Dublin - August 13

You are probably wondering why I am posting from Dublin... As it happens my stepfather is rather ill in the hospital, and it seems prudent to curtail my wanderings and return to help give him some support to get better. So, I am postponing the balance of this walk to another time - to be determined. While I feel a little sad do this, I am happy to have spent a nice week in Spain with my nephew; we both enjoyed the experience very much and Jonathon has proven himself to be a terrific walker and a great companion as well.

We leave our journey in the little city of Portugalete, 20 km to the west of Bilbao. It was a tough walk getting there, with much up and down along the way through industrial areas, apartment blocks and farm fields alike. Not only did we have to navigate land but had the challenge of which kindly citizen to listen to about our route. At one point it was evident that there were two different routes we could take; no less than 3 gentlemen stopped to offer their opinions in rapid fire Spanish about what would be best for us. I felt a little like a pinball being zinged back and forth, but happy as I knew our guides had the best of intentions. This is a common theme in Spain; people are only too happy to offer help and direction.

Portugalete is a very old port, dating back to the 1100's and it boasts the first transport bridge in the world. It spans the river about 500 feet and carries up to 6 cars and about 200 people. If you are brave (and possibly stupid like me) you can take an elevator up to the top of the bridge and walk along it from one side to the other. We did this and I have to say I rather enjoyed it, though I did feel a bit wobbly at the knees at times. The views were spectacular as you can see from the images.

This morning we took the train back to Bilbao - a speedy 15 minute journey, versus the 4 hours it took us yesterday. Then it was off to the airport and on to Dublin. So until next time, thanks for tuning in. Miranda