We stayed last night and tonight in the Ekoos Hostel in Bilbao. I am fighting a cold and have a sore left knee so a day of rest in the city is welcome. We have done some exploring though. The city has a central fountain and a giant roundabout with streets reaching out like spokes on a wheel. The city has a warm feel with nobody rushing to quickly. It is common to get caught behind two locals walking slowly in conversation. I could get use to this pace.
We walked to the Guggenheim Museum but chose to just walk around it. Mark’s guidebook said the building itself was more impressive than the collection inside. We did find a public elevator that lifted us from the base of the museum back to street level. We’ve developed a keen ability to spot these godsend lifts in the towns we have been through. We don’t consider them cheating as they don’t shorten our distance, just pamper our knees. For those questioning our motives, the Camino pathway in Deba leads directly to the elevator. The elevators are here to assist locals getting around these hilly cities. Having said this. We have not encountered many locals not able to make the climbs. Mark has said, “You don’t get too old for walking or climbing; you get old because you stop walking or climbing.”