Algorta & Bilbao

The Basque flag has a name : Il Coriña, so we are told by my brother's fianceé's mother, and she should know, she lives here.

We had bought both Spanish and Basque flags in la Rochelle and after a short discussion approaching Spain we decided to follow protocol and fly the Spanish above the Basque. If the reception was frosty, we could change it. However, “frosty” just didn't come into the mindset of the people we met. Our welcome was enthusiastic and warm.

Before we left Ireland Maria, my brother's fianceé, had told us that her mother lived in Algorta. But at that time hadn't decided on our strategy for crossing Biscay, nor where in Spain we would be stopping. When it came to it, we had a good two day weather forecast, and Bilbao, or Algorta at the estuary of the river Nervion, just made sense.

We arrived on the evening of Thursday 10^th July, and sent a quick email home to check we were in the right place. Friday we went exploring on our bikes, and didn't get very far before discovering the massive Puenta Bizkaia, or Bizkaia Bridge. This structure was influenced in its design by the Eiffel tower when it was built in the 1890s. It was designed to carry people across the river without obstructing the passage of tall ships up the river to Bilbao. Standing 63 metres high and spanning 160 metres, it carries several cars, motor bikes and pedestrians across the river on a kind of a giant cable car called a “gondola”. There is also a walkway across the top, we took the lift up and the views of the estuary and surrounding towns were magnificent.

On Saturday Asun, a friend from her student days in Ireland 15 years ago, made the two hour trip up from Pamplona with her husband José Louis, and young son, Adrian. It was a bit windy to take them sailing, so we contented ourselves with lunch onboard and a walk to the Bizkaia bridge. As they had never been to Algorta before, we played hosts, relaying the bridge's story we had only learned ourselves the day before.

No sooner had Asun left when Maria's daughter and son-in-law, Aisling and Jorge, and her mother Florrie, arrived. Aisling and Jorge happened to be in the area on holiday from Madrid. Pretty soon we were ensconced in a nearby tavern, and joined by an ever-growing group of In-Laws to be. You've been “Kidnapped by the Fernandez family” Aisling told us. Later she and Jorge took us to a traditional Basque restaurant, “El Molina de Berange”, and treated us to a sumptuous meal.

Sunday we took the commuter train into Bilbao to see the Guggenheim museum. A remarkable building with it's different shapes and curves, but for me it took second place to the bridge. Then in the evening Maria's friend Begoña collected us and took us to her house where again we dined like monarchs on home cooked traditional Basque fare.

We spent that last night in Algorta anchored in the harbour, our marina budget having been clobbered by our extended stay in La Rochelle. Aisling and Jorge had bravely volunteered to crew for us on the next leg to Santoña, so we picked them up off the quay first thing Monday morning, and left Algorta and a very full weekend behind us.


Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.