This morning we began the day with a group breakfast at a local churro shop. Many members of the group tried a traditional dish here, churros dipped in a thickened hot chocolate. Today was Eloise’s birthday so we all celebrated and sang to her at the churro shop. Once we walked around a local Bilbao festival were a few local artists were selling some of their art. Following that, we rode the metro to a local flea market. The flea market had many different things including jewelry, books, records, and many other things! Right down the street from the flea market was a flower shop. All of the plants and flowers were truly so beautiful, I wish I could have bought some.

Once we were done at the flea market we walked over to the Artxanda Funicular. We were able to ride the funicular to the top of the mountain which also had a gorgeous view of the city. While we were at the top we had a group check. Since we are half way through the trip we reflected on what we have learned and what our biggest takeaways thus far has been. It was really nice to see that everyone has found this trip equally as interesting and educational as I have. We got to compare the things we learned about the healthcare system in Spain to things that many of us are familiar with in the United States, reflecting on the differences between them. After our check in we headed down the mountain on the funicular. While we were riding the funicular a thunderstorm started. Thankfully, a week of unpredictable weather has taught us all to always carry an umbrella. To finish the night the nineteen of us went out to dinner at a restaurant called Alboroto where we had the opportunity to continue our conversation from earlier and celebrate Eloise’s birthday. Today was an amazing day and I cannot believe we are halfway through the trip.