Plentzia Beach & A Visit From Dr. Sainz!

Jacklyn, Nina and I woke up considerably early to make it out to Plentzia beach- the last stop on the metro right on the ocean- to take advantage of a very sunny day in Bilbao. To our surprise, too, it stayed that way! A 30-minute metro ride and we were in Plentzia, and with a bit of difficulty we found the beach.

Plentzia is a beautiful beach, and I can only imagine how it would be in the summer. There were surfers in wet suits, but I am sure it would be so nice to swim in the water and take in the sun during the warmer months. Though we couldn't get in the water, we took off our shoes, laid down on our towels, relaxed and goofed off a bit. I really wished we had brought paddle ball...:/ Michelle and Lizzie showed up a little later when it started to get a bit chilly, so we left shortly thereafter. I can't wait to go back when it's warm!!!! That and San Sebastian, Barcelona, and Majorca...

We caught the metro back just in time, because my advisor and Spanish teacher at Mary Washington, Dr. Sainz, was visiting Bilbao (his hometown where he still lives part-time) for the week and had set a time for all of the Mary Wash students in Bilbao to meet. After taking a cat nap on the metro (and apparently being stared at by the lady next to me), we made it to Sam Mamés at 7pm to meet with the group.

Not all of the Mary Wash students could make it on account of hangovers, trips to Pamplona, and other reasons, but we were all happy to se Dr. Sainz in Spain! Though the bar that he normally goes to by the San Mamés Stadium was closed indefinitely as a result of the economic crisis, there was not a lack of bars nearby. Dr. Sainz was nice enough to buy us all a round of beers, or whatever we fancied, and we casually discussed how we liked it this semester- all of us agreeing it was the best decision we could have made. All thanks to Dr. Sainz, too!

Next, we followed our new guide to Moyua where he was going to show us one of his favorite spots to grab a bite to eat. With someone leading us that had grown up in Bilbao and knew the city back to front (I'm accustomed to getting lost by now), everything in Bilbao seemed closer and we made it to Moyua in no time. We walked into a crowded bar that Sainz said had been there ever since he could remember, and was the favorite spot of every local to get the best pintxos morunos (moorish tapas or seasoned skewers of pork) in town. Apparently the line during the weekend goes out the door, and for good reason! The skewers were grilled right in front of us and were served hot with a piece of bread to soak up the juices. My mouth is watering ("me hace la boca agua") even now! We have to make the trip back...

Pintxos morunos

From Moyua we made our last stop at Casco Viejo where we went into a Simpsons-themed bar (they're not uncommon here, strangely enough) owned by a longtime friend of Dr. Sainz. We were served homemade sangría on ice (he used a special recipe including cinnamon and sugar!), which was amazing. It was a great way to finish up the night and we all thanked Dr. Sainz for showing us around town and treating us to such a great time! The sangría even inspired Jacklyn, Nina, and me to make our own sangría the next night... but without much avail. It was good, but definitely needed ice. As Dr. Sainz says, it's the perfect drink to sip on and feel refreshed in the summertime... so maybe not warm in the dorms :)

We finished the night with the documentary Grizzly Man... failed movie night! I swear, that dude is crazy... naming Grizzly bears "Mr. Chocolate", foxes "little Timmy", and crying over a dead bee. Though, we did have a lot of snacks, so I was happy.