Tour de Bilbao

Lucio picked us up at the hotel and drove us all over the region. Today we saw some parts of Bilbao and the nearby small towns that most tourists never get to see. Lucio is an outstanding ambassador for the city of Bilbao and the area. He picked us up in his Saab and the three of us enjoyed each other’s company from 9:30 to 2:30. He showed us a panoramic view of the city from a 400 meter high lookout. It was lightly drizzling, but we still got a good look at the city.

Then we drove to a small fishing village on the northern coast and walked along a dramatic beach, with large waves crashing against the rocks.

We then drove to an area where we stood on a cliff overlooking another beach. The wind was blowing so hard we could barely stand up.


Then we drove through some beautiful residential areas, and then stopped for a coffee at a restaurant that had another great view of the ocean. We saw wind turbines generating energy (new technology) right alongside a gas-fired powerplant (old technology). Finally we came back into Bilbao from another road, one that followed the river and we saw the old ship yards, and a new ship being built.




We parked at the university and walked to a nice seafood restaurant where Lucio bought us lunch. Lucio has treated us so well, we don’t know how to thank him. David discovered how much he and Lucio – another environmental engineering professor – have in common, despite having a whole ocean between them.
After lunch, Margo & David walked to the fine arts museum so Margo could show David the Murillo exhibit. He is an outstanding artist. After a rest period at the hotel it was out on the streets again. We went to a very fine tapas (or as they call it up here in northern Spain, pinchos) bar that Lucio had recommended, and had seafood sandwiches, mushroom and tomato canapés, and a plate of Iberian ham (comes from specially raised, oat-fed pigs, and costs about $85/lb) which was delicious. The plate looked full, but the slices were paper-thin, so it didn’t weigh much. (But still the sliced ham alone cost us 22 Euros!)