We had a few days in Las Arenas Marina, Bilbao. The sail here was an uncomfortable one with the swell on the beam and very little wind. There are three marinas here, this one, Portugalete and Gexto which is newer but twice the price. Las Arenas won the day, plus you also get temporary membership to the sailing club with its swimming pool, gym and lounge with big comfy chairs and sofas. It’s a bit stuffy, but that’s what the sailing clubs in Spain are like, it’s more a social thing which the members pay a lot of money for rather than about the sailing. Two lovely glasses of Rioja for 3.50 euros, not bad.
Las Arenas sailing club
Las Arenas Bridge at night
Tapas bar …….yes another one! Bilbao city centre
You can’t come to Bilbao and not go to the Guggenheim. Can you???? Only kidding, but a visit to see the building would have been more than enough for me (Editor’s inserted quote “Now for two hoors of hell”).
It is an amazing piece of architecture and well worth seeing.
Very colourful and fun However, some art I just don’t get?
Someone dancing under a sheet, which you could join in with?
or the temporary exhibition by Yoko Ono, well……., a picture of a fly on a woman’s private parts is anything but art, but maybe that’s just me! Not to knock it completely, some of the other artists’ work was quite interesting but the main highlight for me was the building itself.
We took a walk to the old part of the city along the river from the Guggenheim and had tapas in one of the old traditional bars.
Back in Las Arenas we met a nice couple, Gordon and Carol who are on their way back to the UK having spent last year and this year sailing this area. We were round for drinks on their boat and Carol and kindly gave me her Spanish phrase book which we desperately need as our total Spanish amounts to about three or four words. I tried to say good evening to someone the other night and wished him a Good Crisp instead- buenas nachos instead of buenas noches, easy mistake, no?
We left Bilbao harbour dodging some of the other wee boats coming in !
