Being car-less blows! You’re bound to busconnections and time schedules, which can be very frustrating at times. Sanne was very excited about her Bilbao sleepover weekend last week so she convinced me to do the same.

After work we headed to the Duesto-district by subway. We met up with Mikel, a Basque Biology student, who opened up his apartment for couchsurfing. There were 5 of us (Sanne, Niké, Tiina, Sammi and myself), a bit much for a medium-sized apartment but he assured us that it was no biggie. He showed us around his place and introduced his fellow roommates.

Kafé Antzokia hosted Bilboloop that night, an electro/rock gathering of three bands + dj’s (Tom Boyle, The Teenagers and Crystal Fighters). Although I didn’t knew the bands, not even by name, I didn’t really care. I always fancy a gig. My summer holidays were filled with music concerts and festivals. I check the Internet every few days for concerts in the neighbourhood, and when the girls told me about Bilboloop my mind was made up pretty quick.

So Mikel lead us the way to the music hall. Once inside it looked more like a fake art-nouveau theater. Tacky and overdone, but really cool.

The festival kicked off with Tom Boyle, an indie band from Getxo, Vizcaya. Sadly enough my happy feelings were tempered instantly by this dreadful performance. The female lead singer looked like she felt more like reading a book with a cup of tea and a blanket than to play on stage. Boring, no chemistry with the audience, no mentionable musical skills, … A bunch of glitters under your eyes ain’t gonna cut it honey!

Next up: The Teenagers. I listened a bit to this French synthpop band in advance, and they charmed me with their nonsense lyrics and poppy tunes. They played a very decent gig that night. The charismatic lead singer, Quentin Delafon, was very energetic to say the least, constantly seeking interaction with the crowd. On their hit song ‘Homecoming’ the whole crowd joined them on stage. Real fun.

The lead singer of The Teenagers © Sanne Jehoul

Last band on the program: Crystal Fighters. Their genre? Very hard to describe. A kind of fast tempo nu-ravepop gettho house thing with digital latinbeats and Basque folknoise. Got it? Probably not, experiencing them live is the only way to get an impression I guess. Fired up on Redbull (not sure that was the only thing), they showed a great deal of energy, electrifying the crowd. The lead singer was constantly walking up and down the stage dragging his microphone stand along, while his colleagues drummed the txalaparta, a traditional Basque instrument. Original, refreshing and alive and kickin’! They recruited themselves another fan.

Crystal Fighters © Sanne Jehoul

Afterwards dj’s continued the fiesta with some popular tunes. Singing along we left the place a few hours later. Mikel’s roommates organized enough sleeping spots in the living room, making it a short yet comfortable night of sleep. Thanks guys!

Gero Arte!

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First impressions, the sequel!

Architecture

Something that catched my eye during my first days in the Basque Country was the lack of houses in the cities. Everywhere you go you see apartment after apartment. It’s not an eye sour, but it ain’t a pretty sight either. Luckily most towns have an historic tale to tell. The town center of Bergara stores some beautiful ancient mansions, mostly 16th and 17th century. The old part of Mondragon (Arrasate), with his authentic arches, is impressive as well.

Bilbao (Bilbo) is a different story. The largest city of the Basque Country runs on a fresh, youthly enthusiasm with a lot of daring and experimental architecture. Sure Bilbao has a lot of history to, but the numerous modern sculptures and buildings reveal a thirst for renewal and progression. And of course the world famous Guggenheim is the icing on the cake. Entering Bilbao via the freeway you get a great look on the museum, which looked much bigger than I thought it would be. I can’t wait to check it out…

Going out

There are tons of bars and cafés in every city, town and village. They’re open pretty late, cause the people eat their dinners around 9, 10 ‘o clock. Although there’s a vast choice of tasty wines, the beer collection is rather poor. Most bars serve Dutch beers like Heiniken or Amstel, but there are very few weighty beers. I guess us Belgians are spoiled when it comes to lager (I miss my Duvel!).

Yet the real attraction is the spontaneous atmosphere, both in- and outside the bars. Loud music, everyone’s having fun, young and old gather around… Also the language barrier seems to fade as the alcohol flows. Gestures and sign language surprisingly suffice for hour long conversations…

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