"Lluvia"= Rain.

Thursday was a rainy day, that's for sure. After an academic orientation sesh, we piled into two large tour buses that took up the entire road, and set off to visit two historical towns in Biscay: Balmaseda and Portugalete. Unfortunately for us, our time in Balmaseda- founded in 1199!- was cut short due to horizontal rain that our umbrella's just couldn't handle.

After a quick look at the "oldest villa in Biscay", and a walk over the Puente de la Muza (a bridge built in the 15th century and still in use) we headed to lunch. We stopped at a quaint restaurant on the hillside in a more rural part of the country, and sat together for another great (and much needed) three-course-meal. Stuffed from the porkchops and chorizo soup, we continued on to Portugalete, a town closer to the ocean on la Ría del Nervión.

Ashley and I at lunch in Biscay

Crossing the estuary was the Puente Colgante, a bridge built by the disciple of Eiffel (Eiffel tower, anyone?) in 1893. At the end of the tour through the streets of Portugalete, we went across the bridge in a sort of cable car that hung underneath the bridge. Still alive to tell the story :P

The bridge. The ferry-thing crossing it wasn't bad at all.

Friends by the water in Portugalete.

Basilica de Santa María. The trees remind me, and others, of

 mini whomping willows, and they are everywhere.

As customary by now, we got back to the dorms and took a quick nap. Dinner. Then got ready to fiesta. This particular night all of the CIDE students were invited to a get-to-know-each other party at a bar on the other side of town, called Zear-Bide (everything has a strange name in Euskara- hopefully my Basque language and culture class will help me figure out how to say and /or understand them). The bar was full of students from the program, and I ordered a Calimoxo- red wine and coca cola (yes, it's a drink. Dad, not sure you would appreciate it). There was a live band playing, meaning two men trying to sing American songs. They were surprisingly doing a really good job, knowing all the words to songs like Hotel California and Angie. I'm not sure if they were playing those songs because we were there or what. There is mostly American music that plays, though, from what I've heard.

Overall, great night! The cab ride back was muy caro (expensive), though. However, the cab drivers don't waste time taking you back, that's for sure. I had to ask the driver if his cab was available, but these Spanish guys down the street stated yelling at us. I assumed that it was their cab and ran away. Haha, Megan had to tell me they were cat calling us and we went back to the cab. Guess I have to get used to that! 

With friends at Zear-Bide, Calimoxos in-hand!