Before we started our week of surfing in Mundaka, Wessel and I had plans to visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and see what this famous city was all about. Not feeling like hopping into the car again after having driven a lot the past few days, we decided to take the train.
The train station in Mundaka just had one track and was very easy to find. We bought a return ticket to Bilbao and sheltered from the rain that would torture us for most of the day. The train-ride itself took about an hour and was very pleasant! The train itself was small and felt more like a metro than a train, which we actually enjoyed, as we found out that most villages in cities in the Basque country were connected by these trains. So, if you ever find yourself in this corner of the world, you will be sure to find proper public transportation anywhere you go!
The Guggenheim Museum
When we arrived in Bilbao, we rushed through the rain to the Guggenheim museum. We had to hurry if we were to make our time slot, but still we were in awe when we first laid eyes on the museum itself. It truly is a magnificent structure, a piece of art in itself. We were greeted by another art installation before we entered the museum: red pads in a modern pond which was covered by artificial fog. This gave the entire building a mysterious ambiance, which we could not wait to uncover.
Although the museum was quite busy, the amount of space within the building made our morning there very pleasant and calm. We started with a walk through Richard Serra’s installation The Matter of Time, which consisted of large steel shapes that were meticulously designed to balance on their own, without needing extra support. It really was magnificent to see, feel and walk through these shapes, which loomed over us: only the calculations of one man separating us from walking and being crushed. It felt like we were walking through desert canyons that tricked and trapped our minds in a weird time loop. Really, you should visit just for this installation.
There were many more exhibitions and art installations around, and our favorites were Jenny Holzer’s installation, which was made of blue and red LED lights that shifted and showed varying words, and the exhibition of Yayoi Kusama’s artworks, which analyzed several themes and were very colorful and interesting to look at. If you want to know more about any of these installations, you can read more about them on the website of the Guggenheim. And I implore that you do, as I believe art really enriches your understanding of the world and life in general.
We only missed Yayoi Kusama’s room of mirrors, as the waiting time was more than an hour, and we made the mistake of visiting all of the other exhibitions first. So, if you do end up visiting the museum, make sure to book your tickets in advance, and sign up for the online waiting list as soon as you enter the museum to avoid having to wait around. We left as it was time for lunch – looking at art makes you hungry!
Surfin’ Tacos
Having had pinxtos a couple of days in a row, we sat down to find a restaurant where we could have gluten-free food and sit down. However, that turned out to be a little harder than we expected. A quick search on Google Maps also did not give us clear results on where to find gluten-free options. After an hour of walking around, we found Surfin’ Tacos, a Mexican place. Inside it was very hot, the walls were covered in murals and a large screen showed a live video of surfers.
On the left there was an open kitchen where two chefs worked on the tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. I asked them whether they had gluten-free options, and yes, finally! The tacos were gluten-free. It was fine for me, as I am intolerant, however, they do cook everything in the same kitchen, so I would not recommend this place for people who suffer from celiac disease. If you just want a gluten-free beer however, they have plenty of those too!
We ordered nachos with guacamole to share, tacos for me, and a quesadilla for Wessel. They were delicious! Absolutely amazing! Glorious! Mouthwateringly fantastic! And I am being sincere, they were by far the best I’d had in a while. Paired with gluten-free Mexican beer I knew I would come here again if I ever got back to Bilbao. They even had five different types of chili sauce, so you can go wild!
Post-Lunch Struggles
After lunch we were unsure what to do, so we decided to do what anybody does in that situation: read many travel blogs and decide. The most interesting place we came across was an indoor market with fresh produce, wines, and pinxtos. However, once we got there, the market was closed, and we could not find out when it would open again. I am sure it is wonderful, but we were not planning on staying in order to find out. So, we set out on our small chore for the day: finding a new air mattress.
That night, our air mattress had deflated quite a bit, and we were sure it was punctured. We could not find the hole anywhere though, so we knew we had to buy a new one. Luckily for us there was a Decathlon in Bilbao, where we were able to find one. Afterwards, we were pretty tired though, and decided to head back to Mundaka. It was also still raining, and we could not really find anything else to do in Bilbao besides visiting the Guggenheim, which we had done already. Tired but content, we hopped on the train, and were back at our camping in no-time.
Final Thoughts
Although we loved the Guggenheim Museum and Surfin’ Tacos, we did not fall in love with Bilbao like we did with San Sebastián. Bilbao is a lot bigger, which made the center a lot less ‘gezellig’ as we Dutchies would say. It did not have the same fun and bustling ambiance when we were there, so if you would have to choose where to stay, I would advise you to go to San Sebastián where you can stuff your belly with great food and wine and enjoy the beach during the day, and visit Bilbao on a day trip by train. Of course, maybe we did not catch the city on the best day, or our best day for that matter, so perhaps we should visit again someday! As always, I would love to hear from you, so please send me a message on my Instagram or email to get in touch, and I’ll speak again to you soon!
