Bilbao, San Sebastian, Zaragoza

I have been back from my journey up north for almost two weeks now, and I'm getting for the next adventure, so it's time I told you about that one... sorry about the delays. Here are the details:

After our Spanish placement test a few weeks ago (Thursday, September 29, I believe?) I headed to the other end of Spain for a long weekend with three other students from my program (Hugo, Alex, and Naomi.) Our journey started with a city bus trip to the regional bus station... or, it was supposed to. Some demonstration involving smoke and police officers clogged the streets, interfering with the regular bus routes. So, after nervously waiting for a bus that was never going to appear with about a zillion Granadinos, Naomi and I ended up sharing a cab with two Brazilian girls who were also trying to get to the station. The fare split four ways ended up being less than a bus ticket, and we got to the station in plenty of time - woohoo!

After a two or three hour (I lost count) bus ride, during which Naomi and I continually annoyed the rest of our sleeping co-passengers by talking too loud, we were in Malaga. From the bus station, we took a cab to the airport, from where our flight to Bilbao was due to leave... in seven hours. Luckily, we took advantage of this delightful opportunity to hang out in the airport, snacking on some delicious sandwiches (the only thing being sold at that time of night) and having a slumber party (sleeping on some metallic window-sill-type things.) What fun!

Once we finally got to Bilbao, we ate some proper breakfast, checked into our hostel, and then explored the Guggenheim - a beautiful array of modern and contemporary art, some of which I didn't quite get, but most of which I enjoyed.

After a quick nap, Naomi and I headed out for some lunch. We strolled around town, soaking in its clean prettiness, the diversity of its architecture, and the wonderful contrast of the modern town with the mountains surrounding it.

After our requisite ice cream (it would become a dinner staple for the next few days) we met up with the boys again, took the city's funicular up a slope to enjoy some mountaintop vistas, got some tapas (or pintxos, as they're called in Basque country) and then headed to sleep.

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast and then set out to find the city's flea market, which we never actually found. But we got another nice stroll in, and stopped for some coffee before parting ways. By mid-morning, Naomi and I were on a train to San Sebastian, Alex was getting ready for his bus ride to Ovieto, and Hugo was settling in for another night in Bilbao. The train to San Sebastian provided some nice views of the Spanish countryside, but was surprisingly loud... Nevertheless, the ride went pretty quickly; we pulled into the station a few hours later and set out to find our hostel.

We were in San Sebastian for two nights and while I'm glad we had the chance to visit, it was not what I expected. Our hostel, which was the most highly rated we could find, was a little disorganized and had some sandy showers, but provided an adequate bed and breakfast, so it got the job done. The city itself was interesting - certainly a beach town, but not in a Southern-California-way. There were so many tourists, I hardly spoke any Spanish at all during our stay, and the beach was beyond packed. BUT I got to imagine Ernest Hemingway strolling through the streets, so I really can't complain, can I? Some highlights from our two days:

The beach:

The churches:

The trek up Monte Igueldo to see the Christ statue:

Then, on Monday morning, we boarded a bus to Zaragoza, the last stop on our trip. We were only in Zaragoza for a night and, being a little burnt out on sight-seeing, we took the opportunity to relax. After checking into our hostel/hotel/bed-and-breakfast/apartment-thing (I really don't know how to describe it... but it was lovely!) and having some of the most delicious falafel I've ever tasted for lunch, we saw the city's main attractions:

Palacio de la Aljafería:

Plaza de toros:

Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar:

We finished up the day with a dinner of - you guessed it! - ice cream, this time eaten in bed while watching television. Not very Spanish, but fun and silly nonetheless.

The next morning, before heading to the airport, we rode an elevator to the top of the Catedral (it had been closed the night before) to take in a panorama of the city.

Then, after strolling through a very intriguing market (who knew you could buy, cook, and eat an entire goat head - tongue, teeth, and eyes included?) we made our way to the airport and after a few hours on planes and buses, we were home in Granada!

See the rest of the pictures here.