Bilbao

So we arrived into Bilbao on the long weekend that was 12 Oct and felt the beggining of European autumn. Also, Saturday turned out to be the alternate national day in Bilbao, the celebration of the Virgin of Begoña.

At night the streets in the Casco Viejo, or old city, are packed with people hopping between pintxos bars. The pintxo is the Basque version of the tapa, and can be a true artform (more on this later). The other thing they do is sip small glasses of wine they call txiquitos (smalls) and eventually make a pilgrimage of sorts to the corner where Amelia and I were staying. We noticed a stone efigy of the virgin that looked more pagan than Christian and people came over to touch, then turned in a certain angle and crossed themselves. I asked a local what it was all about, she grabs Amelia and directs her to a tile on the floor pointing to the place everyone turned to. From that angle, between the laneways, you get a perfect view of a church way up in the hills.

Not only is the Virgin the patron saint of Bilbao, but she's also the patron saint of the txiquiteros, or the tavern owners, who came up with the idea of the small glass of wine so that people could handle their drink and share the love among the different pintxo bars, sampling little bits from place to place all night. You've got to love that way of looking at the world. Forget about becoming a colonial power, let's drink to the publican!

More still, every bar has its bunch of aficionados who form choirs, so you walk around town basically getting samples of choral ensembles on every block. Or, if you happen to be on the corner on Santa Maria Street, you get the chants from the choir of the Athletic de Bilbao Fútbol Club.