What a fun day in Bilbao! We started off our day with a visit to a cafe that specializes in the famous Bilbao dessert of churros and chocolate. I unfortunately did not partake, but my smoothie was great instead! We then took a stroll to a nearby plaza where a small market was taking place and then traveled to the nearest metro station. We took the metro to Casco Viejo where they hold a flea market every weekend. The market was extremely busy, and it seemed like the sellers specialized in books and jewelry. The market also featured a section for fresh flowers. They were absolutely beautiful! Although I did not get any, it was great to see all of the different varieties.

Following the market, we walked to the funicular, or as we know it in Pittsburgh, the incline. The incline here is much different than the ones in Pittsburgh, though. Here, locals often use it as an actual form of travel instead of a commodity. Also, this funicular went significantly higher and faster! The view from the top was absolutely stunning, so we decided to have our halfway check in as a group. Here, we reflected on everything that we have learned so far on the trip. It was a great opportunity to think about all of the extremely important things we have learned and discuss what we feel we will keep with us after our two weeks is up.

After our beautiful meeting, the weather became not so beautiful… As we were waiting for the funicular to go down, it started thunderstorming! The wind was extremely fast and it was raining very hard. A group of us decided to take shelter by ordering pintxos and gelato, and by the time we were done, it was sunny and warm outside!

We all had a much needed siesta and then went to dinner to celebrate Eloise’s birthday! Our food was great and the time we had was even better. I can’t believe our trip is almost over, but I can’t wait to see what the rest of it holds.