This was an opportunity to retrace some footsteps from my childhood that I have absolutely no recollection of as I was far too young - my father had worked here in the early 80s but we had to leave after an ETA attack hit too close to home.
The region right now is a far cry from those tumultuous times - thank goodness. These days it is much more known for having one of the best food scenes in the world - San Sebastian in particular, after Kyoto, has the most Michelin Stars per square kilometre. Sadly I didn't get to try any as they were fully booked weeks in advance - but that being said, most restaurants in the region by virtue of survival of the fittest, are nearly as good (and more fairly priced).
My first stop however was not on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, but rather in Elciego, a city within famous Rioja wine region. I don't usually feature hotels here, but this was apparently the pearl of Marriott hotels, Hotel Marqués de Riscal. It was quite a bizarre hotel, designed by Frank Gehry. As was the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, where I also visited. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see very interesting architecture in Bilbao, and I hadn't had this much fun taking photos of buildings in Europe since Rotterdam.
The climactic contrast between the start of my trip and this northern region was quite stark - it was cold, windy, grey and wet - felt just like the UK :). Luckily, I actually like this weather as it's the complete opposite of home. The sun did come out from time to time, which allowed for some better photos.
Elciego
San Sebastián
Bilbao
Getxo
