Seven Streets of Casco Viejo
After some slower nights fighting against flu and rain showers, we can finally enjoy a real pub crawl without even having to carry umbrellas with us! Taking advantage with us of the dry weather are Jon, Eider, Tiziana and Iván.
The night begins at IZARTEGI TABERNA in Calle Carnicería Vieja, with a glass of Heineken. It's one of these local bar with local flavour: wooden interiors, a display of tools, and salted green peppers for those who want a bite.
The restaurant-bar URBIETA, in Calle del Perro, shows its Athletic Bilbao pride with the typical boinas (aka txapelas, aka berets) in the team's colours, plus an arrangement of pictures of Basque players, all hanging from its walls and wooden girders. Before we can finish our Amstel, the owner nicely puts in front of us a plate of chips on the house.
Our following stop is the pintxo bar XUKELA. Its walls intrigue us: they are covered in posters, painting reproductions and curiosities, like a mapamundi (map) of Bilbao, a certificate of atheism - complete with instructions on how to get a "religious disaffiliation" and get excommunited by the Catholic church -, and a collection of plaster casts of noses belonging to waiters and bar owners of Casco Viejo.
While the guys drink Amstel, Bea orders a moscatel wine and is served... Gïk: a sparkling, very sweet wine that also happens to be blue.
It's also worth mentioning that the sign which indicates the level reached by the flood in 1983, so common around the old town, in this bar has acquired a lighter tone thanks to the cartoon figure of a small man happily swimming in the current, holding its precious bottle of beer.
Always faithful to our thirst-quenching mission, we all move on to SÉPTIMO CIELO, a smaller bar with a more night-oriented atmosphere. We drink Mahou and listen to ABBA songs; inspired by the decoration of this place, Ivan wonders how a disco ball would fit in his and Bea's apartment (it wouldn't).
Although it does not sound like a place where we would typically go out on a Friday night, the bar SKULLS has to be featured on our list. Much to Iván's delight, the soundtrack is pure heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse and co.). None of us is a big fan of closed smoky rooms, on the other hand. We are sorry to say that the San Miguel drafted here is one of the worst ones tried during our quest: everyone agrees on its strange flavour, and Ivan comments that "it has a metallic aftertaste, maybe to go with the place".
We've made more than the intended share of bars for tonight already (and are quite proud of it, to be honest!). But the last beer left our mouths in desperate need of trying a decent drink. That is why, with slightly swaying steps, we head off to JAVIER, in Barrenkale. Their Estrella Damm does its job and leaves us refreshed - and ready for bedtime!
Will this good weather assist us in our future beer endeavours? Will bad San Miguel continue to persecute us? What is the point of blue wine, exactly?
We hope to find the answer to these and other questions in BBQuest next episode. Until then, cheers!
The night begins at IZARTEGI TABERNA in Calle Carnicería Vieja, with a glass of Heineken. It's one of these local bar with local flavour: wooden interiors, a display of tools, and salted green peppers for those who want a bite.
The restaurant-bar URBIETA, in Calle del Perro, shows its Athletic Bilbao pride with the typical boinas (aka txapelas, aka berets) in the team's colours, plus an arrangement of pictures of Basque players, all hanging from its walls and wooden girders. Before we can finish our Amstel, the owner nicely puts in front of us a plate of chips on the house.
At TXAKURTTO TABERNA, in the same street, our friends join us for a caña of San Miguel. There's a yummy display of pinchos and tortillas on the counter, which none of us takes advantage of, unfortunately.
Taking some notes for the blog!
Our following stop is the pintxo bar XUKELA. Its walls intrigue us: they are covered in posters, painting reproductions and curiosities, like a mapamundi (map) of Bilbao, a certificate of atheism - complete with instructions on how to get a "religious disaffiliation" and get excommunited by the Catholic church -, and a collection of plaster casts of noses belonging to waiters and bar owners of Casco Viejo.
While the guys drink Amstel, Bea orders a moscatel wine and is served... Gïk: a sparkling, very sweet wine that also happens to be blue.
It's also worth mentioning that the sign which indicates the level reached by the flood in 1983, so common around the old town, in this bar has acquired a lighter tone thanks to the cartoon figure of a small man happily swimming in the current, holding its precious bottle of beer.
Always faithful to our thirst-quenching mission, we all move on to SÉPTIMO CIELO, a smaller bar with a more night-oriented atmosphere. We drink Mahou and listen to ABBA songs; inspired by the decoration of this place, Ivan wonders how a disco ball would fit in his and Bea's apartment (it wouldn't).
Although it does not sound like a place where we would typically go out on a Friday night, the bar SKULLS has to be featured on our list. Much to Iván's delight, the soundtrack is pure heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse and co.). None of us is a big fan of closed smoky rooms, on the other hand. We are sorry to say that the San Miguel drafted here is one of the worst ones tried during our quest: everyone agrees on its strange flavour, and Ivan comments that "it has a metallic aftertaste, maybe to go with the place".
We've made more than the intended share of bars for tonight already (and are quite proud of it, to be honest!). But the last beer left our mouths in desperate need of trying a decent drink. That is why, with slightly swaying steps, we head off to JAVIER, in Barrenkale. Their Estrella Damm does its job and leaves us refreshed - and ready for bedtime!
Will this good weather assist us in our future beer endeavours? Will bad San Miguel continue to persecute us? What is the point of blue wine, exactly?
We hope to find the answer to these and other questions in BBQuest next episode. Until then, cheers!
