Bilbao-->San Sebastián-->Vitoria (Basque Country)
Four days in the Basque region of Spain gave me just a small taste (maybe like a tapa-sized portion) of the food, people, and culture. Someone should have warned me to pace myself with my consumption of great (and cheap!) glasses of local red wines fro La Rioja and gourmet tapas (called pintxos, locally). I don't think I had a single sit-down restaurant meal because the beautiful displays at tapas bars were hard to resist and gave me the opportunity to sample so many flavors instead of committing to a single entree.
When I wasn't eating or imbibing, I squeezed in visits to a couple of world-class museums, Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Artium in Vitoria. All three cities are also great walking cities, very pedestrian-friendly, tons of green spaces, and beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets, and history. Coming from the dryness of the high desert, I appreciated the lovely river carving through the heart of Bilbao with tons of café culture alongside and the beaches and views of the Bay of Biscay from San Sebastián.
Other highlights included the crisp autumn weather, even with a bit of fall color, hiking to the top of Monte Urgull in San Sebastián to peek at Mota Castle and get views of Concha Beach down below, and watching locals play fetch with their dogs in the ocean. I also appreciated the hours-long lingering of families and friends at streetside cafés while they enjoyed food, drink, and each others' company, whether it be the lively twenty-somethings or their smartphone-obsessed counterparts, or the quiet, comfortable together time that older couples displayed. Sometimes it's the simple things...ahhh.
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