Today we started out our mother’s day morning by grabbing churros and chocolate with Saioa. They were huge (and very delicious of course)! Then we headed into town to stop by a few flea markets. The first one was small and had lots of artistic jewelry and graphic shirts which were very cool. We then headed over to our next flea market which was quite large, lining and entire street block. They had many items such as books, flowers, trinkets, and jewelry. The girls all got rings together which was super cute and something I will cherish forever. The ring I got was gold and lined with “diamonds” for only 6 euros.

We then headed over by metro to the Artxanda Funicular. While we waited in line for the funicular, there was a performance of transitional Basque dancing outside which was super interesting to watch. We then rode the funicular to the top and got an incredible view over Bilbao. We then had a brief group meeting midway into our stay to discuss the different aspects of Bilbao’s healthcare and culture as compared to the US. Several key points were brought up such as their free healthcare and their emphasis on nature and history which both contribute to a generally higher quality of life overall. We ended the day the same way we always do with some delicious pintxos and gelato!