We started the New Year by climbing a mountain-a common tradition, with lots of people gathering at
the top with their families. It was not the first time (I should know better by now) in which a proposed outing was portrayed as a casual little jaunt, but
turned out to be a near-vertical mud scramble in which I felt woefully unprepared for having left my intravenous Gatorade and pocket defibrillator at home. The Spanish-speaking kid in mud-encrusted pants who was bodily dragged the last hundred meters or so by his father said it best when he said "Very bad! I'm going to die! Please stop!" I was right there with him, but unfortunately I'm too big to pull that one off. After getting my equilibrium back, it was actually a lovely excursion, with members of our
group pouring out some champagne at the top. There were a number of
cromlech, or prehistoric burial sites, near the summit. For those of you who are thinking of visiting
sometime, this is also the part of Europe where they have cave paintings. Many thanks to Igor, Arkaitz, Nerea, Olatz (yes, those are actually people's names-it takes a bit of practice), and of course F for a lovely time. Mid-week we headed to Bilbao, which is to the west, to see the
Fine Arts Museum. Being in the shadow of the Guggenheim Bilbao didn't seem
to diminish its appeal (Wednesday was free admissions day), and it couldn't hurt that they have a large collection that includes works by El Greco and Mary Cassatt. We also saw the
Puente Vizcaya, which is an old bridge
that carries passengers from one side of the Nervion River to the other in a tram, and is one of the few remaining examples of its kind. Bilbao, unlike Donostia, is very utilitarian and home to captains of industry and finance. I have become spoiled by the beauty of Donostia and find Bilbao to be, well, a lot like a wealthy Pittsburgh. Not far from the bridge is a statue to a former port engineer in which the engineer is calmly seated, in a 19th-century suit, while he watches Jupiter and another god duke it out for dominance over the waves of the sea.
the top with their families. It was not the first time (I should know better by now) in which a proposed outing was portrayed as a casual little jaunt, but 
turned out to be a near-vertical mud scramble in which I felt woefully unprepared for having left my intravenous Gatorade and pocket defibrillator at home. The Spanish-speaking kid in mud-encrusted pants who was bodily dragged the last hundred meters or so by his father said it best when he said "Very bad! I'm going to die! Please stop!" I was right there with him, but unfortunately I'm too big to pull that one off. After getting my equilibrium back, it was actually a lovely excursion, with members of our 
group pouring out some champagne at the top. There were a number of cromlech, or prehistoric burial sites, near the summit. For those of you who are thinking of visiting 
sometime, this is also the part of Europe where they have cave paintings. Many thanks to Igor, Arkaitz, Nerea, Olatz (yes, those are actually people's names-it takes a bit of practice), and of course F for a lovely time. Mid-week we headed to Bilbao, which is to the west, to see the Fine Arts Museum. Being in the shadow of the Guggenheim Bilbao didn't seem 
to diminish its appeal (Wednesday was free admissions day), and it couldn't hurt that they have a large collection that includes works by El Greco and Mary Cassatt. We also saw the Puente Vizcaya, which is an old bridge
that carries passengers from one side of the Nervion River to the other in a tram, and is one of the few remaining examples of its kind. Bilbao, unlike Donostia, is very utilitarian and home to captains of industry and finance. I have become spoiled by the beauty of Donostia and find Bilbao to be, well, a lot like a wealthy Pittsburgh. Not far from the bridge is a statue to a former port engineer in which the engineer is calmly seated, in a 19th-century suit, while he watches Jupiter and another god duke it out for dominance over the waves of the sea. 
1 comment:
The 4th picture reminds me of the cover of the Led Zeppelin album "Houses of the Holy" :)
D
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