And Now, Bilbao

There was a time when tourists avoided the port city of Bilbao--if they knew about it at all. Back in 1964 on my first visit to Spain, it was certainly not on my radar.  

Then in 1997, along came architect Frank Gehry with a building that looked like a futuristic origami project made of aluminum foil.  Now, if you announce "Our next stop is Bilbao", everyone knows you aren't going to the city.  You are going to the art gallery, aka Guggenheim Bilbao.

And from the Picos, it is a short hop. If you get all the connections lined up, it takes about 4 hours or less.  We however did not have such luck, and wound up having to wait for three hours in Llanes.  
We could have done worse.  This little port city is quite picturesque, so we wandered around, camera at the ready.

Llanes

By the time we got to Bilboa, it was late afternoon.  But we were not deterred.  Our hotel was close to the Guggenheim, and since we were in Spain, we knew that we would not be late for dinner even if we turned up at 9:30.  We had plenty of time to thoroughly explore the art gallery and its environs. before searching out a restaurant.

We discovered, en route to the holy grail of galleries, that the city has happily embraced its arty side. 

"Bilbao"

We couldn't help but think that the Toronto waterfront could use this sort of upgrade.  The walk to the Guggenheim gallery is beautiful, and features gardens, sculptures, and interesting civic architecture.

Puppy, covered with living flowers, greets gallery goers.

I love this sculpture!

No ordinary bridge...this is one is gallery-worthy 

Even downtown Bilboa seems to know it should look good for visitors.

Early Sunday morning in Bilbao.

Take time to admire the city...and while you're at it, amble across the intersection!

The Final Hike!

If we wanted to complete the circuit and get back Arenas, we first needed to find our way to Poncebos where the S-cape van would pick us up.

We would not be taking the precipitous route down from the refuge at Urriellu, however.  We would take the long route down -- one that went from Sotres to Poncebos (via Collado Pandebano and the tiny village of Bulnes) and to our rendezvous at the bar, Garganta del Cares) .

At Collado Pandebano again.....

On tarmac roads and farm tracks we tramped from Sotres to Pandebano. Then with Urriellu to our left,  we headed down the valley.

Down hill and into the trees and bracken...

The entire walk was about 12 kms, and although technically not difficult, it was demanding. Vague directions such as "take care not to miss fork at end of walled meadow" did not encourage appreciation of whatever vista lay ahead. (We did not miss the fork, but discovered later that others had.  We asked about their GPS.  Wasn't it working?  Yes it was.  At the bottom of a knapsack.)

Then there was the middle section of the track which our notes described as "long, steep and tedious".   And rocky.  The track was entirely composed of boulders and rough stone.  We thought it might be a stream bed, but the rocks were arranged far too regularly to have been placed there by the hand of nature. A Roman Road?  We knew that Christians hell-bent on re-claiming the Iberian peninsula from the Moors came this way on the Ruta de la Reconquista.  It tried to imagine sandled feet on this unpleasant, uneven surface.  No way. Those holy warriors must surely have ridden horses or donkeys.  (I would have gladly traded my excellent Zamberlan hiking boots for a donkey.)

This tedious trail descended downhill for several kilometres.

Tiny Bulnes has 3 bars and not much else. We noted the bars.  We did not visit them.

We arrived in Bulnes in time for lunch.  But no leisurely drinks were consumed at any of the three bars; we perched on a stone wall by the side of the trail and gobbled down our cheese sandwiches.  We needed to pick up the pace.  Bruce was absolutely convinced that we would be the very last hikers to arrive in Poncebos. We envisioned the others loping down the mountainside from Urriellu. No. They were probably already in Poncebos having a celebratory beer.  

Hop to it, Ryans!

The last four kilometres, along another spectacular gorge, were undoubtedly the best part of the walk.  The path overlooking Canal del Textu gradually descended while snaking along ledges far above the water .  It was deemed "not suitable for those afraid of heights" but we were in such a rush we hardly noticed.  We almost forgot to take pictures.

Our last descent....

The Puente del Zardo, where the trail crosses to the other side.

Just a few more steps to the Bar Garganta del Cares 

At about 3:30, we arrived at the bar expecting to join our friends. But the place was empty except for one other couple that we recognized from the hotel.    They had not come from Urreillu, nor had they walked from Sotres.  They had shortened their route somehow and were now relaxing alone at an outdoor table.

So.... where were the others?  We twiddled our fingers, we had a drink and finally we phoned S-cape and asked about the rest of our group.  No one had seen Roz and Ian or the Dutch hikers.  We all concluded that they would be picked up later since they were probably still on the trail. I generously did not make a point of discussing this detail with Bruce.

At about 6 that evening we heard Roz and Ian's story of walking directly down from Urreillu.  Of the 30 or so hikers at the refugio, they were the only ones to take this path.  Our four Dutch friends gave it a try and turned around when they came to a tricky section that involved rock-climbing down a cliff.  (No ropes. Nothing to grab onto-- just careful placing of fingers and toes. No way!)

Roz and Ian confirmed that it was a difficult, steep, badly maintained track, and that we had probably made the right decision.  The descent had taken them twice as long to complete as they had anticipated. 

But they did it!  And we were not surprised.  At 70+ they are fit and have loads of stamina. 

Yeah Gibsons!! 

Roz and Ian Gibson.  Super hikers, married 50 years!