Exploring Biarritz
Today, was the sixth anniversary of C’s death.
So I walked around the town contemplating what might have been.
What surprised me was how busy the town was, with cafes and shops fully open. It made Bilbao look like a morgue.
A Sensible Hotel In Biarritz
It was the third time in recent months, that I’d stayed in a Radisson Blu hotel.
It was practical and the bathroom was one where I could have a good bath, without fighting the designers ideas. Not sure on the tile design though!
i could also have taken my ironing, as I don’t have one at home.
I also got gluten-free bread with my meals.
Something, that I couldn’t photo was the television. A normal Samsung, but it had access to every channel possible. I watched the London flavour of BBC1, but all the other regions were available. So even Alex Salmond would have felt at home! If you’d been a Coronation Street fan, ITV was also available.
These days, with satellites and the Internet everywhere, surely a hotel can provide guests with every possible flavour, which has some degree of decency and taste. If I can get hundreds of channels in my house in Hackney for a few hundreds a year, I can’t see the problem.
Would I Go Back To Bilbao?
I don’t think so, as I found the city, one of the worst for tourists, of those I’d visited in recent years.
Except for the tourist offices and my hotel, it was a city with a total lack of information.
It just didn’t have the feel of a place that wanted tourists. In many places I’ve travelled over the last few years, the locals have been extremely helpful and offer help, even if you don’t ask for it. The only help I got in Bilbao, was from a lady of Far Eastern appearance, whilst I was struggling with the Barik ticketing machine.
If it hadn’t been for the excellent tram and Metro, the visit would have been a total nightmare. As it was I walked far more than I would have liked.
As it was, outside of my hotel, I only bought two coffees in the city. So I don’t think I did much for the local tourism industry!
The Guggenheim Museum was worth a look on the outside, but I’ve never seen an art gallery, that was filled with so much crap!
At least the weather was nice and I got a touch of winter sunshine.
And the transport links from and to the city, don’t seem to be the best.
As it is a city of around a million people, Bilbao probably deserves a lot better.
Steps Everywhere At The Guggenheim
The more I walked ariound and looked at trhe Guggenheim Museum, the more I realised that my choice of hotel had been wrong.
My hotel had been close to the hotel and it was on the same level as much of the city. But the Guggenheim Museum and the excellent tram sat below the hotel and steps like this were the only way to get between the two levels.
Steps Everywhere At The Guggenheim
I did find later that a lift was positioned at the next tram stop, but surely a more direct method is needed at the Guggenheim Museum.
As I said earlier, if you have a mobility problem, make sure you stay close to the tram and get one to the museum.
Inside The Guggenheim Museum
I finally went inside the Guggenheim Museum on Tuesday morning.
The building is impressive, even if as I said before the art didn’t move me at all.
Up The Artxanda Funicular
The Zubizuri bridge leads to the Artxanda Funicular, which takes you up for views of the city.
There wasn’t much to do at the top, except admire the view, but I suspect in summer, the cafe and a lot more besides is open.
But I did feel very much better at the toip and I was breathing well.
The Zubizuri Bridge
The Zubizuri bridge links the two banks of the River Nervión.
It seems that these white bridges are becoming fairly numerous.
Bilbao Cathedral
Bilbao Cathedral was closed on the Monday.
But I did get a chance to see it on the Tuesday before I left.
Cafe Liverpool In Bilbao
I stopped here for a coffee by the cathedral, as anybody with a connection to my university city would.
Cafe Liverpool In Bilbao
It’s funny, but how many English cities would be used for the name of a hotel or cafe in Europe? The only common one other than London seems to be Bristol, but that is probably because a Marquis put himself about a bit!
The coffee was good though!
The Bilbao Tram
The Bilbao Tram runs from the older part of the town, along the River Nervión, past the Guggenheim Museum and then on to the bus terminal and the northern parts of the city.
It uses the same Barik card as the Metro, but be warned you can only add money to the card using a credit card at Metro stations. They are also the only place you can buy a card.
I would also stay in a hotel close to the tram, as it is such a convenient way to get around the major sights in the centre of the city.
Although the tram stop is at the Guggenheim, you need to climb up and down a lot of steps to get to the main entrance. Or you can do what I did and go in the disabled entrance by the river!
The Anonymous Widower 