Why Bilbao is the PERFECT place for a FOODIE weekend getaway

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2955811/Basque-brilliance-Bilbao-perfect-city-Spanish-foodie-weekend-convince-wife-eat-fish-is.html Everything at hand, a very convenient city, medium-sized, excellent public transport, great food, extremely safe, beautiful surroundings….what else can you ask for?

8 days on a Basque Gastro Tour and in good company…beat it! – Part One

I´ve had the great pleasure to enjoy a gastronomic tour in the Basque Country with a couple of Hong Kong friends…and moreover when the weather at the end of November has been incredibly warm and sunny 7 of the 8 days. Regrettably, some of the restaurants we had chosen as a first option were closed for holidays, but having a great meal has never been a problem in the Basque Country.

Just an hour after arrival, we arrived in Asador Etxebarri, one Michelin star, in the beautiful town of Axpe. The tasting menu consists of a wide array of dishes, all based on the mastering of the grill by Bittor Arginzoniz, the cook and owner. He has develop his own grilling technique and instruments, and so he´s able to grill an oyster, baby eels or a boneless steak. Product is mostly local or from his own garden. Service is friendly, close and very efficient. Two and a half hours of wonders in your mouth, at a reasonable price for a Michelin star if we compare it to those in the US or France, for example. Some pics:

Next day we went to a very special place in the slopes of the hills surrounding Bilbao, the Kate Zaharra (in Basque, the Old Chain). A classic in Bilbao, it probably has the best views of town. When you enter, they offer you to visit the cellar, where you can choose your wine and enjoy some fresh cut ibérico ham, as well as some anchovies or other delicacies. Then you go upstairs to your table, where you can taste great grilled fish, clams, the freshest seafood…Product, product and product, and a lovely aftermeal upstairs where you can enjoy a drink of your favorite spirit and awesome views of the city.

A visit to a medieval castle in the outskirts of Bilbao as well as to the amazing Old Town marked a perfect day for the three of us…

More to come…

Some Funny Questions From Visitors to The Basque Country

It´s been a few years now working as a guide in the Basque Country, and I have to say that 99.99% of my guests have always been very nice and polite. With some of them I´ve made friends and we exchange emails regularly (Hi Barb!) and with some others I´ve had the pleasure to see they return again to this beautiful region. Most of my visitors are foreigners, mainly from English speaking countries (US, Australia, Canada, Britain,…) and sometimes the information they have about our way of life and culture is not very comprehensive. So I´ve received a lot of questions about the Basque Country, and some of them have been very funny:

1- “I do know that marriages in the Basque Country have always been arranged by the parents, but do you still keep this habit? Your marriage was also arranged, young man?”

My answer was: “No madam, it was only until we joined the European Union, then they prohibited this ancient custom, much to our regret”.

2- (On a wine tasting experience, when tasting red wine): “Oh my God, mine is not sweet!!, I must have taken the wrong glass”

3- More on wine tasting in the Rioja region: “Oh, so you don´t offer California wine here?”

4- (asking for a coffee with milk -café con leche- in a cafeteria in San Sebastián): “Do you pasteurize your milk?” And on seeing my puzzled face..”Hum, you may not know what “pasteurizing” means, sorry” . And then she explained it to me.
5- “So this is an anchovie, look Diane, it´s actually a FISH!!!”, on looking at a spectacular anchovie pintxo with a real anchovie on it (he thought of them as that weird thing they put on pizzas.
6- “Do you pay taxes or is everything government owned and paid?”
7- “I can pay with US Dollars everywhere, right?”
8-“Do kids go to school every day?” (a very kind lady, I answered “yes, except on weekends, summer and Christmas….”)
9- “I´d like to see the running of the bulls”…”Yes sir, but that is in Pamplona on July and it´s September”. “Oh, I thought they ran all year round…”

10- “On Mondays (day when many restaurants are closed), you don´t go to work because you can´t eat anywhere, right?”

11- “Why can´t I pay a glass of wine with a VISA?” (most bars in Spain don´t accept credit cards, and you never ever leave your visa to the bartender in case they do…trust is the word). Important to know that a glass of wine in Spain just costs 1.50eur approx…

12- “How come there´re so many kids on the street? Shouldn´t they be home watching TV?”

13- “Wow, a glass of water with no ice on it!! How can you drink it?” (or a Coke, mostly served with just an ice cube or two)

14-  “I can´t eat cheese” “Well, you should have told me earlier, you just had two pieces of Idiazabal sheep cheese” “Wow, that was cheese?? I meant pizza cheese, I didn´t know there was hard cheese!”.

And so many others that make this job a very exciting and interesting one!

The One and Only Transporter Bridge of Portugalete

This is one of the most pleasant  surprises for most of my guests when coming to the Basque Country. I tend not to inform in advance about what we are going to visit, this way I believe the visit has the added value of the unexpected. And so here it is…after a 2´drive from the cruise port, or just 20´from Bilbao, the unique Puente Colgante (officially named Puente Bizkaia) appears in front of us. At first sight, they don´t understand what´s going on: “OK, an iron bridge…what else?” and the look of disappointment is kind of worrying. But then the suspended barge starts crossing the river to get to the other side, and right there is when they open wide their eyes and start taking pictures and getting closer to the Bridge.

It runs 365/24 and has already been used for over 650 million people in its 121 years of existence (inaugurated on 1893). Designed and patented by Alberto de Palacio, a local engineer (disciple of Eiffel), its main use was to link both margins of the river without interrupting the constant flow of ships transporting iron from the mines on the nearby mountains.

 

 

It allows the transport of passengers and 6 cars, apart from bikes and motorbikes. It´s been recently painted (color was chosen by popular vote) and a full maintenance work has been carried out to make sure that it´ll be running for another 100 years or more. Mainly used by locals and not designed as a tourist attraction, it has been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Monument, a fact that has increased the number of visitors to this incredible bridge. There´s an elevator that takes you to the upper walkway, with great views and some explanations on the origins of the Bridge.

A must on your visit to the Basque Country…and close to the beach of Ereaga and the beautiful old fishing port of Algorta…

 

 

 

The Balenciaga Dress Museum at Getaria, another hidden gem

Everybody knows San Sebastian, its three beaches, wonderful arquitecture and of course, the great atmosphere and food of pintxos bars. It´s a delightful city that probably ranks No 1 among the most beautiful cities in Europe (my biased opinion!!). But visitors to San Sebastian normally miss the quaint fishing town of Getaria, whose peninsula resembles a “mouse” (“the mouse of Getaria”). Few know that the first person that circumnavigated the world, Juan Sebastián Elcano, second to Magellan (who died in the Philippines before completing the route), was born in Getaria (there´s a monument to this deed).

 

And fewer know that Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre, Balenciaga, the most famous designer of all times, was born in Getaria in 1895. Son of a seamstress, in a very catholic family, he soon became interested in the art of sewing and making dresses for the wealthy. In 2011, Queen Sofía of Spain inaugurated in his hometown the Balenciaga Museum (link) The museum has a collection of more than 1,200 pieces designed by Balenciaga and the building deserves a visit by its spectacular arquitecture. Dresses are shown as works of art and, in an atmosphere where lights have been dimmed so you can center your attention on the designs.

 

A must. If this museum were located, say, in Paris, it would be one of the most visited. Unfortunately, it´s in a fishing town of the Basque Country (as is the biggest Rolls Royce museum in the world and many others, but that´s a different story).