Gwen in Bilbao – Page 5

Málaga

On my third week abroad I and a few other girls in the ISA program decided to book a weekend trip to Málaga, a fun little city on the southern coast of Spain. What a fun, unexpected excursion. We stayed Thursday through Sunday and packed in as much as we could. Lots of delicious food from pizza to Aperol spritzes to various breakfast toasts and LOTS of ice cream. My personal favorite meal was the paella we got on our last night. For those who don’t know, paella is a traditional Spanish dish made with a rice base and either seafood or chicken mixed into it. We got a little bit of both and it was DELICIOUS.

We got to explore so many fun museums and outside structures like the Alcazaba, a palatial fortification built during the period of Muslim-ruled Al-Alandus. I realized I have a deep affinity for Islamic architecture, as well as unique water features. Málaga at night was so lively and fun, all the streets decorated with white tile in the central area near the Cathedral de Málaga (which we ate dinner under the first night) and throughout all the streets dotted with shops and bars. We spent a day just rotting at the beach, enjoying the choppy waves and collecting various fun rocks.

We also decided to sporadically visit the Málaga Museum of Architecture, which was only one euro and such a fun way to pass the time. On the last morning before our flight, we stopped by the Picasso Museum, which was certainly a highlight of the trip. Hot take: the Picasso exhibit was interesting, but I’ve got to say that I loved the guest exhibit more. Maria Blanchard was an artist living the same years as Picasso, however, due to the fact she was a woman, she didn’t receive HALF the recognition he did. Her work was incredible, please check her out.

La Rioja y Pamplona

For another weekend trip our program took off to La Rioja (wine country) and the bustling city of Pamplona. La Rioja was short and sweet, we were taken to an underground wine cellar and given a wine tasting. Who knew that wine had so many different things determining taste?! The color, the hue, the smell, everything matters.

Exploring the old town afterward was such a treat, it’s a gorgeous culmination of old cobblestone, arches, and a gorgeous outlook of just miles and miles of vineyards and valleys. We got to explore the garden of Navarra in LaGuardia before heading off on a bus to Pamplona, where the real party began.

Pamplona is city home to the annual Running of the Bulls (Feast of San Fermin). After a quick tour, a few of us went to get some churros con chocolate, something I’ve been dying to try upon my arrival. (They did NOT disappoint). After the best burger and salad of my life, we explored the city at night, finding the most precious bar with a cat logo and savoring some “frizzante” (tasted like Moscato).

The next day we were treated to a buffet breakfast and another tour of the city, specifically the path where the running of the bulls commences. It’s such an interesting tradition, and anyone can run, as long as you are of age. Before the start of the run, participants sing to San Fermin three times to ask for his blessing and protection, as written on a sign along the path.

We ended the day with seeing the gorgeous Royal Holy Mary Cathedral of Pamplona, grabbing some food and piling back into the bus for a quick stop at El Alton del Perdón. Most people hike the beautiful trail, we were lucky enough to be taken to the top where I had my first up-close encounter with a windmill.

The outlook was breathtaking. It really puts into perspective just how small you really are in such a big, busy world.

Hike to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

Pro tip: when your program director asks you if you want to go on a chill, fun hike, say yes…because it will probably end up being the most rewarding, challenging, entirely uphill climb of your entire life to see some of the most incredible views!

On a day we were blessed with no school, our ISA director Genoveva took us on a hike to see San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, an islet in Spain connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge. Originally built as a convent, it now serves as a tourist attraction for avid fans of the show, Game of Thrones, since apparently one of the episodes was filmed there (I wouldn’t know I’ve only seen House of Dragon). It was one of the hardest, most fulfilling hikes I’ve ever been on, and one of the most thrilling. Seeing deep blue water surround an incredible structure like that just shifts something in your brain. I could have stayed up there all day just gazing into the distance.

After said hike, a bunch of us decided to jump into the ice-cold ocean down at the beach as a reward. I’ve never felt so alive. That paired with the bocadillo my host mom packed me was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Safe to say that I have been BUSY! Posting more blogs this week to make up for it. Agur!!

*that means bye in Basque*

I am not in the slightest what one would call a “picky eater”. I am, in fact, quite the opposite: a foodie. I will eat just about anything, put it in front of me and I won’t knock it till I’ve tried it. So you can imagine my excitement to study abroad in Bilbao, Spain, where Basque cuisine reigns. I simply could not WAIT to try everything.

Each day on my walk to school I pass a little butcher shop seemingly dedicated to jamón ibérico, and that is partly what inspired this blog. I really wanted to highlight the mundane day-to-day of what I see, experience, and taste here in Bilbao. Food is what life seems to revolve around here. In the mornings we pass coffee shops and ice cream stands, as well as a wide variety of upscale restaurants still waiting peacefully to be open until the evening. After our first class of the day, we go to a little café in our college, and we can get a little croissant or coffee for just a couple Euros. I would argue that food is such an integral part of any culture, and Spain is certainly no exception.

Pintxos

Fun fact about Bilbao: it has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-star restaurants in all of Spain (thank you to my hospitality major friend for that). Walking along the streets of Bilbao I’ve noticed them here and there, and I’ve begun to crave a rather expensive 5-star meal. However, you can easily experience equally exquisite dining at any little bar along any street. Each of these bars usually serves a variety of drinks, as well as little tapa-like items, better known as pintxos. A “pintxo” is a small dish, usually consisting of a piece of bread adorned with a variety of meats and cheeses, croquettes, fish, and more. The pintxo is super unique and actually got its name from the cocktail stick holding it together. “Pincho” in Spanish means skewer and spike. That’s what differentiates it from a supposed tapa. It’s not a tapa, it’s a pintxo! One of my favorite variations of a pintxo is one with something called “jamón ibérico”. Jamón ibérico is a variety of cured meat most popular here in Spain. It comes from a cured leg of ham, which is commonly seen hanging from most meat markets here, and is considered a staple of both Portuguese and Spanish cuisine. I will be honest, I did not develop a fondness for this meat until my abroad experience, as every time I had tried it in the past it was against my will (thank you to my father), and was simply not as good as the authentic, Spanish quality of jamón here in Spain. It is served with many dishes here, especially “bocadillos” which are sandwiches one can eat for a mid-morning snack or lunch. Specifically, sandwiches made with a baguette. Jamón is also often incorporated in our host-stay breakfast, laid atop our bread smothered with tomatoes.

Tortilla de Patatas

Now another one of my favorite Spanish dishes is something called “tortilla de patatas” (which I am currently enjoying as I write this section of my blog). It’s basically a Spanish omelet, a mixture of egg and potatoes, happiness, and sometimes onion. It. Is. DELICIOUS, and is also sometimes served on top of a sliver of bread as a pintxo. You can even put stuff between the two tortillas, like vegetables, cheese, or even tuna. I think it is one of the snacks I will miss the most after my quarter of study abroad, the warmth of the potatoes and the smoothness of the egg, it’s such a simple, yummy snack.

Wine

I have also come to discover the art of good quality wine. We recently completed an excursion to La Rioja, a part of Spain dedicated to lots of “bodegas” or wine cellars. We got to go down into one and do a tasting, and I learned so much about varieties of wine aging, coloring, and smell. I had NO idea there was so much that went into wine production, and I had no idea you could tell how old or young a wine was just based on the coloring! It was so interesting. It was also refreshing to find that here in Spain a glass of wine is quite normalized, as long as it is paired with pintxos or a full meal of course. Drinking culture is much more relaxed here, quite in contrast to the American way of enjoying an alcoholic beverage. My personal favorite is a white wine called “txakoli”, pronounced “chac-o-li”, traditional to the Basque area of Spain. I often get it confused with another common beverage called “kalimotxo”, pronounced “chali-motcho”, a mixture of red wine and Coca-Cola that was invented around 1972 during a Puerto Viejo festival, when a group of friends noticed the wine quality was poor, so to make it sweeter they mixed it with Coca-Cola (so interesting). I personally do not enjoy it, but it is fun to learn the origin!

I have to admit, as much as I adore the food here, it took me a minute to adjust (as discussed in a previous blog of mine), and one of the biggest “issues” of mine I’ve had to overcome is a supposed lack of vegetables. There is a preconceived notion that Europe has a lack of vegetables, and when I first arrived I certainly agreed. Then I got more comfortable here and quickly found that you just have to use your eyes and LOOK. There are plenty of vegetables! They just aren’t quite as popularly paired with each meal. Another adjustment food-wise was the portion sizing here. Everything is served in smaller, more digestible portions, and I have to say I absolutely love it. I feel full in a satisfied way, not in a bloated way I usually feel back home in the U.S. I have definitely enjoyed the lack of additives in my processed foods as well, though I have to say I was surprised opening a bag of hot Cheetos and being met with an entirely different flavor. I really admire how Spain handles food, and I have felt happier and healthier after each meal just knowing my food is made with clean ingredients.

Overall, it is safe to say that I am deeply infatuated with Spanish cuisine. I can’t wait to learn about and try more of the foods that are so deeply ingrained within this culture. I signed up for a class on gastronomy this semester, and I could not be more ecstatic. Next week there will be a pintxo tasting and I will for SURE have an update! Thank you Spain for keeping me so well fed.

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Category: Gwen in Bilbao

Excursions in Spain!