Texted my friend Mike Russum re where to eat in Bilbao (he did a big project for the mayor there several years ago, so knows it well). He told me to go to La Terrazza in the Old City. So we took a tram there only to find that it had closed down some years ago. However, found a great restaurant to eat at. We shared some fried chicken pieces with dips then I had duck breast in port wine with poached pears and J C had the burger with goats cheese. Sweet and coffee. 44 euros, all in. Including the most expensive rose wine on the list. Can't be bad.
Today was supposed to be an easier day. But no days are easy here coz it's all up down up down up down... (makes Exmoor look like Holland).
To get out of Bilbao we had to follow an A road for about 20 miles. (Strange how quiet Bilbao is. Even at 9 in the morning. It's like a ghost city. Perhaps they're all in bed coz there's no work?)
Blasted to a place called Amorebieta then turned north into a national park. On the really small roads at last. Climbed up into the clouds. Literally. The (forecast) rain held off but we were drenched by virtue of being in the clouds. We went over two major climbs. I'd put them at Cat. 2 climbs. On the second, the sign which read 5K to the summit, heralded the longest half our of my life. And hers.
Eventually left the national park (Parque Natural de Urdiabia) and joined a B road and went whizzing! down, all the way to the coast, at a place called Ondorroa. It was about 4pm, and just time for (Spanish) lunch time. As we weren't far from our destination and it was starting to rain (warm rain) we found a resto and lingered over the Northern Spain version of an all-day breakfast ( chicken, fried egg, crocket pots, fried green peppers and chips) tog with some local vino rosada (and tinto).
At one point along the ride a Spanish driver and his family were yelling out of their car window at me. Turned out that the monkey had come loose and was lying in the road. Against my better judgement, I went back for him.
We are currently holed up in a small port called Mutriku. Our room has a very nice (Monaco-like) view over the marina below. Very nice.
Mutriku is the site of the world's first multi-turbine breakwater wave power station, inaugurated in July 8, 2011.
Tomorrow we hope to make it all the way to France. But it looks a very long way. Hope it's not too hilly. Fat chance.
Whilst i'll do the French speaking, Jackie has been responsible for speaking Spanish. Her success in learning it can be seen in the confused look on her face whenever anybody speaks to her. However, yesterday she showed a glimmer of progress when she rode up alongside me and said "I think we need to get some more water. We need to stop at a supermarket". And then, after a pause, she added in a self-congratulatory way "Supermercat".
There's hope yet.