Sleeping in until 10 AM really healed a part of me, especially considering that is what I’ve been used to this past semester and my week back home. There was sadly no breakfast provided by the hotel, but since we were up a bit later than usual, it was fine by me. Our only scheduled activity for the day was a tour around the Arriaga Theater, where we saw the performance the other night. The architecture of the theater yet again amazed me, and seeing all the intricately designed costumes and props from various shows over the years was very cool.

We learned about the many disasters in the theater, including a very fiery 1914 and a very watery 1983. Specifically, in 1914, the theater was caught on fire and nearly the entire interior was destroyed; however, the iron pillars and frame remained intact, and the theater was able to be easily rebuilt. Then, in 1983, the region of Bizkaia was completely flooded with nearly four meters of water. The theater was not spared, and the water reached all the way past the first floor. The theater was given to the council of the city of Bilbao to run the reconstruction efforts, and after a few years, the Arriaga Theater was restored to its former glory. The theater is named after Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, who was projected to be as great as Mozart before his untimely death in his early adulthood. Despite all the problems the theater has faced in the past, it continues to be a wonderful venue for concerts and performances, including plays and dances. It was really cool to learn about the history of the theater after seeing for ourselves the beauty of a performance there.

Afterwards, we all split up for our free time for the rest of the day. My friends and I decided to dedicate our time to shopping, wandering down the main street near our hotel, and going into any store that caught our eye. We also made sure to stop by the chocolate store Saioa had recommended to buy sweet treats for our families. The tins the chocolates came in were adorable, and I plan to fill the empty box with all my keepsakes from Bilbao (once all the chocolate is scarfed down by my brothers). We ended up having lunch at a really nice restaurant; we ordered a bunch of appetizers, including croquetas and this chip dish, and everything was so, so delicious! We also found a bookstore with an English section, which is something I always look forward to finding when I am abroad, so I can say I bought a book in Europe without it actually being in another language. A quick trip to the supermarket later for snacks and Fanta, we relaxed for a little bit before hitting the shops again.

We walked around Old Town for some souvenir shopping; as much as I hate acting like a tourist, it was pretty fun, and I thought about getting some little gifts for my family. But then I remembered the flea market tomorrow, and I decided to come back if I didn’t find anything then. We decided on a place to eat, walked at least 20 minutes, realized it wasn’t a sit-down place, walked another 20 minutes to a different place, and finally got some delicious pinsa (NOT pizza, but very similar) and pasta. I recreated a picture from a trip to Spain from nearly eight years ago of me eating spaghetti, but I’ll just show you the original picture, which sums up my dining experience tonight.

To wrap up our evening adventures, we decided to ride the funicular once more for a stunning view of the city at sunset. It was a breathtaking sight as the sun dipped below the horizon. Now, I’m ready to curl up with a book I bought earlier and eat some cookies. I am so excited for our trip to the flea market and to San Sebastian tomorrow!!