Arkeologi Museoa Bilbao
On my first visit to the Casco Viejo (Old Town), I spent a bit of time at one of the main squares, Unamuno Miguel Plaza. One of its point of interest were steps that lead up the Mallona Galtzada, a very poorly named street, in my humble opinion: galtzada means roadway in Eeuskara, and many blocks’ worth of steps does not a roadway make, but I digress. Some way up these steps is the Arkeologi Museoa Bilbao, or the local archeological museum. I had also decided to take a new way to the centre, giving me a chance to explore a different part of the city core. I walked due southeast from the house, intending to cross the river at the Erriberako Zubia (Erriberako Bridge), the one closest to the Ribera Market. What I didn’t realize was that although the route seemed very direct on the map, the path while relatively straight, it sure wasn’t flat. I had to climb up and descend down a number of hills, most of the way through a neighbourhood I don’t think shows up in travel guide books very often. Suffice to say I was walking in a very determined manner and hoped to attract as little attention as possible. My fears may have been slightly exaggerated but at the same time, I’m just not used to seeing quite so many young(ish) men hanging around doorways and parked cars, doing not much at all. I have to admit idle (male) youths scare me … and that’s not just here in Spain, but anywhere, really. Sad but true.
In any case, I safely navigated through this area only to be accosted by some strange woman who got upset I wouldn’t stop and chat with her … I guess it’s not that hard to meet people here, the problem is with the kinds of people one meets 🤷♀️. Ignoring her continuous gaze even after crossing the bridge, I treated myself to some pintxos at one of the market bars. I was now ready for some history.
The Arkeologi Museoa Bilbao isn’t very large, but it does have awesome air conditioning and cool automatic systems that open doors and turn lights on and off as you move through the building. I took my time through the museum, which has exhibits from prehistoric times to the XIX century. Since the Vizcaya regions has been populated for over 100,000 years, there is no lack of artefacts dating that far back. Just as the Basque language is a huge unknown to scholars, so are the Basque people, to a certain degree, and they’ve been here for a very, very long time. The fact that they haven’t been conquered (at least not with any lasting effects) is a testament to their endurance and ability to survive in a very harsh environment.
The museum overall was a treat and I learned a lot. Afterwards I stopped at one of the restaurants in the plaza for a little pintxo and a clara. Sitting there watching the people come and go reminded me how much history there is all around me here and also how different Basque history is from that of the Catalans, Valencianos, Andaluces, and Madrileños (the four regions I’m most familiar with). One can never get bored here, that’s for sure!
