Today was out first full day in Bilbao and it couldn’t have been a better introduction to our next two weeks here! We first had breakfast at the hotel and then met up with Professor Saioa of the Bilbao School of Engineering. She gave us a very warm welcome to Bilbao and the School of Engineering. She gave us an overview to our Plus3 program and informed us about some of the culture and history of Bilbao and the Basque region. We even got to try rice cakes, which I thought were so good! Then we went to our lunch at the school cafeteria (which was much better than the eatery back in Pittsburgh I have to say…). We then got a presentation of Professor Saioa’s research and her work on the Oreka-Balance project, which was extremely interesting. This machine they are creating supports recovery by measuring a patient’s center of pressure by using 4 sensors and a mobile elevated platform, causing the patient to adjust their body position to find their balance when the platform moves. This project is such an amazing innovation and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will progress in the future.

After the presentations, we got to explore and dive deeper into Bilbao through an informative walking tour led by our guide, Mangel. We started at the Cathedral, the football field in the city, and got to walk by and through amazing buildings, museums and overall, just beautiful sights. One of my favorite parts was seeing a picture of the football team celebrating their victory while strolling down the Nervion River surrounded by fans. We ended our tour with trying new types pintxos, which were so tasty, and hanging out as a group! Day 2 was so fun, and I can’t for tomorrow!