This morning, I turned on the TV in my host mum’s kitchen to watch the news while I ate breakfast, like I do for most meals. However, this morning, I was greeted by a very happy surprise!

Euskal Irrati Telebista (Eitb), the Basque Country‘s public broadcasting service, has created a program called “In English, Please”, to entertain and educate the people of the Basque country in English, of course.

The show is hosted by Alan Griffin, an Australian politician, who has apparently taken a break from his day job to ramble around Euskadi on his bicycle, attempting to speak with locals in English along the way.

Not only is this program highly entertaining (just get an eye full of the title sequence, which shows Griffin pedaling away on his stationary bike at various locales to the tune of Queen’s “Bicycle Race“), but you actually learn a lot about Bilbao about the Basque Country along the way.

For instance, you can explore the Guggenheim Museum

You can learn how the Bilbao Fútbol Club was founded by the English

“In English, Please” 5th Lesson: Bilbao Fútbol Club

Hear from locals about how Bilbao has changed from an industrial backwater to a modern metropolis

“In English, Please” 6th Lesson: Bilbao

Explore the city’s lovely parks and plazas

Or, you can just enjoy this video of Basque children singing The Beatle’s “Hello Goodbye”

So, if you are at all curious about Bilbao, why not explore the city with a funny man on a bicycle?

– Emily Bowman, DUSA Student Blogger, Bilbao Fall 2012