So, on Friday Liz and I took a train from Salamanca to Bilbao, a large city in the Pais Vasco (or Basque Country) in Northern Spain. Bilbao is situated along a lovely river and is a very active city, lots of runners, parks, rowers, jai-ali-ers...etc. It is also home to the famous Guggenheim Modern Art Museum, which we ventured to on our first day..
The Guggenheim was full of a bunch of modern art, which was pretty cool. Unfortunatly no pictures were allowed, but there were GIANT Venus de Milo replicas, the shadow of which you can see as a reflection on the outside of the building...
Day 2, we went to Guernika..or Guernica. It is a 55minute train ride outside of Bilbao. Even though we got off at the wrong stop, we were only a 5 minute walk away from the town of the city known for it's Picasso painting and it's history of being bombed by Hitler in support of Franco. The town is situated in the cutest little mountian valley surrounded by shepards and sheep and green hills for miles. Our first stop was the Basque House and Tree of life which is the area where the Prime minister of the Basque Country and the Basque Country Parliment meet each year to have their meetings.
After spending some time at Basque Parliment, we hopped over to the Museo de Paz, or the Peace Museum showcasing the history of the bombing, and promoting peace in the world and even in your daily life.
During our time in Guernika we went to a few more museums, one for Euskara History, walked through a park, and saw a Cathedral. It was a super cute little town. :)
Oh yes, and before we left for Gernika that day, we went to the Mercado Rivera..suppose to be the biggest market in Spain. What did I find there?
Pig. Bravo Spain, Bravo
Day 3
So today we checked out of our lovely hostal, which actually was lovely, and got breakfast. We stumbled upon a flea market or "rastro" in the Plaza Mayor where they were selling anything from chickens to futbol cards to guitars.
So, after a bit more exploring and a 6.5 hour train ride home, I am going to say, Chao to everyone! I will update sometime this week telling you how my classes are going. Right now my schedule is still up in the air for finals and UPSA classes, so we will see! Exciting news; I am going to Carnaval in Cadiz for my Birthday, so that should be a great night in of itself. :) If you don't know what Carnaval is it is the third largest Mardi Gras celebration in the world behind Rio in Brazil and one other one, but greater than Venice in Italy. Should be a fun one. :)
Amor for now!
Ashley
(and an old Basque-looking man)
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