Day 2
You can take a day trip on your second day around Bilbao.
Drive down south to Marques de Riscal, one and a half hour away from Bilbao. The winery features yet another famous building by Frank Gehry, the Marques de Riscal hotel, whose form and colors are inspired by a bottle of red wine. Not just that, they even have a Frank Gehry wine.
Take a leisurely stroll along the vineyards, and take a guided tour to the winery’s cellars where they’ll walk you through their wine making process, and show you their oldest wine.
Indulge in one of their wine tasting sessions, and while you’re at it, buy a bottle or two as a souvenir from their wide selection. I recommend the Marques de Riscal Rueda 2005 that has floral and fruity scents, which I tried there for the first time, and have been in love with since. (Wish they would pay me to say all these nice things about their wine!)
If you’re free by lunch, head back up north and visit San Sebastian, 3 hours from Marques de Riscal. San Sebastian is absolutely gorgeous by the night, and it’s really one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. This place can make an article of a 2-day trip on its own, but it’s still not bad even if you just have these few hours, considering that’s the way I visited it as well.
The city has gorgeous traditional Spanish architecture, breathtaking sea views, and historic buildings, and some of the streets make for absolutely stunning postcard moments. Head over to the base of the Igueldo mountain to see the El Peine del Viento (Wind Comb), a sculpture by late Eduardo Chillida. Do some photography of the windy sea.
And then drive to the sculptural Maria Cristina Bridge. Walk across the river, over to San Sebastian’s Cathedral. Take a walk or drive up north Garibai Kalea or one of its parallel streets to see the local shops and architecture.
For dinner go to a typical Spanish restaurant. My recommendation? Head east on Puente del Kursaal, via the Zurriola Bridge to restaurant Ni Neu. Oh, and don’t forget the peaceful night views of the sea, and the colorful views of the Kursaal from here. Ni Neu has classy black interiors, a wide sea view, and some fine delicacies. Oh, and did I mention the chef there whipped up an out-of-the-menu vegetarian meal for me? Precious, I say!
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Shilpa Ahuja the editor-in-chief of ShilpaAhuja.com, which she founded with the goal of inspiring confidence in the modern working woman through fashion. Other than defining the direction of the magazine, she also writes about fashion & beauty trend forecasts, industry analysis, and opinions.
Shilpa’s work has been published in the University of Fashion blog and Jet Airways magazine. She is also an artist, illustrator and cartoonist. She is also the creator of Audrey O., a comic series that represents the lifestyle of millennial women. She enjoys creative writing and world travel. Her art has been exhibited at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aroma Hotel, Chandigarh and been published in Chandigarh Times.
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Cool guide thanks, you provided lots of insider tips!