An evening walk in Bilbao

After a rest I took a walk along the right bank of the Nervión, the river that runs through Bilbao. This is the north exit of La Ribera, the market I visited earlier.

Looking back at it from a pedestrian bridge.

Further up is the Arriaga Theatre.

The side facade. 

On the opposite bank is La Concordia train station. I didn't visit it. Due to the terrain in Basque Country and Northern Spain in general being hilly and the coast being indented, rail links are mostly local, and east-west public transport is mostly by bus.

Arenal Park, on the east side of the Arenal Bridge, from which I took this picture of the next stretch of the Nervión.

I didn't feel like a big meal so I went back to La Ribera had a pintxo of prawns with bread, accompanied by a glass of Aperol spritz.

A bit later on I bought flat peaches and had a couple. I always try them when I encounter them, they are more flavourful than the spherical ones.

And that was the end of my first day in Bilbao. 

Off to Bilbao

Breakfast was taken at a cafe near the hostel which had a warm ambience.

Next stop on my itinerary was the city of Bilbao (Bilbo). It's the most populous city and a major economic hub in Basque Country. To get to the bus station I crossed the María Cristina bridge one end of which was flanked by these monuments.

About 90 minutes later I was in the Intermodal station and catching a metro to Casco Viejo, which is the old town area as the name suggests.

After checking in at the backpacker hostel, I explored the old market across the street on the river bank, La Ribera.

It contains market stalls and also a dining area where patrons can purchase food and drink from the stalls and eat in the common area.

It has exhibits on its past.

And stained glass windows.

Many stores had finished for the day but some were still trading. Signs are usually bilingual in this part of Spain.

I didn't eat in the cafeteria but took lunch in a recommended restaurant. Here's the starter of soup.

Grilled fish for the main.

And a chocolate dessert which I tucked into before remembering to take a photo.

The tram line follows the river and runs past the market. I followed it a short distance out. The building seems to house offices of the Basque train authority.

Then it was back to the hostel to rest until the evening.