On our way to Getxo, we took the coastal route from Mundaka, we stopped and hit the famous hike of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. Sections of the drive are along sea viewing windy cliffside roads, then you cut interior a little and you’re in rolling green meadows with cattle and horses grazing. Then this turns to forest that you kind of keep winding through and back to the cliffs. We meander across these beautiful settings til the in the distance we see the famous rocky island with the church perched on top. When you’re in the parking lot you realize it’s pretty touristy but it is for a reason.
The walk itself has you go down a steep path along the mountainside to the water and then you hit a 6ft wide stone bridge with arches that connects you to the island. Now you ascent like 220 stairs of stone doing switch backs up towards the church. It feels super medieval and unique. Unlike any walk I’ve done before. The ocean is all around you and you march in single file, like a soldier, up the narrow path to make your way to the summit. Enjoy the view from above, take some pics, and return. The walk back is much more challenging and here we break a sweat. Straight uphill for a kilometer or so, felt great to move our bodies, my leg muscles rather, after so much upper body use.
From there is a quick little drive down to Bakio and there was a fun little wave breaking there. A kind of loggy mushy left with a few people on it. We bet it could get better as the tide dropped so we had to get out there to try our luck. It’s a shoulder high take off that I got to just cut back into 2 or 3 times til the inside for a racy close out section. Calming and fun.
Shortly after that we arrive at our airbnb in Getxo, a residential part of Bilbao but along the water. From here we can go check out downtown and the Guggenheim, the metro easily shoots you there. A friend of Ced, Zuheir, lives here and he and I have been in touch. He’s been giving me tips and advice on where to surf/stay so it’ll be cool to finally meet him and make the connection. The apartment is nice and our host, Susana, welcomes us sweetly. I get a little work done while Evan goes to the market and picks up groceries. He makes chicken, yams, and broccoli, our first home cooked meal in forever, and we are stoked to pump the breaks on eating out so much.
Today is a month into the trip. Got into Paris Sep 18. Really enjoying this time. Have seen and scored incredible waves and eaten some insane food. Had action packed days and days only for surf and days of just chilling. Just how I want.
Oct 19-
Today we met up with Zuheir, Zuey as he goes by, and his bud Cliff with little doggie. Went for a long walk along the cliffside/coastline of Getxo out to Punta Galea. Chatting nicely and describing our trip and all the crazy waves we’ve seen. They show us all the spots along here that are now flat, but when big swell makes it into the bay these spots light up. The walk is long and nice and relaxing although a bit hot. There’s a heatwave and dry offshore wind.
Afterwards we go back to his place in a tiny neighborhood of Getxo called Puerto Viejo. Everything is narrow streets and little white houses stacked upon each other on the hills above the old port. Amongst all the modern apartment neighborhoods he’s found a little apartment in an old historic neighborhood. There’s a little restaurant where we eat traditional Basque dishes: chorizo, chipirones en su tinta, and red peppers stuffed with bacalao au gratin. Pretty damn tasty and in a sweet location. Just below there we stop for a post lunch coffee at a cafe by the water looking at the old port that this neighborhood is named after. It’s tiny and made of stone, barely sticks out to sea 20 yards. Makes me think of a time when this area was so small that a tiny port like that could sustain the population. It’s a sweet part of Getxo and kinda sets the tone for Bilbao as a modern city with some old historic buildings sprinkled in.
The metro runs in a straight line from Sopelana through Getxo into the heart of Bilbao and beyond. It is super cheap and convenient, so easy to use. With our metro card loaded with 10 euros we would be set to cruise around at our leisure. Yesterday when we were unloading the groceries and making dinner we found out that there was no big pot for stew or pasta in the crib. Zuey lent us his and we took the big old pot down the metro to get a nice bolognese going. After dinner we went to a bar closeby and played some cards. I guess it’s a Wednesday night but this area was pretty dead.
Went into the city today to check out downtown Bilbao and the Guggenheim. Firstly, I got a haircut, a buzzcut. I haven’t buzzed my hair since second grade so it feels super different and weird, very breezy obviously, but a nice change. I’ve been wearing my hood, as I usually do when I surf, so my hair has been getting ratty and matted back there. The long hair was becoming too much of a hassle to try and un-knot it everyday. It’s gone now, I don’t regret it, got a new look and it’ll grow back fast.
The metro to downtown is painless and quick. Downtown feels very modern, with some older buildings sprinkled in of course, but everything looks new and clean. Unlike the previous places we’ve stayed, it feels like Paris in the sense that it’s a real city where people live. Not many tourists around; it was people in bars and cafes, commuting, hanging in the park, bustling with life. Seeing how our American homies have carved out a life out here makes us ponder what it’d be like to live amongst all this. It’s much cheaper but you do make way less. Even still the quality of life and access to your city and the area around seems more doable, like they’ve figured it out more.
The Guggenheim is a gorgeous building with all its lines, angles, materials, and radical shape. On the river with a couple old buildings in its vicinity its totally on brand with the vibe of Bilbao, emerging powerhouse modern city. There were some things inside as well, such as the Richard Serra sculptures of steel. Massive spirals that curve inwards or sometimes wave around with different angles that you can walk through is a great experience. If you walk slowly through them, it can totally knock you off balance as your path veers and the walls around you seem to move. The design and geometry of them are also cool to consider because some look like they’d be super top heavy as they head outwards towards the top, but it’s all counter balanced with whatever the shape is doing on the other side. I believe all the sculptures are placed on the floor and not bolted down. Of course, the steel rooms and caves it creates echo like crazy so we have some fun singing and goofing off in the exhibit. I’m assuming people don’t really know where the rambunctious sounds come from because everything around is super echoey. Not to mention that in the gallery next door is a video of a woman screaming like a monkey played through incredible speakers. Every 5-10 minutes regardless of where you are in the museum this noise bath of shrieks and calls echo out.
Another cool show was a cube of mirrors with hanging lights in different colors that twinkled on and off and in different timed patterns. The gentleman lets you in, closes the door behind you, and it’s pitch black. Then the lights start glowing and due to the reflection on reflection on reflection, you are in an infinitely long room of glowing lights in every direction. That was pretty cool! Overall, I feel I’m not that excited or impressed with contemporary art there as much. The real treat of the Guggenheim is the museum itself, the structure. It’s radical, impressive, and you can always find a corner of it to gaze at. Walking inside from show to show it's very evident you are in it and not just in large rooms with art in them.
Went to a plaza in the old part of town, kids playing ball in the middle, and parents on the outside sitting at tables with drinks. We try kalimotxo, coca cola with red wine, a local discovery and popular. It’s surprisingly good but I can only imagine how awful you feel the next day after a bunch of these. Had a nice late lunch/early dinner in a bustling part of downtown.
Surfed Sopelana with Zuey and Cliff. The waves weren’t that good but it’s the quintessential beach break outside town that’ll always be surfable. It’s overcast and cold and not really that great but we get in and make the most of it. The wind switches offshore and we get a taste of what it could be like when it's good. Go back to the crib and stew up before going out for a beer in the Algorta bars in front of the skatepark overlooking the ocean. This little zone is super surfy/skatey, the bar is called layback. I recognize several of the surfers from Sopelana today and meet some of Zuey & Cliff’s friends like Zoo’s girlfriend Mai and Jack. We hit it off nice and they take us to the bar that Jack works at that has a famous tortilla de patata. The owner of the shop is literally in the kitchen busting out tortillas from open at 9/10am to 2am like a psycho, and the tortillas are basically consumed immediately after they hit the counter. People sometimes get in screaming matches as to who is next in line for their slice. “I can’t believe my boss is still making tortilla!” says Jack. The man’s looking greasy back there. We decide we’ll all go out tomorrow for real how they do in Bilbao, hang and then clubs don’t really start til 1-2am.
Oct 22
Took our time waking up and didn’t really get after it today. Did some work, wrote, a little reading around our town before it was time to meet Zuey. We meet him on the metro on the way to downtown Bilbao and he guides us to casco viejo for a sweet time. The bar overlooks the water along the old part of town. People are everywhere enjoying their beers sitting on steps in large groups. Along the water are the buildings of all different colors with cafes below them packed with people. The nightlife is getting started and here in downtown Bilbao it really goes off.
We walk to a new area where the streets are narrow and the buildings are old. Lots of people drinking in the streets. It reminds me of San Sebastian but with way more people and only Spaniards/Basque. Zuey shows us all the people sitting on the floor and we realize that amongst the people standing, there are pockets of friend groups sitting in circles chatting, pouring their own drinks in front of the bars. Apparently this is totally normal and a very Bilbao thing to do. We make it to a place where three of these streets intersect in a tiny zone called el triangulo and have a kalimotxo with Cliff. This zone is kind of punky and maybe hipstery but super lively.
Next we walk to the more bougie zone and order the famous gin and tonics that are in wine glasses filled to the brim. This is still all part of the pregame before you even go to a club. Everywhere you look people are drinking and moving, it’s a sea of people getting their night “started”. Already we’ve been through 3 zones, each with their own vibe, equally popping, and all within walking distance. Jack meets up with us and now it's the 5 of us, turnt up, trying to find our next move. Jack is a social butterfly and knows basically everyone around town, we defer to him as to where to head.
He takes us to a pub, meaning it’s a bar with a dance floor but it's not a “real discoteca.” He introduces us to one of his friends, and she introduces us to her friends, Iratxe and Esti, so now we’re a big old group. Esti, is a surfer who we surfed with in Bakio that was absolutely tearing it up over there. She’s a real good surfer and we immediately recognized her when we saw her at the pub. She gave us a few recommendations for spots further westward. Me and Evan dance like crazy boys on the dance floor, goofing off and having fun, people look at us like we’re super weirdos because people don’t really do that around here. People stay trying to look cool around the dance floor instead of tearing it up. Go outside and everyone is sitting on the floor at the entrance of the bar chatting and smoking their cigarettes. Sit on the floor and join in on the Bilbao style hang. Real fun night.
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