Today was our first full day in Bilbao. It was packed full of interesting and exciting experiences! We started off our day with a delicious breakfast in the hotel. I tried lots of classic breakfast items including pastries and tortillas.

After a satisfying meal we walked over to the Bilbao School of Engineering. As an engineering student it was very cool to compare my experiences as an engineering student to those of a student here in Bilbao. The programs have a lot of interesting similarities and differences between them. Professor Saioa then gave a presentation on one of the projects she and her team have been working on, called the Oreka-Balance Project. This project’s goal is to develop a method to quantitatively measure patients’ balance and stability. The elevated platform tilts and rotates, while measuring the patient’s balance response using force sensors.

After the presentation we took a walking tour of the city. My phone estimates that we walked about 8.5 miles throughout the day! Our lovely tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable about Bilbao. We saw so many parts of Bilbao including the Guggenheim, City Hall, and the Old City. I really enjoyed hearing about the rich history and unique culture of the city. We even tried some traditional pintxos which were delicious.

It was such a fun day, and I can’t wait to explore more of Bilbao!