Our day started off with a scenic bus ride out to the countryside for a company visit to Tekniker. They’re a company that supports engineering innovative start ups. It was really cool to learn that the company is not exclusive to one sector such as healthcare or mechanics. Their research spans so many engineering industries, which opens the door for more interdisciplinary collaboration between projects. It was incredibly interesting to learn about their technology for personalizing pharmaceutical products for unique dosages. This technology can even reduce the number of pills a patient must take by consolidating medications into one pill. Tekniker also works on developing artificial intelligence robotic arms for autonomous surgery. It was also remarkable how the company really prioritizes work life balance. They have even installed a relaxation and prayer room, a rock wall room, a gym, and even yoga/ pilates classes.
Our day continued with another bus ride to Oma forest. We grabbed our lunch sandwiches and began our hike up to the painted forest. It was incredibly muddy from the Bilbao rain that occurred earlier, so it was quite the trek to make it up. Once we reached the top of the mountain we took a lunch break and then walked around the trail. There were 32 stations where you could stand and the painting on the trees would make a bigger picture when looked at from the right angle. My favorite one was one with lots of dots and another was of the eyes. Our journey back down the hill was quicker, but it the conditions of the trail were so difficult to navigate… and even one person slipped.
Then we took the bus to the beautiful quiet town of Gernika where we learned about the history of the town, and its importance in opposing wars. We also got to visit a bomb shelter bunker. It was an insightful experience that reminded us why it’s important to know history so that we don’t repeat it. In Gernika, we visited the parliament building as well as the mosaic of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting, which represents the horrors of war and is named after the the town because of its history.
Our day ended with some delicious tacos for dinner, as well as some gelato of course to wrap up our evening stroll.
