Friday, 05 February 2016
Calle Askao - Plaza Nueva
Calle Askao - Plaza Nueva
After a one-week hiatus due to Alex's visit to his homeland, we are once again ready to tackle our hoppy mission. Eider, neighbour and friend, is the first one to join us tonight in Calle Askao, behind Plaza Nueva.
LOS CARACOLES is a narrow bar in Athletic Bilbao's colours - red and white. They serve us Mahou and Moscatel wine. It's mainly a warm-up, so not much to note: we sip our drinks, discuss Carnival costumes, gossip about Hameed and lament the fact that Jon is not here to take pictures for us.
Next comes the bar and restaurant GURE TOKI, which also has draught Mahou - and dishes like goose egg or a tomato concentrate called Fancy Tomato Paste; for all their fanciness, they are a little stingy with the quantity of beer in a glass. Bea orders a Grimbergen, forgetting that it's a devilish abbey beer impossible to finish; when Ivan notes that Alex holds his glass in a peculiar way that even English lords would find too sophisticated, however, even Grimbergen is a good enough prop to make fun of him.
Some other friends have joined us in the meantime, so we move to SORGINZULO, in Plaza Nueva, recognizable by its large frog sign (a pity that our French acquaintances are not around tonight!). They serve Amstel and are proud to call themselves "the best bar of pintxos" - you can see Hameed putting them to the test.
The following beer stop is EKAIN: they lose some points for serving San Miguel, but they make up for it thanks to the interesting Basque prints on the walls and the nice waitress who compliments Alex on his Euskera skills (she might have been making fun of him at the same time, but we like to look on the bright side).
Intermezzo: a picture of Bea in front of the TOPA...! shop. If, like her, you are familiar with the slang of Livorno, Italy, you do not require further explanation. If you are not, let us only note that for Basques "topa" means "cheers", and for Livornese people... well, it means something else.
Finally, we turn our steps towards Calle Somera and enter BAR JOSÉ "PEPE" MUJICA, an vegan-friendly place dedicated to the former Uruguayan president. We close the evening drinking Estrella Galicia and sweet mosto, with some awkward hugging and inexplicable cheering going on all the while.
...And this last one makes three cheering-arms-up, silly-looks-on pictures for tonight.
Now we have to go and get dressed for the Carnival follies. Enjoy this winter parenthesis of confetti and fried food, 'cause we surely will!
LOS CARACOLES is a narrow bar in Athletic Bilbao's colours - red and white. They serve us Mahou and Moscatel wine. It's mainly a warm-up, so not much to note: we sip our drinks, discuss Carnival costumes, gossip about Hameed and lament the fact that Jon is not here to take pictures for us.
Next comes the bar and restaurant GURE TOKI, which also has draught Mahou - and dishes like goose egg or a tomato concentrate called Fancy Tomato Paste; for all their fanciness, they are a little stingy with the quantity of beer in a glass. Bea orders a Grimbergen, forgetting that it's a devilish abbey beer impossible to finish; when Ivan notes that Alex holds his glass in a peculiar way that even English lords would find too sophisticated, however, even Grimbergen is a good enough prop to make fun of him.
Some other friends have joined us in the meantime, so we move to SORGINZULO, in Plaza Nueva, recognizable by its large frog sign (a pity that our French acquaintances are not around tonight!). They serve Amstel and are proud to call themselves "the best bar of pintxos" - you can see Hameed putting them to the test.
The following beer stop is EKAIN: they lose some points for serving San Miguel, but they make up for it thanks to the interesting Basque prints on the walls and the nice waitress who compliments Alex on his Euskera skills (she might have been making fun of him at the same time, but we like to look on the bright side).
Intermezzo: a picture of Bea in front of the TOPA...! shop. If, like her, you are familiar with the slang of Livorno, Italy, you do not require further explanation. If you are not, let us only note that for Basques "topa" means "cheers", and for Livornese people... well, it means something else.
Finally, we turn our steps towards Calle Somera and enter BAR JOSÉ "PEPE" MUJICA, an vegan-friendly place dedicated to the former Uruguayan president. We close the evening drinking Estrella Galicia and sweet mosto, with some awkward hugging and inexplicable cheering going on all the while.
...And this last one makes three cheering-arms-up, silly-looks-on pictures for tonight.
Now we have to go and get dressed for the Carnival follies. Enjoy this winter parenthesis of confetti and fried food, 'cause we surely will!
