Eldership 2025 Spain - Total Family Indulgence

I don't know if people who have family close by taken it for granted. Or maybe they think it is a negative to have so many close to you who are in your business. But for our family, that has been flung across the globe for a generation, getting time to be with one another is a precious commodity. So our sole focus during our time in Madrid has been seeing each other and hanging out. 

In all my traveling in Spain, I have never actually spent any time in Madrid other than arriving, departing, and staying over at the airport. Between where RMG lives, where our Airbnb was, and where 2.2 lives, we were spread over a fairly wide swath of the city. But OMG the city is huge! The area we are in and that of RMG are massive, primarily residential areas that are pretty innocuous looking. On the other hand, starving student 2.2 lives in a flat with five roommates right in the heart of the city, the Centro. When we visited her, I could see what a monumental city, central Madrid is. I could see us spending a couple of days 

Since RMG and 2.2 both are in school, we organized our times having them visit us and us visiting them around their schedules. Having 3.0 staying with us meant that even when we were not with the two Madrid based relatives, we were still spending time with family. 

It has been delightful. 

Fotografica

Our local neighborhood did not have much to recommend it nor did RMG's. And we didn't spend a whole lot of time in Centro. So slim photo pickings for this post.

You have to love a country that has stores devoted to providing 'JOY'

 

 You also have to wonder if there is actually a market for commercially provided 'JOY'

Evidently there is.

 

 3.0 is committed to ascending the corporate ladder

 

 While Wife contemplates her daughter's career choices

 

Since we visited 2.2 in the heartland of Centro, I wanted to go to a nice cafe for drinks and maybe a bite.

She directed us through the Asian Quarter that surrounds her flat to a more upscale but not too touristy cafe off the crazy busy main drag with nice environs.

 

 

 So Grandpa, is this satisfactory?

 

 We ordered our drinks and I started to peruse the menu. I found a bunch of things I wanted to try. The others said they weren't really hungry.

 

Until I mentioned I was treating

 

 A much higher degree of enthusiasm

La Comida

Tortilla - despite having just had it for lunch at RMG's apartment, we were all down for it again because Spanish tortilla (potato and egg) is the bomb.

 

 Teriyaki Chicken with Popcorn Dust (It's real name on the menu)

 

 Wife and I somehow had in our mind's eye that this would be chicken wings. Nonetheless it was quite tasty. Though the popcorn dust was just meh.

This was the surprise dish of the evening

 

According to our resident Spanish speaker (level B2 candidate), the dish, Huevos Roto (which translates directly to be 'broken eggs') was to be scrambled eggs with truffles. Well I love truffles in eggs. Except this was no 'broken egg', It was two poached eggs, breaded and fried on a huge bed of truffled cream sauce with gobs of cured ham on it. It was really great!

 

Classic Croquettas

 

 

I thought I'd ordered five dishes but had actually forgotten one. Everyone said they were full, but I really wanted this for RMG, our vegetarian.

 

Grilled Vegetables

 

 

Just as in Italy, a simple dish like this is divine and a perfect foil for the fat heavy dishes we'd had previously.

Resident Vegetarian shows her approval

 

 

Eldership 2025 Spain - Transitioning to Madrid And Family

We left Bilbao early in the morning in order to get to Madrid in time to pick up #3 at the airport. She's taking a couple of days off from work to visit with us and also connect with other family members. Here in Madrid live our niece and fellow blogger, RMG, along with Granddaughter 2.2 who now is studying here. 

I'd had a poor night sleeping, so the drive was a bit more stressful that it should have been. Going into an unfamiliar airport added to the stress but we managed to find a place to park and didn't get ourselves trapped in. 

#3 secured the next stress test was finding the Airbnb. Finding apartment rentals in major cities is always an adventure. This one was no different. I knew from our interaction with our host (no information) that finding parking was going to be a challenge to say the least. I was right. Thankfully, I had #3 come with me while Wife waited with the luggage at the apartment building. (We had arrived too early to check-in). It had the makings of the usual big city parking search disaster. But as luck would have it, we actually found a pay garage not far from the apartment. #3's very rusty Spanish really helped us as she slogged down to talk to the attendant so we could confirm we could park. We, of course, made a number of errors trying to find the entrance. But find it we did and we were able to get our three days parking for a pretty reasonable fare.

Not long after, we were back with Wife and able to get into the apartment. Soon thereafter, RMG arrived. We were all hungry so we went out to grab some lunch. And after lunch, we went to a lovely large Carrefour market that is NOT closed on Sundays to get food for our breakfasts. 

Wife and I were in serious need of a nap. We left the two cousins to talk while we lay down. We were not sooner up, than the granddaughter arrived. We went out to get a drink in the long lingering Spanish way. After a couple of hours of conversation, we decided we'd better all head to our relative places of rest. 

It was so nice to be with the inter-generational family impromptu grouping. It was also nice to get back to the price/value we've become used to in Spain after the sticker shock in Bilbao. I will write more on this later. Now we're chilling and looking forward to some more family time tomorrow. 

 

Eldership 2025 Spain - Bilbao Casca Viejo

That would be 'Old Town'.

It's our last day in Bilbao and we had one last 'site' to get in, the old town. If you are European city, you're going to have an old town. Truthfully, both Wife and I were more than a bit tired from our last three days...Wife, in particular, as she has not done any significant walking since being cruelly assaulted in Sweden. BUT, we are truly back in travel mode again and if there was something to see, we were going to see it. 

Spoiler Alert - We've seen more than our fair share of old towns and I would not rank the architecture of Bilbao on the high end. We were lucky we got an early start. The day was cool to begin with but got hot by 1pm. And by that time, it started to get overwhelmed with people. I would hate to see what it is like during the season. We were also frustrated by the lighting situation for our photography. It was a totally clear and bright sunny day which meant the light was on the harsh side. That combined with the significant shadows you get in a narrow alley old town, made for very challenging shooting.

Fotografia

 There are a number of plazas in the old town area. This is the primary one.

 

 You will note here at 10:45am, the number of tours being talked to.

 This is NOTHING to what will be out in two hours.

It's a bad day when SOMETHING good doesn't happen.

A full-on shot of the rare Basque Espouses Fotograficus!

 

 The church of Saint Nicolas

 

A very Baroque church from the late 18th century

 

 Unnamed building in the vicinity of the church

 

Statue of significance that has eluded me.

 

Theatre and vicinity from the 19th century

 

 Bilbao Cathedral

Dates back to the 1300's originally

 

 

I was REALLY looking forward to going inside. BUT...

 

...there was wedding.

Bride:

"I have heard word that de-I is in the vicinity. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES does he come in to my wedding. My brother was a 'customer' of his Sandia Outfitters Tours and never came back!

 

 There has been a market in central Bilbao since the Middle Ages. The current market was built in 1927 and is the largest enclosed market in Europe (was even in the Guinness Book of Records).

 

 

 

 Complete with lamp posts.

Across from the market was a covered arcade with some neat ceiling art.

 

 Wife was feeling pastry deprived so we had a little break.

 

 The cheesecake was very unusual in that the center was almost liquid. They were both way too sweet for my taste.

The Gothic Church of Saint Anthony (San Anton)

 

They wanted 30 euros each to go in it (and it wasn't that great). I snapped this picture before they shooed us out.

 

 

And right next door is the San Anton Bridge. They call this bridge the oldest in the city going back to the 14th century. But that is not exactly true. There has been A BRIDGE here since that time. But it has been destroyed and replaced numerous times. The current bridge dates to 1937.

 

 

Criminals in the Middle Ages used to hung from here. Unless you were of the nobility. Then they tied stones to you and threw you in the river to drown. 

Justice portrayed.

 

 

Laundry photos were scarce.

 

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

Authentic Basque Pastry

  

Eldership 2025 Spain - Away Mission Nervion River Cruise

"Damn it Wife, I don't care if it is my turn to be the enlisted person, I am not wearing the red tunic and dying."

"de-I, I am the Commander for this mission and ElderFleet Command rules state quite clearly that, "An away mission must contain at least one enlisted person who shall 1) wear a red tunic and shall 2) die during the course of said away mission."

"Fine, fine, fine. But let's see how you feel when your over easy eggs are made by a dead person tomorrow morning. 

Yes dear readers it is time for another Eldership away mission. Our intrepid crew will be taking one of the many Nervion River Cruises that ply the estuary between Bilbao and Getxo. Wife and I have a weakness for these kinds of low key boat rides. They are a good way for us to chill a bit after particularly strenuous touring days. There is always the adventure of getting in and out of the boat which for some reason is always a bit of a challenge. 

In this case, we are on a really bare bones operation with little in the way of seating comfort. The only place that had a good view for photography was in front where there was actually only one small seat. I ended up standing most of the way. 

The story of modern Bilbao is one of a city that has pulled itself up from industrial decline. However, there is still ample evidence of that decline and this cruise showed it in spades.

Fotografia

We depart from the Center City, Modern, Vibrant 

 

 Monument to river cruise customers everywhere

 

 Past the Guggenheim again

 

 If it is a river, they fish

 

 And into the post-industrialization period

 

 

 

 Reminders of War of the Worlds

 

 

 The Dutch Entrepreneur

 

 The Dutch Entrepreneur's Wife

 

 The Bizkaia Bridge

Built in 1897, and truly and unusual design

 

 

 

AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH

 

Cruise ships for those of lesser means

  Back in Getxo only waterside

Monument to Eldership Team Members on the days they ARE NOT Commander

 

 

Please not that leg muscle definition!

Revenge of the Red Bridge on the Guggenheim

 

 

 SIGNS OF THE WORLD

 

Bilboa's major organic fertilizer company

 

 

Gastronomy

 

We had hot dogs and salad. HOWEVER, I used FOUR of my FREE condiments on my Hot Dog.