País Vasco: Bilbao

País Vasco, or the Basque Country, is a very unique part of Spain's culture. Although they speak Spanish, they also have their own language, euskara which is entirely different from Spanish and has no real origin. Many Basques have wanted and continue to want independence from Spain. It's kind of like when Texans joke about wanting to succeed...except they actually want to. Needless to say, the Basques take a lot of pride in their land, language, culture, and food, and this past week I had the privilege of experiencing it!

After class on Wednesday, we headed to Bilbao, the capital of el País Vasco. The Guggenheim museum is the most well-known attraction in Bilbao, so naturally we headed their first. The "Goog," as we were calling it, is one of the most interesting modern forms of architecture I have ever seen. Outside the building is a ginormous flower-covered dog. I have no idea of the history behind this strange overgrown animal and no one seemed to know anything about it. I feel like it resembles so much of Spain for some reason. It's just random, weird, and doesn't make any sense. Much like a lot of things in Spain.

Sneaking an illegal picture of an interactive exhibit:

Hanging out with the perro:

Being Americans:

Exploring the city:

And last but not least, the food. El País Vasco is known for having fantastic tapas (or "pinchos" as they call them in the north), I felt like they lived up to their name. This first photo is a tostada with egg, jamón iberico, caramelized onions, and some sort of crispies on top. The second photo is of the best ice cream I have ever put in my mouth. We stumbled into this chocolate shop called Sampaka, which is some sort of cocoa bean. Let me tell you, the Sampaka bean is glorious. The ice cream basically tasted like a frozen truffle. I could have had 5 bowls.

Overall, I was big fan of Bilbao and I highly recommend that anyone visit if they're planning an excursion to northern Spain!