Saturday, April 5, 2025 - Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao is the largest city in northern Spain, with a population of one million.  People in this region speak the Basque language which is unrelated to other languages of Europe and is different from any other known living language.  The Basques are indigenous to the area and primarily inhabit the local countryside.  It is thought that the Basque may be the last surviving aboriginal people in Europe. 

Bilbao's history is profoundly rich and strikingly dynamic, reflecting its vibrant evolution over centuries.  It was founded in 1300 by Diego Lopez V de Haro as a modest trading post along the Nervion River.  Its strategic location quickly transformed it into a bustling hub for commerce.  There were two centers of population, oe on the left bank and one on the right bank of the river.  People living on the left bank made their living by mining iron.  The right bank, called the Old Quarter, engaged in commerce.  

During the 19th century Bilbao witnessed turbulent yet transformative times.  Wars fiercely tested its resilience while industrialization brought remarkable growth.  The construction of railways, bridges and factories propelled the city into an industrious era, making it a steel and banking powerhouse.  However, its aesthetic charm suffered under the weight of industrial expansion. Throughout the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialization, making it the center of the second-most industrialized region of Spain, behind Barcelona.

The 20th century marked a dramatic shift for Bilbao.  Basque Nationalism, which began to rise in the late 19th century reached a high point in the 20th century until the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939, which brought the dictator Francisco Franco, leader of the Nationalist party, into power.  The town was destroyed and 1,600 people died.  After the war, the Basque people were punished and 20,000 of them were killed by the existing government.  Still, the industrial era of the 19th and 20th centuries continued to generate wealth for Bilbao.  Transformation of the city began in the 1940's when the iron industry emerged but the Basque people continued to experience discontent in the name of regional pride. The city's aesthetics paid the price.  The old buildings began to deteriorate and fall into a state of disrepair.  Bilbao became a scruffy. gritty port town.  Business was good until the last decades of the 20th century when industrial decline set in.  

Grappling with economic decline by the 1980's, the city boldly reinvented itself.  After investing heavily in tourism, culture and energy generation, Bilbao turned itself around and became a success story.  Franco ruled the country until his death in 1975, at which time democracy returned to the region, although the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), a far-left separatist group, continued to fight for the Basque region to become independent.  The ETA resisted Spanish authority throughout the early 2000's creating an intense situation.  Finally, in 2011, the ETA ran out of steam and disbanded. Through ambitious urban regeneration projects including the dazzling Guggenheim Museum's opening in 1997, Bilbao emerged as a cultural and architectural marvel.

Today, Bilbao thrives as an enchanting blend of historical pride and modern innovation. Its resilient spirit and artistic transformation make it a shining example of urban renewal and cultural vibrancy. The heart of the Old Quarter was surrounded by walls and consisted of three parallel streets.  Later it became necessary to take down the walls and add another four streets, which along with the first three, make up what is known today as the Seven Streets.  Since 1979, this area has been a pedestrian precinct. becoming a major shopping center with hundreds of retailers, bars and restaurants.  

The floods of 1983 were the greatest catastrophe to impact the city of Bilbao and destroyed the Old Quarter.  However, despite the devastation, the Old Town managed to re-emerge and become one of the leading tourist and commercial areas of the city.

Our day in Bilbao:

We had a great tour today as we drove through the very scenic Basque coast.  It was obvious immediately that our guide was extremely proud of his heritage, but not in an obnoxious way!  He told us that Basque country was founded in 1334 and has a unique culture, cuisine and language.  He told us that historically Bilbo was a heavily industrial city which was very similar to industrial cities in the U.S.  Steel was a heavily produced commodity.  However, in recent years the city has been thoroughly cleaned up and the focus is now on AI (artificial intelligence), tourism, ship building, steel, iron production and agriculture.  

 We learned that until the year 1,000 the Basques were pagans, with no identified religion.  However, when the Goths and Irish missionaries arrived, the population became overwhelmingly Catholic.

About 300,000 people live in the city of Bilbao while two million live in the greater metropolitan area.  Our guide told us that Bilbao is a dynamic, booming city with tourists from other areas of Spain as well as worldwide.  He continued to say that Basque Country is the most developed region in Spain.  He pointed out the road signs as we left the city and made our way up the mountains.  They are always printed in two languages, first in Basque and then in Spanish.  

Although our guide was extremely positive about his city and the entire Basque country, he did admit they have some unresolved problems.  Catholic Jesuits are very strong in Bilbao and own about half of the city!  He joked that historically the Jesuits were members of the mafia but now they are in Parliament!!  He was only half joking!  He also talked about the ETA far-left separatist group in Spain, or the "Basque Homeland and Liberty" party or the "Basque Country and Freedom" party. It was an armed Basque nationalist and far-left separatist organization in the Basque country between 1959 and 2018, although our guide assured us that the group was still in existence and causing minor disturbances. Also, a political party based in Mundaka, is a group who is pushing for greater autonomy of independence for Basque Country. Our guide told us that if we visited the area we would see many young adults dressed like the "punks" dressed in the U.S. in the 1980's! Evidently, there are many Palestinian flags flying in Mundaka, since it is a very far-left political area.  Bob asked about the military service obligation in Spain.  Our guide told us that there is no obligation at the current time, but politicians are considering changing that in the near future.

As we ascended the mountain we passed a few smaller villages and towns, including Guernica, which is Picasso's famous work which he painted as a response to the 1937 bombing of Guernica by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Although the painting is depicted on a large wall in the town, the original painting is on display in the museum in Barcelona.

Chris, our guide talked quite a bit about sports in the Basque region.  He is very proud of his sports teams. Mostly he talked about jai alai which means "merry festival" in Basque.  It is a form of pelota played with a wicker cesta (basket). in which the ball is picked up and thrown towards a walled court. He explained that the ball could be hit with three different implements including the pelota in which the ball can be thrown at 190 miles an hour, which makes it the fastest ball in any sport. Jai alai can also be played with a flat paddle or by hand.  It is an extremely popular sport in the Basque area and we saw a number of courts as we drove. Other sports in this area are competition wood cutting, bicycling, weight lifting, and bull running (as opposed to bull fighting).  He joked that they don't kill the bulls, they run from them, like in Pamplona!

As we began to ascend the mountains, our guide pointed out a large oak tree he referred to as the Gernikako Arbola.  In Basque country it symbolizes traditional freedoms for the Basque people.  In ancient days, the Lords of Biscay swore to respect the Biscayan liberties under this type of tree, and through the years it has become culturally significant to the local people. Throughout our drive in the mountains we saw large, single-family homes with a palm tree planted in the front yard, as well as some of them which have small ponds in their front yard. We learned that for a couple of hundred years, beginning in the 1700's, many Basque people went to work in South America where they could make a great amount of money.  Once they had earned their financial goal, they returned to Basque country and built these spectacular homes, with a palm tree planted in the front yard to indicate they were one of the wealthy residents in the area.

One of Bilbao's most prized accomplishments is their football (U.S. soccer) team.  It is a significant symbol for Basque nationalism due to it promotion of only Basque players and being one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football history.

We were told that this area is one of the last working matriarchal societies in the world.  Our guide told us that local women have no difficulty determining who is a female, and who is a male! Females are in charge of their families, as opposed to the more common patriarchal societies.  

Towards the end of our time in the mountains we made a photo stop at a church perched on top of a rocky inlet in the spectacular Atlantic Ocean. Below us set a church on a large rock, which many, many stairs leading to it.  He explained the name was the Church of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and it served as the filming location for Dragonstone in the final seasons of "Game of Thrones." Various nearby areas were used as frequent filming locations for the program.   It was a bit lost on me since I never watched the program but there were hundreds of tourists lined up to ascend the stairs into the church so it must have been a very popular T.V. program!!!!!

Soon after re-boarding our bus and continuing our drive our guide informed us that Basque Country, as well as having an unrivaled coastline stretching along more than 124 miles, is a major surfing center and a European and world benchmark for this sport.  He explained that this is due, above all, to the quality of its waves, where the left wave of Mundaka is particularly noteworthy (again, lost on me, but it probably makes sense to my kids and grand kids)! Evidently, waves can reach up to 20 feet (or so he claimed).

As we made our way back to the pier our guide explained a bit about Basque cuisine.  He told us that under Franco, Bilbao was an industrial hub.  Lots of Spanish immigrants were needed to work, including the French and people from other parts of Spain.  Consequently, the Basque cuisine has become a mixture of French, Spanish, and Basque region. Many local residents will sit on the outside patios of bars and enjoy "pinchos", which are small, bite-sized dishes, often served on a slice of bread or a skewer.  A variety of foods are used in pinchos, including cod fish, anchovies, shrimp, and mushrooms.  Evidently, these pinchos go very well when paired with locally produced port wine!  He continued to inform us that Bilbao has the highest density of Michelin star restaurants in the world!

We arrived back in Bilbao a few minutes early so our guide took a quick detour to allow us to spend a few minutes viewing the Viscaya Bridge, which straddles the mouth of the Ibaizabel estuary, just west of the city.  It was completed in 1893 by a Basque architect.  The bridge merges 19th century iron working traditions with the then new lightweight technology of twisted steel ropes.  It was the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic on a gondola, suspended high above the river, and has been used as a model for many similar bridges throughout Europe. Our guide, although he appreciated the construction of the bridge, complained that it cost the taxpayers $12.5 million to build and since the floor is glass it costs $1.2 million every winter to lay carpet on its floor to avoid people and objects falling through to the sea below!!

We had a lovely visit to this spectacular city.  The people, history, architecture and natural beauty definitely make it one of my favorite ports on our world voyage.  We heard so much about the amazing cities of Seville and Lisbon so I was a little better prepared for the magnificence of those ports.  However, I was completely overwhelmed by the unexpected beauty of this delightful place.  It's an extremely livable city and one to which I hope to return.

Somewhat sadly, it's time to say farewell to this enchanting place and be grateful for the time we enjoyed here.  The warm and welcoming people and charm of the city made our time here extremely enjoyable. However, now it's time to move on to the exciting country of France and our first port of call, the magnificant city of Bordeaux.   Many of our world cruisers have been longing for this area and the gentle rolling hills of the wine country.  Our adventures in this spectacular country are about to begin.