Ostirala da! (It’s Friday in Basque!) Hello readers! Today was a more relaxed day, focused on soaking in the culture. We started our morning at a bustling market filled with fresh food and local delicacies. The market is housed in a historic riverside building that was heavily damaged during a major flood in 1983. In the years that followed, Bilbao invested heavily in preserving its cultural heritage while modernizing the city. This market was part of that revitalization—now fully renovated, it has two floors of vendors and storefronts showcasing the best of Basque cuisine.
We wandered through the market, sampled some classic Bilbao dessert delicacies, and picked up fresh fruit. Although, I must admit—I stood in front of the fruit stand for an embarrassingly long time. Not because I couldn’t muster the Spanish to place my order, but because… who actually knows how much grapes are supposed to weigh? Half a kilogram? Two kilograms? I was terrified I’d ask for the wrong amount and accidentally buy an entire vineyard. Good news: I ordered one kilogram, in Spanish, and walked away with a normal human amount of grapes.
During our other moments of free time at the market, we tried some delicious sweet treats—mostly pastries filled with custard—and we almost bought some local cheese, but the vendor was too busy. That’s okay, though, we’ll be back. Besides, I’ve already confirmed with U.S. Customs guidelines that I can legally bring cheese home.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience… despite the emotional damage caused by the sight of so many goat heads casually on display like it was no big deal. Thanks for the nightmares, Bilbao!
After the market, we rolled up our sleeves and dove into an incredible, authentic cooking class. On the menu: classic pintxos—one topped with olives, peppers, anchovies, and bread, and the other with prawns, boiled egg, mayo, peppers, and parsley. Let’s just say, Bilbao is not built for the picky eater lifestyle. A few brave souls in our group tackled the pintxos in a single dramatic bite, followed by a grimace that said, “I’m being adventurous, but I am not okay.”
The entire process, we were able to embrace our inner chefs and cut potatoes, cut bread, and mix the ingredients. I want you to picture a childhood favorite- the Swedish Chef. Specifically, the scenes where the flour is going everywhere, there is a fire in the background, and half the ingredients are broken. We really need to stick to engineering or nursing. But truly, all of our food turned out great with the help and guidance of our teacher, Karen. We made potato pancakes and even got to use a butane torch to create our Spanish version of a crème brûlée dessert. Nothing like giving a bunch of engineers a torch.
In summary, the cooking class was an absolute blast—and I only ate one tiny piece of eggshell, so I call that a win. Best of all, they gave us recipe booklets, so we can go home and bless our families with our new Michelin-starred skills: slightly deformed potato egg pancakes and probably too-sweet desserts. Bon appétit, Bilbao-style.
To end our day off right, we walked to the famous Zubizuri bridge built by Santiago Calatrava. This bridge might be beautiful in concept, but safety was not on Calatrava’s mind. First of all, Calatrava looked at the hilly landscape of Bilbao and thought, “You know what this city needs? A bridge that forces everyone to walk down two flights of stairs just to climb back up eight more.” Accessibility? Efficiency? Not in this house.
And let’s not forget the pièce de résistance: a glass walkway. Yes, glass. In a city that rains roughly 300 days a year. Saioa told us that in the early days, people slipping and falling on this bridge was basically a public sport. Calatrava apparently took offense when the city installed rubber mats and added a more functional connecting ramp—because heaven forbid we prioritize safety over slippery aesthetics.
But clearly, it’s not the design’s fault. It’s the people of Bilbao who should’ve adapted. If they add some soap, it can serve as a slip and slide, too.
We then walked to the funicular (a hill train for those confused) to take us to the top of the hill to overlook the entire city of Bilbao. On the metro the city seems so small, only taking around an hour in total. However, from the top of this mountain the city looks huge and you feel so small.
Tomorrow is a relatively free day, so stay tuned for my whimsical adventures in the streets of Bilbao! Geroago eguneratuko zaitut!!! (Update you later!!! -Basque).
