EUROPE BLOG May 19th, 2023 - BILBAO
I jump out of the car and over the barricade to ask and find that they only accept returns at the terminal. There’s another customer going there as well so I follow him to Terminal 2 and drop the rental off without any issues.
Check-in for our flight is easy, but the security line is the longest we’ve seen yet. Good thing we aren’t in a hurry this morning otherwise this may have been a different blog.
It’s now around 10:30am and we’re finally able to hit the lounge. I mean, that was the plan until we’re told that our lounge access was only for London Heathrow and not Dublin. Well, no free alcoholic drinks and breakfast this morning.
Surprisingly, I’m not fazed, and actually just happy to be at the airport waiting for our flight to Spain. I did pick up some chicken nuggets along the way so at least I have something to eat. I know the airline will sell on the plane, but I refuse to pay anything that shouldn’t be a charge.
The flight was supposed to take 2 hours but we arrive 30 minutes quicker than expected (with everyone on the plane chatting away like it’s one big tour group. We go through passport control, pick up our suitcases and exit the terminal to find the bus to the city center. Wouldn’t you know it, it pulls up within seconds and we have just enough time to hop on, pay the 3 Euro fare each (I had exactly 6 Euros in change), and 2 stops later, BAM, we’re here.
Our hotel (Ibis Bilbao Centro) is still a 10 minute walk away, so we lug our suitcases on the cobble stone without stopping. Luckily the weather is a very pleasant 60 degrees. After check-in, we rest for only about 15 minutes before going back out to get started.
I’m in love with the buildings here. It reminds me of Madrid but on a smaller scale and has that unique European feel on every street. I’m stopping every minute to take photos much to the chagrin of Kelvin who’s a bit wore out. Once we get to the waterfront I see the Guggenheim Building with its quirky structure.
Around the corner is more wacky stuff (a giant spider and interesting statues) that make this entire area feel like an art gallery.
Realizing we still haven’t had a decent meal in two days, we find a tapas bar nearby. I ask for a menu but the kitchen is closed. What they do have are the tapas lined up at the bar where you can pick what you want individually (much like a bakery). I try the slider hamburger and the octopus breaded thingy and Kelvin tries the octopus and shrimp. They’re all pretty good.
We close the day with a trip to the supermarket and getting some much needed rest. Three days in the same hotel is going to feel nice after all the hopping around we just did in Ireland.
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