photos: euskadi 2011 (part 2)...
In the afternoon of our second day in the Basque Country, xurda87 and her sister took my buddy J and me on a little trip to see some sights outside Bilbao.
2. Castillo de Butrón.
The Castillo de Butrón is a castle that was build in the Middle Ages but was rebuilt and changed completely in the 19th century by the Marqués de Cubas, who wanted a castle to resemble the Bavarian castles of the 19th century. This is probably why the castle, combined with the palm trees in front of it, looks so exotic. XD But very very pretty too!
3. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Gaztelugatxe is a little island near Bermeo, which is connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge. On top of the island is a hermitage called San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (or Gaztelugatxeko Doniene), dedicated to John the Baptist, dating from the 9th or 10th century. We had wanted to visit this place in February already, when I was there with blue_eyed_miss, but if you remember, the weather was horrible and it just wasn't possible to access the island. This time, however, we had brilliant weather, and so we first made the descent to where the bridge starts (which was quite like mountain hiking!), and then climbed the 300-odd stairs up to the hermitage (more hard work! XD). But all the effort was absolutely worth it because the view from both the bridge and the hermitage is AMAZING.
The hermitage in the background. The sign points to the path that leads to the bottom of the stairs.
It was quite a way down - and this is what the path looked like! You can imagine it's absolutely impossible to use it when it rains. ;)
The island of Aketze, right next to Gaztelugatxe.
And this is the island we visited! Can you see the stairwell? :D
This is where the stairs begin.
Late afternoon is definitely the best time to visit San Juan de Gaztelugatxe!
A beetle decided to join us!
And now, let's go up!
Great views to the left and the right!
And also behind us!
And finally, we've reached our destination!
It's customary to ring that bell when you visit the island. J was the only one who didn't do it, and we didn't fail to tease him about it, telling him he has to climb back up and ring the bell. XDD
Gorgeous, isn't it?
This is "San Juan" in Euskera. :D
On our way back to the car we actually wanted to visit the awesome restaurant near the parking lot that has the wonderful pintxos, but unfortunately it was closed. :(
4. Bakio
We didn't see a lot of Bakio besides the beach, but that was well worth the visit! (july_v will probably agree with me there. XDD)
"In Bakio, one speaks Basque." ;)
The beach!
Which seems to be a paradise for surfers! There were tons! (Though I didn't spot Aritz Aduriz anywhere. XD)
Especially for july_v. ;)
You can also see San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from there!
When it got dark we got in the car and xurda87's sister drove us to a cervecera outside Bilbao which unfortunately was closed. Thankfully there was another one in Deusto, and that one was open! :D Unlike the name suggests, a cervecera is not a place where people go to drink beer but rather renowned for its grilled chicken. And the chicken we had was absolutely delicious! We also had tortilla, chorizo cooked in sidra, and - very awesome - Gernikako piperrak, grilled and salted green peppers. Nom, nom, nom! To drink, J and I had sidra which coincidentally came from Usurbil, the town where Andoni Iraola was born! XD And thus ended another perfect day in the Basque Country!
Coming up next: Santander!
2. Castillo de Butrón.
The Castillo de Butrón is a castle that was build in the Middle Ages but was rebuilt and changed completely in the 19th century by the Marqués de Cubas, who wanted a castle to resemble the Bavarian castles of the 19th century. This is probably why the castle, combined with the palm trees in front of it, looks so exotic. XD But very very pretty too!
3. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Gaztelugatxe is a little island near Bermeo, which is connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge. On top of the island is a hermitage called San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (or Gaztelugatxeko Doniene), dedicated to John the Baptist, dating from the 9th or 10th century. We had wanted to visit this place in February already, when I was there with blue_eyed_miss, but if you remember, the weather was horrible and it just wasn't possible to access the island. This time, however, we had brilliant weather, and so we first made the descent to where the bridge starts (which was quite like mountain hiking!), and then climbed the 300-odd stairs up to the hermitage (more hard work! XD). But all the effort was absolutely worth it because the view from both the bridge and the hermitage is AMAZING.
The hermitage in the background. The sign points to the path that leads to the bottom of the stairs.
It was quite a way down - and this is what the path looked like! You can imagine it's absolutely impossible to use it when it rains. ;)
The island of Aketze, right next to Gaztelugatxe.
And this is the island we visited! Can you see the stairwell? :D
This is where the stairs begin.
Late afternoon is definitely the best time to visit San Juan de Gaztelugatxe!
A beetle decided to join us!
And now, let's go up!
Great views to the left and the right!
And also behind us!
And finally, we've reached our destination!
It's customary to ring that bell when you visit the island. J was the only one who didn't do it, and we didn't fail to tease him about it, telling him he has to climb back up and ring the bell. XDD
Gorgeous, isn't it?
This is "San Juan" in Euskera. :D
On our way back to the car we actually wanted to visit the awesome restaurant near the parking lot that has the wonderful pintxos, but unfortunately it was closed. :(
4. Bakio
We didn't see a lot of Bakio besides the beach, but that was well worth the visit! (july_v will probably agree with me there. XDD)
"In Bakio, one speaks Basque." ;)
The beach!
Which seems to be a paradise for surfers! There were tons! (Though I didn't spot Aritz Aduriz anywhere. XD)
Especially for july_v. ;)
You can also see San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from there!
When it got dark we got in the car and xurda87's sister drove us to a cervecera outside Bilbao which unfortunately was closed. Thankfully there was another one in Deusto, and that one was open! :D Unlike the name suggests, a cervecera is not a place where people go to drink beer but rather renowned for its grilled chicken. And the chicken we had was absolutely delicious! We also had tortilla, chorizo cooked in sidra, and - very awesome - Gernikako piperrak, grilled and salted green peppers. Nom, nom, nom! To drink, J and I had sidra which coincidentally came from Usurbil, the town where Andoni Iraola was born! XD And thus ended another perfect day in the Basque Country!
Coming up next: Santander!