About the Basque Country

Enough has been written on Bilbao''s tourist hotspots, with the Guggenheim museum as the main feature, the one that started it all. Since the extraordinarily designed museum for modern and contemporary art took root in the city, Bilbao has finally been put on the cultural map.

Originally a grey, industry-oriented city, it now boasts a lively centre, not to mention some vibrant alternative districts, the focus of this report. The river Nervión that runs through the town has in the past always defined the differences in social class and ideology, the right side harbouring a more posh and conservative crowd, while the left was occupied by a working and middle class population with more socialist ideals.

These discrepancies still seem to exist today, albeit more varied, and in the meantime Bilbao''s community has become subject to a lot of other influences.

Low budget
As a foreigner, it''s hard to escape the usual routes and neighbourhoods, but if you''re lucky enough to get in contact with some locals - or just start wandering through the outskirts by yourself - you can discover an alternative lifestyle that colours the city''s lesser-known districts.

Yours truly has a knack for adventure and so it was that the search for a sleeping spot on Couchsurfing began, the only community in which people from all over the globe offer a free sleeping surface for low-budget alternative travellers. Mikel Irastorza, a Biology student at the University of the Basque Country, invited me to his student flat for the weekend and offered to show me around the city.

Starting with a home-cooked meal and a late night walk, it was the perfect way to experience yet again the immense hospitality of the Basque people and also to stumble upon the little treasures that a night-time city harbours. Taking a stroll in the student-occupied Deusto quarter, crossing the river, seeing the Guggenheim at night, amusing ourselves on abandoned playgrounds,.. all unique experiences that only befall you when having a local host.

San Francisco
Next day, the aim was to see the more obscure and original streets and alleys, and as if by chance, I came across a poster promoting a cultural event in Bilbao''s San Francisco district. Generally speaking, this neighbourhood is known for being somewhat marginal and with a higher concentration of crime than other parts of town, but when you walk through the streets, you''re in for a lot of nice surprises.

Coming from the old part of town and crossing the river to San Francisco, a remarkable feeling quickly establishes itself in the riverside houses, all painted in different lively colours. When walking up Bilbao La Vieja, you pass crooked buildings and small art galleries that tickle your curiosity. Also in this street, you can find what is probably Bilbao''s most original and personal tattoo shop, Tattoo Addicts, designed as a sort of abstract ghost house.

Walk further and you''ll see streets filled with people of all possible nationalities, bars specifically for each country, building facades covered in stunning fresco''s and drawings and much more.

Another recommendation would be Calle Dos de Mayo, with the lovely Anti-Librería, a self-denying bookshop with the greatest collection of graphic novels and rare written works on art, music, design, cinema, architecture and so on. The next door along in Dos de Mayo leads you to a crazy, beautiful vintage clothing shop. It''s a narrow and compact space with stuff piling out everywhere, but be patient and you''ll find the most original items.

Getxo coast
The third day was marked by peaceful sights and long walks in the far suburbs of Bilbao. Taking the metro to Areeta, you can walk through Getxo and Portugalete, crossing the river along a platform held up by steel cables. Going from Getxo in the direction of the coast, you end up at a harbour looking out on the main port of the Bilbao region, and at a small beach where hardly any non-locals ever come.

Of course, Bilbao has a lot more in store than just these few spots, but when you''re planning a weekend in the town and want to get off the beaten track, these are a few suggestions. Especially as an exchange student who wants to see more than what the regular city trip has to offer, the advice is to dive into the unknown. For this reporter, it has lighted the fuse for what is likely to be a series of visits and discoveries in this still unknown but exciting city.