The Great Euro Trip pf 2022 Pt. 2

 Day trips from Bilbao edition:

First, to a memorial park above the city.

The Basque area was hit particularly hard by the fascist Franco regime during the Spanish civil war and WWII.  Lives lost are commemorated by this "thumb" sculpture and memorial.

Then it was off to Guernica with its replica of the famous Picasso mural, another memorial to the fallen, and inside the Basque area government hall.

The Basque area enjoys a special relationship with the country of Spain (notwithstanding the separatist movement).  Residents of the area pay taxes to the Basque government, who in turn pays a share to the Spanish government for the country's expenses.  Most signage in the area is in both the Basque language and Spanish (and some English).  Then there are the Catalonians...   Spain has it's share of issues, that's for sure.

Following the river from Bilbao to the sea, there is another area on the other side of the river with a long history.  A UNESCO site is the old bridge transferring people, and later autos, between the two river banks.

We had lunch at a nice cafe with some wine sampling.  First, a beautiful, high quality paper napkin graced our table.

Then a sampling of local wines.  Rioja is the standard red of the region.

Back to the center of Bilbao, and it's time for the big attraction...  the Guggenheim Museum!  My feeble pictures can't possibly do justice to this magnificent structure.  But here's a couple shots anyway.

And a couple inside.

And our illustrious duo...  keeping our masks handy...

Outside is the famous puppy sculpture...  pronounced "poopy" by the locals.

The day ended at a fine cafe in the old town section of Bilbao.  We were served by the best waiter ever.  The Victor Montez, with an interesting history (click on the link) is a great place to enjoy a meal (and opens early for those of us not used to Spanish meal times!).

That ends our time in Bilbao.  Off to San Sebastian.