1 - Malaga - Bilbao

Day 1

I set out from Fuengirola on Wednesday 13th May 2015 at around 9:00 and took the C1 line to Malaga. From Malaga I planned to take the AVE highspeed train to Bilbao via Madrid. I chose this route largely due to a wish to see the Guggenheim exhibition center in Bilbao. I think it was Jeremy Clarkson who said, in one of his books, the Guggenheim building was most impressive and better than anything it contained inside. As the Guggenheim collection is world renowned, I was curious as to how the exterior looked.

After last year's experience with endless SIM cards and PIN numbers, I had hoped to rely on WiFi for all my Internet needs, but on arrival at Malaga station I was unable to connect to any hotspots. Malaga has a modern, very clean and easy to navigate station, so I was slightly disappointed to find it had no WiFi. MacDonald's on an upper floor did have a hotspot, but it failed to function with my mobile, so I decided to top up my Orange prepaid card. 

I had bought a Global Interrail train pass for 289 euros, covering 30 European countries for a period of 22 days. I could make 10 journeys of any distance with any number of changes within each 24 hour period. To get the most out of this pass I decided it was best to travel as far as possible on each day it was used. The pass was not valid in Spain where I was living, so I planned to begin using it once I had reached Bayonne in France.

After arriving early at Malaga station for my midday train, I did a bit of window shopping in the mall before checking in. Security is identical to airport check-ins, but here the atmosphere was very relaxed and well organised. While waiting, I checked out various details about my tour on my mobile. When it was time to board, a uniformed steward stood by each carriage door to check tickets and ensure passengers had the correct wagon. It was all done very professionally and I am sure did much to instill confidence in customers. The Spanish AVE are modern, clean and usually come with video screens showing a film. There was of course also a restaurant car and trolley service for refreshments. I found my seat and made myself comfortable. The train left the station punctually and slipped smoothly out of the city. Once underway headphones were handed out that could be plugged into a small control panel between the seats for listening to the film or music radio. The city-scape silently glided past my window, it felt like travelling through the air on a magic carpet. The quiet, rattle-free AVE was soon averaging 250 kph, zipping through the red dusty landscape of southern Spain.

Walls of rock as the train nears Bilbao

After a couple of brief stops we had reached Madrid in under three hours, more than halfway across Spain. Thus half the day's journey was completed. I had booked a hotel in Bilbao using Booking.com, an app I had already used successfully several times. As I had stopped overnight in Madrid on my way to Germany via Barcelona and Paris last year,  I decided to give Madrid a miss this time.

My first impression of Bilbao

However the second leg of the journey north, although slightly shorter, took almost twice as long. The spectacular scenery made up for that and the reduced speed allowed me to take better photos. The mountainous north meant railways had to weave through difficult terrain, slowing the train down accordingly, sometimes to little more than walking pace. Nearing Bilbao we passed many 30 kilometer warning signs as the train slipped through narrow cuttings of rock with walls passing inches from the train's windows. No doubt the danger of rock falls forced the train to slow down so dramatically. It was twilight when the train finally pulled into Bilbao station and after switching on my tracker app I exited the station and made my way towards the hotel, several kilometers away.

The Guggenheim museum and Louise Bourgeois 'Spider' sculpture

As the hotel was on the east side of the wide, fast flowing river; I crossed the first bridge I encountered, then turned left and headed north. My suitcase rattled noisily along the pavements, but no one complained. My first impression of Bilbao was quite positive with its impressive river and grand floodlit buildings. Looking towards where my hotel was located, I noticed the city landscape rising up on a hillside. It looked like I would be dragging my luggage uphill soon. The tracker app kept me on target and sure enough I was soon panting my way up a steep incline. After half an hour and a 50 meter climb I spotted the hotel/pension on a corner. They only charged 28 euros for the night and the room came with TV, WiFi and a good bathroom, basically all I needed. I paid cash up front at reception and retired to my room with a fresh bottle of mineral water and my Wifi password.