I got up fairly early and decided to walk to Casco Viejo by taking a different street from the one I had taken the previous day, feeling that part of getting to know a city and "feeling" it is also intimately connected to strolling around less "known" places or otherwise considered as being less interesting.
My first stop was at Plaza Zabalburu, which looked rather different from any of the ones I had come across before. It had some huge pole-like "decorations" that somehow seemed to lighten up the park where they were standing as if fallen from the sky.
I had a copious breakfast at a cafeteria just around its corner and soon after felt more than ready to "explore" the city on foot as I had done the day before.
Upon reaching the Neo-Classic church of San José de la Montaña, which was built under the Augustin order between 1908 and 1918 and as I was photographing its façade I thought back to the number of churches I had walked by since my arrival and how many more I would have access to (closed or not for the public, with the exception of the mass period times).
The overall architecture of Bilbao kept on drawing my attention and somewhere along Hurtado de Amezada I sighted a building that had most probably been designed by Fernando Olabarria because of the prominence of the structures with very elementary geometric forms in glass brick with anodized aluminium trim and an "unmistakable refinement". Whether I was right or not is something I'll never know.
Casco Viejo's colourfully decorated Santander Station did catch my attention. The fact that I was once more walking on known territory did not diminish the excitement. Arriaga's Theatre still stood there in its majestic attitude. I had to go around it, so as to get the full idea of what it was like from the rear part, having found out that it equally outstanding.
Saint Nicholas church, which I photographed from a closer perspective was closed, so I decided to stroll around the park having photographed the exquisite round bandshell with an overhanging roof, the Arenal kiosk, said to have been designed by one of the most prolific architects and drawing enthusiasts, Pedro Ispizua, who was also behind the Market of Ribera's design.
I finally made my way to Plaza Unamuno via Plaza Nueva expecting to soon be climbing the 320 steps to the Basilica of Begoña I had been looking forward to visit since day one.
(To be continued)
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