We returned to Bilbao in December after a trip to the States that included stopovers in 🇮🇪 and 🇩🇪. Normally we travel to and from the airport via bus. It doesn’t take much longer than a cab and is MUCH less expensive. [The fare is 1€ per person using your Barik card.] However, when our flight from Munich arrived we would have needed to wait almost 30 minutes for the next bus. It was late in the evening, we’d been away for two weeks and we were eager to get home quickly. We decided to take a cab back to our neighborhood.
That was December 5, and since then we have not been in a car or on a plane. Despite these “limitations”, we have still done plenty of exploring. Over the last five months we have hiked all around Bilbao, visited Euskadi’s two other provinces [Gipuzkoa and Alava] and traveled to three additional autonomous communities [Madrid, Andalucía, and La Rioja].
Bizkaia
One of the many things that we love about Bilbao is that we never need to drive. We walk almost everywhere, from supermarkets to doctor’s offices to pintxo bars, and always encounter neighbors doing the same.
When we want to venture outside of our neighborhood, such as to hike a nearby mountain, the metro, tramvia, and local buses all stop within two blocks of our apartment, operate on consistent and reliable schedules, and cost very little. Since our return in December we have hiked to the top of each of the Montes that surround Bilbao [Pagasarri, Artxanda, Avril, and Arraiz] at least once and have not needed more than our feet and a local bus to do so.
From left to right: Supporting Athletic Club at the top of Monte Artxanda; the view of the Guggenheim and Iberdrola tower from Salbeko Zubia; the view of Bilbao from Monte Pagasarri
From left to right: Sometimes hikes are made easier by outdoor elevators; the view of Begoñako Basilika en route to Monte Avril; the view of Bilbao from Monte Arraiz
When we want to leave the city, mostly to visit the beach, we still use public transit. We can easily access five beaches and a variety of different hiking routes by taking the metro.
From left to right: Mid-hike view of Plentzia and Gorliz; Post-hike 🍻 at a txiringuito; Atop Monte Serrantes
Andalucía [with a night in Madrid]
We submitted our residency renewal applications in January, as the holiday season drew to a close. While we were confident that our submission contained all of the required documents, we also knew that the Extranjeria could always request something else. If that were to occur, we’d have ten days to submit our response. So, for the first few weeks of the New Year we stayed in Bilbao, in case we needed to act quickly in response to a request.
A month passed and we hadn’t heard anything from the Extranjeria. As much as we love Bilbao, this was the longest stretch we’d gone while living abroad without at least taking a weekend away. Feeling the urge to travel while remaining flexible, we decided to head south to Andalucía and visit Sevilla, Ronda, and Córdoba.
We’d visited each city in the past, also using the train or bus as our mode of transportation. This year we again visited each of these locations in this convenient and affordable manner. Our itinerary was as follows:
- Bilbao – Madrid via Renfe, including a transfer between the Chamartín and Atocha stations using Cercanías [the regional train]
- Madrid – Sevilla via iryo, one of the new private rail companies that serves certain destinations via high-speed rail
- Sevilla – Ronda via bus
- Ronda – Córdoba via Renfe
- Córdoba – Madrid – Bilbao via Renfe, again with a transfer on Cercanías
From left to right: Kalimotxo and Athletic Club en route to Sevilla, Sunset between Ronda and Córdoba [not pictured, the flock of 🦩 that we spotted in a lagoon]; 🍺 at the 🌴 in Atocha en route between Córdoba and Bilbao
Scenes from a week in Sevilla, Ronda, and Córdoba, including historical landmarks and a couple of great hikes.
La Rioja/Rioja Alavesa
La Rioja, which borders Euskadi, is home to one of Spain’s most important wine producing regions. Given my love for crianza and desire to visit the beautiful Marqués de Riscal bodega, which includes a hotel designed by the architect of the Guggenheim, Frank Gehry, we booked a trip there for my birthday. The bus trip between Bilbao and Logroño, the capital of La Rioja, takes about two hours and to travel between Logroño and Eltziego, which is in the Basque province of Alava, we took a public bus.
From left to right: Birthday dinner of cochinillo; Touring the Marqués de Riscal bodega; Views from a mirador in Eltcieto
Donostia [and Hondarribia]
While it is almost impossible to trust the weather forecast in Euskadi, earlier this spring we booked a weekend in Donostia on a whim, after seeing a surprisingly pleasant forecast. Similar to our weekend in Logroño, we traveled to Donostia using a private bus service and between Donostia and the coastal town of Hondarribia on a public bus.
From left to right: Kontxa Hondartza; Santa Klara Uharte; An ikurrina at a mirador
Scenes from a day trip to Hondarribia, including a hike to Higerko Itsasargia
Up Next
Earlier this month, more than 90 days after submitting our residency renewal application, we received a positive resolution. We are in the process of acquiring our updated residency cards, which will give us the flexibility to travel more.
This summer we’ll visit Pamplona, located in Navarre, our 14th of Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities, and Pays Basque, the French portion of Euskal Herria.
We’ll also certainly be doing lots of hiking closer to home, and I will try to write more consistently. [Though I will make no promises!]
We learned during an Athletic Club Europa League quarterfinal match that we can call Euskadi home until 2027!
We celebrated accordingly after the match! 🥂
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