao's oldest neighbourhood. Look, a cow statue. This is advertising for Ale-Hop. 11.11 We have had time to enter a souvenir shop, inhaled the citrus scent that has arisen due to the streets just being washed clean and also seen the Santiago Cathedral. At Geltoki Café Bar we have now ordered a late breakfast. We are in the heart of Casco Viejo (Old Town). Cigarillos are smoked around us and Norwegian is spoken here. Where's my coffee? Geltoki is Basque for station. The metro station Casco Viejo is in the underground just behind where we sit. 11.54 Our journey in this new world continues. The coffee was good and the Basques call it kafe. We also had some tasty sandwiches. In the square here outside, Miguel Unamuno Plaza, various groups of tourists gather. Most people look at the monument over the author who gave his name to this square. 12.11 After seeing a Kånken backpack on the back of a lady and one of the seven original streets in Bilbao we have entered the market hall/market La Merkatua La Ribera. Outside it is a man wearing a high hat standing on a strange bike like vehicle and talk about something. It is probably part of the cultural festival Basque Fest that is going on in Bilbao now during the Easter weekend. 12.59 Christer just stated that this city is hard to digest before Roberth wanted to think about the trivialities in life. The three gentlemen have a bench break on our walk along the Bilbao River.
The coffee has arrived. Soon the rest of the breakfast comes.
Roberth and Peter in Casco Viejo.
Geltoki Café served our breakfast.
Mercado De La Ribera (La Merkatua La Ribera).
Cultural activities outside Mercado De La Ribera.
A view of Puente de la Rivera.
13.27 We have enjoyed the sun and the beautiful views along the river. We have been inside a tent with various exhibitions with local food and drinks and we have looked at, photographed and discussed the strange bridge Zubizuri. Now it is time for a lunch.
13.41 Our three beers stand on a table with a red cloth of thin paper. We have ordered a two course lunch each. The restaurant is called Mandobide and is located on the square Funikularreko Plaza, right on the funicular that goes up to the mountain Artxanda. 14.26 The first dishes, paella to Christer and me and spaghetti with the sea's goodies to Roberth were great. The second dishes are however still absent. In addition, Roberth and I have run out of beer. There are plenty of pigeons in the square. The sun shines mercilessly on our winter pale skin. 14.53 It was well worth the wait for our other dishes, entrecote to me, meatballs to Christer and ide (the fish) to Roberth. Now we aim at the Funicular de Artxanda the funicular here. A small girl is skipping rope next to us. 15.33 We went uphill to the hill above Bilbao. The view from here is adorable. It is also nice wind in the sunshine.
The Arriaga theatre in Bilbao.
The Bilbao River is the border between the new and old part of the city.
We found a gourmet tent during our walk along the river.
The city hall in Bilbao (Bilboko Udaletxea).
The Zubizuri bridge has an interesting design.
We have received our first dishes. We are having our lunch at Mandobide.
15.47 It is wonderful up here at Artxanda. There are birds singing, sun, beautiful spring flowers and a lovely greenery both here and down in central Bilbao that we look out over. We need this after a long winter.
16.43 We went down the mountain railway before we went towards the river Nervión. It is the Nervión River that flows through Bilbao but in the central parts it is also called the Bilbao River. On the other side of the river from the Guggenheim museum, Roberth stepped up the stairs to the La Salve Bridge across the river. We soon followed him. Now that we are outside the entrance of the museum, we do not see him. What we can see, however, is Jeff Koon's 12 meter tall, floral ornamental work of Puppy. Is this command centre for the dog organization FIDO? The Guggenheim Museum is Bilbao's most famous building and has been here since 1997. 17.09 The three are three again. Roberth had apparently been inside the museum. While waiting, I talked to a lady who pointed to a tall white house and said it had been in a James Bond movie. A Google check has taught us that the film in question is The World is not enough. 17.37 El Corte Inglés is a mall where we will look for sandals to Roberth and a komunak to me. Outside the department store, we have seen some musicians in too large light blue cone shaped head dresses. They covered their entire heads. 18.14 We found no sandals and no komunak. However, we got to travel a lot of escalators between the eight floors. We looked further, met even more cone people and finally found Starbucks Coffee. Here I had to visit their komunak. It is Basque for toilet. 19.03 We finished the coffee and went home. Along the way, we bought some snacks and drinks. Roberth bought Moscatel Goya, a wine with a different colour and taste.
Lunch is finished and the skin is red.
Roberth is traveling with Funicular de Artxanda.
Magnificent view of Bilbao.
Roberth at the Bilbao ign on Artxanda viewing point.
The Guggenheim museum attracts a lot of visitors to Bilbao.
The Nervión river outside of the museum.
19.52 The gentlemen in the hoods, the cones, can be a link to the Catholic Church's celebration of Holy Week. Different Catholic groups celebrate in their own way. We have seen people in light blue, black and red suits this evening.
20.59 We just got the news that the Italian football club Juventus has won Serie A for the eighth year in a row. This means that Cristiano Ronaldo now has won the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. Nobody has done so before. This achievement has inspired us to go out again. 21.51 Cheers to all the hazelnut mice, Roberth said, a bit confused. We are now at the restaurant BBQ Ribs (https://www.ribs.es). On the way here we were stopped by an elderly gentleman who wondered where we were from. He was a little surprised that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Did I possibly think it was summer? Furthermore, he believed that the Swedish army should hire me who managed the cold so well. Finally, he warned us of Vladimir Putin. 23.34 That wasn't bad, really good food. What was supposed to be a simple meal became a culinary delight. On the way home we enjoyed some Basque music at the culture centre Azkuna Zentroa. This was also part of the Basque Fest. Roberth went out of the concert through a door and went back through another in the belief that he found a new concert. The sweets machine here in the hotel messed with Christer and the porter needed to disassemble it. The candy bag got stuck and didn't want to fall down. We're probably ready for sleep all three now. It has been a rich day in wonderful weather. We have also become very red, unaccustomed to the sun as we are.
Christer and the Guggenheim Museum.
Puppy.
An Easter procession passes by near the El Corte Inglés department store.
Outside Starbucks came the gang with black hoods walking.
Another colour combination.
Music on the way home. We visit Azkuna Zentroa.
Sunday 21st of April
09.20 We have slept well in our room and just got the news that at least 138 have died after six explosions in hotels and churches in Sri Lanka. It's not long since Christer and I were on the island. It feels uncomfortable. If we had been on site, we would not have been to any church or at any luxury hotel but still.
09.58 Everything is now packed and ready. That's what we hope anyway. Now the journey will continue. We will leave Hotel Vista Alegre and eventually also Bilbao. On the way to the train we will also find a suitable place for today's breakfast. 10.20 Today we walked in order to avoid walking in yesterday's footsteps via the Abando train station and the Church of San Nicolás on our way to the old city centre. 10.31 There are lots of people at Café del Arenal in the outskirts of Casco Viejo. The three gentlemen are now waiting to order. German is spoken at the table next to ours. I think we got in through the back door to this café. 10.40 After a while we realized that it is not possible to order at the table here. You do that at a counter at the other part of the cafe. It was such a long queue there, so Christer advised us to give up and find a better alternative. Now, after an advice from me, we are back at Geltoki where we had yesterday's breakfast. It is practical because our train also stops at the station here, Casco Viejo, or Zazpikaleak as the Basques say.
Iglesia de San Nicolás (San Nikolas eliza).
We are back at Geltoki again.
The basque flag can be seen everywhere in Bilbao.
Views from the Etxebarria park.
A short visit in the Uribarri neighbourhood.
On the platform, ready to leave Bilbao.
11.25 It was a wise choice when it comes to the breakfast offer. We were satisfied yesterday and so even today. Let's just move on.
11.33 Things went well to go to the ticket booth inside the mountain. However, we were not allowed to buy any tickets. The man in the booth referred us further away. This was the station for the Metro, the trains that move only within the limits of Bilbao. We've been told that we should go out again and go to the right. 11.42 We had to go up a long long staircase. My fitness is at the bottom. Let's go find another station. Where is it? 11.52 The train we were planning to go with will depart in three minutes. Unfortunately, we don't see a train or even a station. The only thing we know is that we are in the Etxebarria Park and that there are plenty of dogs walking around us. 12.05 A tragicomic thing has now struck us. The right station for us is located 50 meters from the main exit at Café del Arenal, the breakfast place we left because of too long queue. Not so smart to use the back door when you go in maybe? 12.40 We have found an alternative in terms of transport. Christer and I have bought some journey snacks and Roberth has had coffee. Now we have bought tickets to San Sebastián from the station Uribarri. Here we have made our way after a little walk through the park we just sat in. 12.57 Now we are finally on board the train towards San Sebastián (Donostia). We travel with the Euskotren, a local train that is new and modern but stops at lots of different small stations.
We have stopped in Eibar.
Ingemar in Usurbil supplies marble and granite.
We have reached this train´s final destination, Amara in San Sebastián.
Christer is walking through San Sebastián.
Roberth is resting in the room at Off Beat Guesthouse.
Constitución Plaza, San Sebastián.
14.25 We have tasted our journey snacks and now leave Elgoibar. A moment ago we were in the beautiful town of Eibar located in a valley between the mountains. The origin plan was that we should stay here to see the local team play football against Atletico Madrid but unfortunately the match was moved. Just over an hour remains of the journey.
14.56 Now I feel fine. I've just seen the sea. We're in Zumaia. San Sebastián is pretty close now. 15.21 Our journey is about to end. Once there awaits some moments of walking. 15.59 We arrived at the station Amara here in San Sebastián or Donostia as they say in Basque. The hike from the station has been temporarily suspended. New directions is about to be found. First of all, a key should be fetched. Lunch and a place for living would be good, too. Roberth is thinking about the idea of a flower wreath around a lamppost. There is also a photo of a young man. 16.18 Our home here in San Sebastián is called Off Beat Guesthouse (http://www.offbeatguesthouse.com). The distance from the extraction of the key to the room was short. Our room, number 12, was right next to the reception. I had assumed that we were going to another building but that was not the case. Just outside we have the Church of Iglesia de San Vicente (San Bizente eliza) from the 16th century. 16.50 The death toll in Sri Lanka has risen to over 200 people. One of the affected places is Negombo. Christer and I were there last summer. The capital of Colombo is also affected. In a tweet, Donald Trump writes that the death toll was 138 million people. That man always knows what he is talking about, or?
Palacio Goikoa, San Sebastián.
The Beatles in a new version.
Playa de La Concha.
A view of Monte Urgull.
Roberth and Christer at Café de la Concha.
High waves hit the shore.
17.06 After a change of clothes, we are ready to go for our first walk here in San Sebastián.
17.30 We are at the cow, La Vaca (http://www.lavacarestaurante.com), and here we will eat. The question is what to call the meal. It's too late for lunch and too early for dinner but we will still eat. Orders are made. Roberth's phrases in Swedish aroused the interest of the waiter. Now he mastered the phrase, samma, the same. This because Roberth wants the same as one of us. 18.08 The meal was both tasty and satisfying. It was nothing out of the ordinary but delicious. Behind us now the waves from the Bay of Biscay roll in. Again, water I only read about earlier is seen. We have now actually seen most of the waters surrounding Europe. 18.54 After going on and on the beach Playa De La Concha, we are now at Café de la Concha (https://www.cafedelaconcha.com) from 1993. We've ordered coffee. Next to us sit big bunches of teenagers that, smoke, play with mobiles and think they are the coolest in the whole world. Some age groups are the same wherever we go. 19.31 It was just good with a coffee stop. It feels great to just sit down as we have walked towards the end of the beach promenade. We are on a white bench overlooking the sea and the city. This is a really beautiful city. This is familiar among tourists that there are plenty of here. 19.58 Our six feet have taken us up to the castle of Miramar. The view is lovely and the garden with chestnut trees is impressive. The castle has been summer houses for the Spanish royal family and was built in the late 19th century. 20.49 We decided that the walk home should include different purchases. We are, when I found out which key fits were, now at home in the room for a while. It is a key for the front door, one to the door into the accommodation and a key to the room door. 21.17 Ukraine has a new president. The challenger Volodymyr Zelensky has won a grand victory with 73% of the votes. Here in Spain, it's time to have dinner. It is common in this country to have your dinner around midnight.
Roberth and his bottle in a new city.
Christer and Roberth in San Sebastián.
Miramar, an old royal residence.
Grass area outside Palacio de Miramar.
The flowers of spring on display.
On the bench but still satisfied.
21.28 Now we do need to get ready to go out. If we wait too long, we risk getting lazy.
21.44 Our home city is one of the bar densest cities in the world and the city is known as one of the places in the world with the highest quality of food. Despite this, it is difficult to find a restaurant. In the bars there are lots of small dishes, pintxos, but you often have to stand and eat at a bar or a small table. The restaurants are often overcrowded with people. 22.12 After some searching we found Restaurante El Caserio (http://www.restaurantecaserio.com). It just had room for us. After more searching, we found a dish each. Unfortunately, most of the dishes were already out. Here is the demand for food. 23.26 Now we are home after a good dinner. We enjoyed the Rioja wine Señorio de Azofra. Life feels good and maybe we'll sleep till next week.
You can see 28 photos from April 19 in this photoalbum.
You can see 190 photos from April 20 in this photoalbum.
You can see 119 photos from April 21 in this photoalbum.