Traveling to the Basque country - Sopela, Bilbao, Getxo
I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since we ventured out to see Basque country at the very end of August 2019. Contemplating whether to go for Portugal (again) or one of the Balearic islands, I ruled out Portugal in need to explore something different, even for a quick getaway from London.
While I don't really enjoy hot weather anymore and B insisted on going somewhere where he can surf, he picked the northern coast of Spain. We checked the weather which seemed reasonable in time for our visit and started planning the rest.
Only after we booked our flights + accommodation, I did a brief initial research on the area. I quickly started to sense a couple of days just wouldn't be enough to properly discover this interesting piece of land!
This turned out to be entirely true.
in this post, I'll be whipping through interesting facts about the country, my own observations and a couple of photos we managed to shot.
Pre-game! This is how I started packing - one carry on and a bag of <100ml bottles of liquids.
Surprisingly, I didn't overpack!
TIP: Even if you're visiting during summer season, pack clothes that could fit an occasional drizzle. North of Spain is quite rainy over the year. It's generally quite a humid area.
Sopela beach - don’t miss out on this Instagram spot.
We’ve landed in Bilbao, rented a car and stayed in Sopela (or Sopelana) area, not far from the seaside. Or rather - ocean side. The area is amazing. Very few tourists, no resorts, amazing views, fresh ocean air, wonderful landscape and massive beaches. North of Spain is a great destination for hiking - I’ve seen a few camper vans going on an adventure.
Just look at this view! Full on summer vibe with a bit of an edge.
Sunsets at Sopela are from another world - photo doesn’t do it any justice.
And when the sun went down, we ventured out to Getxo. Charming historic, and, often steep streets were full of music, people eating out, dancing. We took a stroll by Churruca pier, ate pintxos and just chilled.
One of the most interesting things about Basque region is its language - Euskara. It’s a language isolate - unrelated to any other existing languages. I haven’t seen or heard anything like it before.
What is even more interesting, this language - and region, has its specific fonts.
I’m adding a few examples.
On the other hand, North of Spain can get very moist, moody, cloudy and rainy. The landscape while driving the freeway reminded me of mountainous Central Europe.
We were lucky to have just one rainy day - that s when we decided to do the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, eat pinxtos and go the beach.
Gorrondatxe Hondartza beach
Endemic flower by the beach
We had the place to ourselves.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Check out my Instagram @livusha for more Basque stories and videos in my Highlights.
North of Spain (and probably most of the Spain) has a fantastic food scene. Pintxo - is typical for the North of Spain. It consists of a sliced bread with a topping, usually 'spiked' with a skewer or toothpick. This is probably the main difference between pintxos and tapas.
Loved this place - check out Las Cepas Ajuriaguerra
Welcome to the pintxos heaven.
Have you visited Basque country before? Would you like to visit? Please let me know in the comments! Stay tuned for part 2 covering San Sebastian and Biarritz. :)
Other posts you might like…
Visiting stunning Biarritz and San Sebastian.