Vivo en Bizkaia (y otros sitios tambien)

Lunch with CC and T3 at Krasko the piano bar in Casco Viejo which was nice, althought CC had to shoot off to teach class.

However T3 and I have a feeling she might have been going for second lunch somewhere...

T3 and I then went shopping in FNAC (or is it pronounced FNAC?) but I seem to have all the gadgets I need - if this is possible - and I can't say the music selection was very stimulating. 

On a completely different subject I fell out of bed this morning! How the hell did I manage that? (And yes I was by myself before you ask...) 

Fortunately I fell out on my left side so the useful arm did its thing. Couldn't have fallen out of the right side as that would mean going through the wall. 

Monday morning - and the Bilbao weather is back to normal. Well, it's not raining yet but its grey and a bit miserable.

One of the best places to go in Bilbao on a Sunday morning is Plaza Nueva for the market.

Both habitual readers of this blog will know this one of my favourite things to do and in between two visits to Cafe Irun and one to Cafe Bar Bilbao California Chica and myself had a really nice time wandering around in the sunshine, although it was not as hot as yesterday.

 Book stalls at the Sunday market in Plaza Nueva

As you can see from the photo above the secondhand book sellers are always popular. You can get anything from cheap paperbacks to very expensive original editions of the most beautiful old books.

When we were in Cafe Iruna I had some difficulty in convincing CC that having four pinchos morunos each was quite a good lunch for most people! This was odd as only about half an hour earlier she had been telling me about her new portion control based diet... 

Saturday was a fabulous day in all respects.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, hitting around 85 - 90 F with beautiful blue cloudless skies.

This made Bilbao about twice as hot as Brighton and twice as nice :) 

This is in complete contrast to when I was here just a month or so ago for Semana Santa when the weather was absolutely miserable and if it only rained I was lucky. But that's Bilbao.

Anyway the day started with Vespa Chica and myself discovering a new way to cut down on our mobile bills by opening our respective windows in el resi and just shouting at each other :) Much easier.

At around 12 VC - who now owns every Vespa thing available on the commercial market in England - and I went into Casco Viejo to meet up with her friends ( see pics below) and we spent a lovely afternoon just chatting in Plaza Nueva and sitting outside a bar in CV.

If there is a nicer way to spend a day I don't know what it is.

Drinking the Basque way in CV. 

 Amaia aka Vespa Chica con amigos

 Sorpresa!

I am the fat one on the right (estoy el gordo derecha) ...

Back in Bilbao otra vez, my journey yesterday with ClickAir only took four hours from my flat to the airport - and i think if i take the later train i could do it in three.

It takes me two hours to get to London.... Go consider.

Anyway despite spending a considerable time worrying about what combination of wet weather gear to bring - the sun is shining and it is 75F plus :)

After Semana Santa in Hotel Barcelo I am back in el resi now - and it is very nice to be back. And as ever I am afforded a welcome from people here the like of which I only get from my friends of many years standing in England.

The people here are soooooooooo nice. I mean really really nice.

And the good news is that Cafe Boulevard is finally being refurbished! (See pic above). How any self respecting Basque could have missed the opportunity to make money from this goldmine for the last year or so is beyond me. I should imagine it will be open for this years Aste Nagusia.

The Castilano switch in my head seems to be getting better as I had more involved conversations here yesterday, especially with Elli jefe del resi aqui, than I have had before without grasping for so many words. Must be my regular reading of El Pais at work :)

I love this place. 

Off to the fireworks again tonight. I had a particular shot in mind of the light from the fireworks being reflected on the umbrellas.

But it didnt rain.

Which is odd because it was chucking it down at lunchtime.

So all I ended up with was this which I put in the Happy Snap category.

Pretty, innit?

To be honest due to the lack of rain tonight just turned into a exposure test. I think i know what the trick is for the shot I want apart from:

• Being in the right place
• The weather being right i.e. rain and lots of it please
  
• The fireworks being in the right place
• No moron standing in front of me with their stupid cameraphone the light from which shows up a treat
• Me remembering to take my spot meter
• Having the right mix of colourful umbrellas
• People being the right height
• No drunks screaming "Camera foto! Camera foto!" at me just when I have got things just right
• Me being calm, calculated and if necessary completely ruthless
  

I don't think there is any coincidence that today is the first day I have been out properly working and today is the day I got my beloved Domke F2 camera bag back from CC who has been looking after it for me!

The camera bag did seem a little bored, but hey that's Mungia for you! 

Oh and a big KAIXO!!!!! to Urusula in Mungia who has apparently being reading this blog for sometime completely oblivious to the fact that the often mentioned CC is in fact her flat mate!

Now there's a coincidence for you.

A lot.

No surprise there. 

First night of Aste Nagusia and first night of the fireworks competition, Valencia are performing. Which means it feels like Calle Cortes is under a barrage of heavy artillery.

I know I should be out there experiencing it but I am very tired and did not have siesta today as I was out with T3 in Plaza Nueva.

I was told today that I have a Basque face - which is nice! 

This visit to la residencia I am in H134, next door to H135 where I have stayed before.

All the rooms here are identical and H134 is the mirror image of H135 - which is still slightly odd.

It took me a day of sleeping on my desk and working at my bed before i got the idea.

Today Aste Nagusia starts at 7pm but this year I am going to be taking things a little slower. And if my assistant turns up won't have to carry all my gear around either :)