Bilbao to Biarritz (Tour de France!) July 2-5

After a wonderful 8 nights in Greece, we flew from Athens direct to Bilbao, northern Spain on the Atlantic Bay of Biscay. We arrived mid morning and drove directly to downtown Bilbao to walk around and visit the market for lunch. After taking in the new climate, culture and surrounds, we drove a few minutes over to the internationally acclaimed Guggenheim museum of Bilbao. The builiding, architecture and art installations are amazing. The modern art on the inside was interesting and at times captivating, but the building itself was worth a visit both inside and out. We spent 2 nights in the small town of Armintza. Quaint, picturesque, and striking, we had a wonderful experience there complete with swimming in the cliffside port. After a few more amazing towns--including eating, touring and swimming in San Sebastian--and catching the Tour de France whipping by, we spent the next night just across the border in Larressore, France. After a special evening dinner on the 4th of July overlooking the foothill valleys of the western Pyrenees, we drove through Hasparren and Bayonne on our way to Biarritz--one of our (newly) favorite towns on the European Atlantic coast.

After an amazing day, we drove back to Bilbao for a short flight to Malaga late at night to say goodbye and grab our luggage before flying out the next day to London.

We drove directly into Bilbao from the airport and found this open food market for lunch (on the right).

The Northern route of Camino de Santiago begins here.

Guggenheim

Extensive visiting works from Japanese artist Kusama

Massive iron structures inside.

Kusama's infinity mirror room

After a great lunch, walk and Guggenheim visit, we drove to our Airbnb up on the coast in the little town of Armintza. View from the room let us watch the boys explore low tide from the window. The Tour de France had come through the town a day earlier.

We enjoyed jumping off the bulkheads into clear Atlantic water, slightly warmer than the Mediterranean in Greece--very pleasant!

A short drive an hike down to Gaztelugatxeko Doniene. If you didn't book your tickets weeks in advance, go anyway! you'll probably get in.

Made more famous from the Game of Thrones series. But can't stay too long, gotta get to...

Tour de France!

We made it just in time to the little coastal town of Lekeitio

It would have been something to see the riders come around this corner.

Basque flag in one of our new favorite towns of Lekeitio. Bring your swim shorts. Highly recommend!

The Basques were really into flying buttresses.

Driving back to Armintza for the night, stopped in Guernica. This is an exact tiled replica of Picasso's paiting housed in Madrid. Perhaps the most famous anti-war piece of art in the world.

Guernica lost 1/3 of it's population when 40 tons of bombs were dropped on a defenseless city during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. The planes were led by Nazi Germany and supported by Italy to help Franco set an example against those who opposed him. A precursor of what was to come from the fascists.

The town today is rather nice.

The next day we packed up and headed to San Sebastian where we had another outdoor cafe lunch, swam on the beach, and explored the town and a museum.

That evening we arrived in Larressore, France: still in the Basque region. We celebrated the 4th of july dinner with a beautiful view of rural Basque French mountians and valleys.

The next day we stared with a drive to Hasparren to explore and find a bakery cafe. We're in France afterall.

1 Euro Baguette vending machine!

Then we drove through Bayonne to the coast and ended up in one of our other favorite Basque towns: Biarritz.

A 15th Anniversary crepe and cider lunch on a cliff overlooking the sea.

15 years.

Excellent low tide exploring in coastal caves.

Memorials honoring those from the World Wars were common sights. A reminder to be vigilant against fascism.

Biarritz

Now that's an ice cream truck.

Before leaving Bilbao we made one last stop at Viscaya bridge: The first and oldest suspension bridge to carry traffic and people, built in the late 1800's and a Unesco world heritage site. At the time, Bilbao was the most industrialized city in Spain and a top producer of steel in Europe. It connected 2 towns near the mouth of the river without disrupting boat traffic.

It can carry 4 cars and a couple dozen pedestrians.

And then off to the airport to fly back to Malaga for 1 night to collect our things for good and visit London.

The Basque country, which spans the coast and mountains across Spain and France, was a real pleasure to visit. The weather is generally wet but we had great conditions and the ocean water was warm for swimming and surfing. The coastline and small towns were striking, quaint, and beautiful with cliffs and forests. The Basque people themselves are beileved to be direct descendants from the Cro-Magnon settlers who displaced the Neaderthals in this region over 30,000 years ago. Their language, culture, and rich past were surprising and incredible to learn about. We look forward to visiting this region again with perhaps a longer stay to explore caves, do some hiking, and spend time on the beaches.