Eva's visit to Spain

(Me and Eva in Plenzia)

On February 13, Eva took the very long flight from New York to visit me for 5 1/2 days in Spain and we used every single minute possible to soak it all up! Before this trip it had been almost a year since we had last seen each other and even then it wasn't under the best circumstances as we were attending the funeral of a very close family member. It was about time we spent some quality time together and remember what it is like to be the two crazy best friends we have been beginning from the age of ten. We have also been dying to travel together and although it's hard being a poor, post-graduate with hardly any vacation time this was a great glimpse of what it would be like. I am so thankful she made the financial and time investment to come see me...I have so many cherished memories from her trip that I will never forget.

So on Wednesday, I went to pick Eva up from the airport after a pretty significant delay. We got started with our day by going to the Guggenheim since that is basically the most crucial thing to see in Bilbao. This was only my second visit and I was once again taken away with the beauty of the structure. It is just so magestic. The main exhibit was called Art in America, which was pretty funny since we both have a good idea of the American classic artists. Also, a lot of the things in the exhibit were things that came from New York museums and Eva had already seen a good amount! Oh well, she still loved seeing it all. After that, we took the funicular up Mt. Artxanda so she could get a good view of the entire city. We went at a beautiful hour where the sun was just beginning to set.


(view from Artxanda)

After taking lots of photos we went a beautiful cafe/restaurant called Txakoli...named after the yummy Basque white wine. I made her try her first Kalimotxo (coke with red wine) and she really liked it. We also ate a few snacks. Finally we headed back to the flat to freshen up and then made our way to Casco Viejo for a lovely dinner of the best pintxos in town at Cafe Bar Bilbao. I treated Eva as a birthday gift (her birthday was in November). As I suspected, she absolutely loved the pintxos. We shared a bottle of Txakoli and I got thoroughly drunk. Then I took her to a different restaurant where I don't like the food but the desserts are amazing. Finally we made it to bed to get some rest for the next day.

On Valentine's Day, Eva and I took a nice day trip to Plenzia-a small beach front town about 35 minutes from Bilbao. It is the last stop on the Bilbao metro and I had always wanted to see it. Since we went in the middle of the day we were just about the only people walking around. Everyone else was either at work or taking siesta so it was kind of neat...it felt like the town was ours. As you walk off the metro there is a near bridge that takes you over a river that is full of little tug boats. It seems almost every person who lives in that town must have a boat and they all just park them in the river.


(sunset in Plenzia)

Other than walking around, eating a lovely menu del dia and walking on the beach, there wasn't much else to do. After a few hours we headed back to Bilbao. We socialized with all my roommates for an hour or so. It was really funny because our kitchen is the smallest room in the flat and we could have all sat in the living room but instead as more people began to join us, they took chairs from the living room and put them in the kitchen. It was really cute, you had to see it. Finally, Eva and I went out to a Valentine's dinner at a beautiful modern restaurant called Viva Bilbao where we had some of the most interesting dishes with the most interesting types of food. Eva had a tasting menu where her first coarse was in the shape of a lolipop that was frozen foie gras with this interesting sweet sauce. She also had a dish that was kangaroo...it was actually pretty good. I ate a yummy duck dish that was more of a mediterranean style with figs and fried onion. We both shared everything and it was really enjoyable. We also shared a bottle of the Spanish Cava Champagne and got a really good cheesecake dessert in the shape of a heart.

On Friday, we stayed in Bilbao and made it a shopping day. I took Eva to all the best spots like the Gran Via and Casco Viejo. We both ended up buying a purse from a famous store here called Mi Sa Ko...where all the purses are very original and are made in the Catalonia province of Spain. We took a short break at a nice place called Cafe y Te where we both had some good tea and where I had her try some tortilla...a type of pintxo (one of my favorites)made with potatos and egg. We shopped until all the stores closed and finally went back to the flat to chill for a while. Then my friends came with us to the karaoke bar because Eva really wanted to see what a Spanish one would be like. We found some English songs to sing and Eva was a hit among the crowd. They all applauded each time she sang...she really has a great singing voice.

On Saturday all my girlfriends came with us to San Sebastian. I had been here once before but I was still so jetlagged that I found a beach and fell asleep for practically the whole time! This time I really wanted to see the town because it is said to be the most beautiful city in northern Spain. After a nice hour long bus ride, we walked for a long time around the sea.


(the girls in San Sebastian)

We took a short break at a cafe and shopped a little for souvenirs. We saw the beautiful port area and then walked into the old town where there were some amazing stores. We all bought a treat from the pasteleria (bakery). They were all divine. Then we went to one of the main beaches...The Concha, where we found a beautiful cafe on the beach. Unfortunately, we had to wait about an hour to be seated and the menu del dia was not very good but we still enjoyed being in a beautiful environment and talking and resting. After a long lunch, we headed back to the buses. After eating some pasta for dinner, we all got ready to go out to some discos. All of our friends came to pre-drink at our flat and then we went to two different discos...we couldn't go all night because we were so tired but we managed to stay out until about 3am. Eva loved seeing the different environments and differents music that can change so dramatically from one disco to the next.

On Sunday, we all woke up again and all the girls went on a daytrip to Santander...another beach front city I had always wanted to see. The bus ride was a little longer this time but it was good to fit some naps in. We walked along the sea for a while and then found a little cafe that offered boat rides to different parts of the city. We sat in the cafe and had some good cafe con leche and some really awesome tortilla with chorizo. Then we walked to the port area and then walked back in time to catch the next boat. It was such a beautiful day to be on the water and under the sun. We went to the complete other side of the city where we found a beach and played for about an hour. It was so cute to see all the girls running around and jumping in the water with all the their clothes on. Eva and I started doing cartwheels on the beach and cheerleading jumps. It has been so long since we have done any of those that we were really sore the next day!


(cartwheels on the beach in Santander)

After getting burned out from all those cartwheels, we found a restaurant with a good menu del dia. Although there were some items on the menu that they ran out of, we still all had some of the most tasty meals we had ever had. Eva got her paella she had been craving too! After lunch, we headed back to the boat to get to the other side of town where we went back to the buses. After getting back, Eva and I went back out into Bilbao to do some more shopping for gifts for her to bring back home. We also decided to have a very late dinner at a lovely place near the Guggenheim called Tapelia. We ate some more lovely pintxos and a really good salad. Then, unfortunately Eva had to begin packing up. We finally went to bed after she was all packed.

The next day, we woke up and talked for a long time during breakfast. We went into town so I could buy a cheap bag that I could pack some of my things in for her to bring back with her to NY so I could avoid dealing with having too much luggage when I come home. We'll see if I still have a problem...probably. Then I took her to get chocolate con churros because you can't come to Spain and not have those. She loved it of course! Sadly, our time together came to an end. I took her back to the airport where we sat and chatted until I had to get on the bus in order to make it to work.

We were both so glad she came to visit, regardless of how short the trip was. She came when we had some of the most beautiful weather ever since I had lived in Bilbao. It was mostly clear blue skies each day and it usually warmed up enough to not need a jacket. I know this was an experience neither of us are ever going to forget and I was so grateful to have a visitor that could see my life here and meet some of the amazing friends I have made along the way.