Ships Position:

43°20′28″ N 3°1′34″ W

Distance Traveled: 4,300 nautical miles

We arrived in Bilbao, Spain this morning about 7:00am local time. It was nice to be tied up to the dock after such a long & windy passage from Lisbon.

I signed up for a bus/walking tour of the city that started at a viewpoint of the city & the Guggenheim Art Gallery. The architecture of the Guggenheim is amazing & it’s done by Canadian Frank Gherry.

Unfortunately, our tour did not allow enough time for a visit through the art gallery but that’s ok – it gives us a good reason to come back!

Bilbao is in a river valley surrounded by mountains. It’s very pretty to view from a high perspective. I’m not sure how well the photo above shows up on a computer screen. Hopefully better than what I see on my iPhone! I took it using the panorama feature on my camera.

One of the outdoor exhibits includes a giant flower sculpture of a dog. This pice of living art was supposed to be temporary but it proved so popular with the locals & visitors that the curators decided to make it permanent. It is commonly referred to as “the puppy”.

After leaving the Art Gallery our guide took us on a walking tour of the Old Quarter of the city. It is a well preserved & vibrant area. Lots of places to relax at small cafes & soak in the ambiance.

Now I’m back on the ship & getting ready for dinner. Big excitement tonight after dinner as the UEFA playoff football game between Barcelona FC & Juventus is being broadcast on the big screen in one of the bars. I’ll have to get there early to find a good seat.

Cheers!