While in Pamplona, it was just a short hop to another two well-known cities in the Basque country, namely San Sebastián (also called Donostia in Basque language) and Bilbao.
奔牛節前後，有時間走訪巴斯克地區另外兩個著名城市——聖塞巴斯堤安（San Sebastián，巴斯克語亦稱Donostia）及畢爾包（Bilbao）。
The Basque Country (in the broadest sense) is a region encompassing the north-eastern part of Spain, extending into the adjoining south-western corner of France. It boasts of a culture distinct from other parts of Spain and a militant organisation based in Basque called ETA has been seeking independence in a prolonged struggle with Spain. My three days in the Basque country was obviously not enough for me to appreciate completely the cultural dissimilarity between the Basque country and the rest of Spain, but the most conspicuous sign has got to be the language which is totally different from Spanish and unrelated to any other European languages. The Basque people also enjoy their own version of tapas called pintxos, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to find any dishes that were distinctively Basque.
舉辦奔牛節的潘普洛納亦屬巴斯克地區，位處西班牙東北角，延伸至與其接壤的法國西南邊境地區，文化與西班牙其他地方截然不同，當地的式裝巴斯克獨立解放組織多年來都爭取脫離西班牙獨立，究竟文化有何大差別，短短三日當然不能全然了解，不過最明顯的就是隨街可見而又陌生的巴斯克語，與西班牙語甚至其他歐洲語言全無淵源，飲食方面，西班牙最堂吃到的小吃tapas，在巴斯克語稱為pintxos，不過三日內都品嘗不到真正獨特而有別於西班牙其他地方的菜式。
Since I arrived very early in Pamplona on 5th July, I could catch the first bus to San Sebastián and spend a good part of the day there before checking in at a student residence in Pamplona which was my accommodation.
7月5日那天到達潘普洛納後，時間尚早，我趕緊乘第一班往長途車往聖塞巴斯堤安，好讓我能在那裡玩上大半天才到在潘普洛納入住的學生宿舍報到。
San Sebastián is a seaside city blessed with one of the top 10 beaches in Spain, called Bahía de la Concha (Seashell Bay). But the beach atmosphere was pretty much washed away by a persistent shower right from the beginning of my excursion! After arriving in San Sebastián, I walked along the Urumea river which would lead to the seaside at its estuary. Before reaching the beachfront, however, I decided to make a detour into the city centre, so that I can take shelter from the shower which became quite heavy at times.
聖塞巴斯堤安是海濱城市，而且有西班牙十大最佳海灘之一的貝殼灣（Bahía de la Concha），若是天公造美多好，但到達聖塞巴斯堤安外圍已是漫天煙雨，下車後便沿着Urumea河，冒着大時小的雨往海邊進發。河口正是海灘，不過我先想到市中心逛逛，兼想避雨。
River Urumea and Puente Maria Cristina (right) Urumea河及Maria Cristina橋（右）
The Parish Church of Buen Pastor (Parroquia del Buen Pastor), also a good place to take cover from the rain!
Buen Pastor教堂，正是避雨的好地方。
Left: Palacio de Justicia (Palace of Justice); right: the Church of San Bartolome
左：法院、右：聖伯多祿教堂
It wasn’t long before I reached the Bahía de la Concha. The whole bay was hiding behind the shroud of shower while the beach looked desolate.
從市中心走到貝殼灣海灘，在煙雨中，整個海灣都罩在一層白紗中，海灘更是空無一人。
Puente de la Zurriola (Zurriola Bridge) at the estuary of the Urumea
Urumea河口的Zurriola橋
Bahía de la Concha in the rain 雨中的貝殼灣
What the bay would have looked like on a bright sunny day
這張相片正好讓人想像晴空下的貝殼灣是怎樣的！
'Why am I stupidly waiting for customers that would never show up in the rain?'
有雨也不會去避的待應
The bay was guarded by two hills at both ends, and I was expecting a beautiful view of the whole bay from the top of the hills. I was pretty determined to reach the peak of Monte Igeldo to the west of the bay. I couldn’t care less about getting wet from the steadily intensifying shower or the mist that was completely hiding the peak from view. My determination turned out to be a synonym of sheer stupidity, as my jacket became soaked while there was absolutely to be seen from the peak apart from a blanket of white. Couldn’t I have worked that out before making all the way to the peak?
貝殼灣左、右兩端各有一座山鎮守，聽說從山頂俯瞰全灣的景色挺不錯，所以也不管離遠已見到西面的Igeldo山已被一層霧鎖住，也不管雨勢越來越大，一心都要往那座山進發。怎料上到山頂，得到的祇是失望和更濕的外套，眼前看到的祇有一片白色，真傻，從山腳看不到山頂，在山頂又怎能奢望看到山下的風光？
The funicular up Monte Igeldo 上Igeldo山的纜車
Casa del Terror (The House of Terror) amusement park at the peak of Monte Igeldo
Igeldo山頂的遊樂園——恐怖之屋
Bahía de la Concha, on the way downhill
下山時貝殼灣的景色
After a funicular ride downhill and a bus trip back in town, the rain has finally stopped in time for my expedition to Monte Urgull on the east side of the day. But by then I’m steadily running out of time until my bus back to Pamplona in 3 hours. I could only take the shortest way uphill and had to miss out on a good part of the nature and the batteries along the many other paths.
乘纜車下山後，坐公車回到市中心，那時雨終於停了，正好可以出發往貝殼灣東面的Urgull山，但已時屆中午，還有三個鐘頭便得返回潘普洛納，所以上山也祇好走捷徑，中途的鳥語花香和炮台算是與我無緣了。
The Town Hall and the view of Monte Urgull from there
市政廳（左）和Urgull山一景（右）
The establishment at the peak of Monte Urgull was originally a fortress (Castillo de la Mota), but is now turned into a museum on the local history of San Sebastián. A statue of Jesus stood on top of the museum and could already be seen from afar downhill. It was also the best vantage point for the whole city.
山頂從前是個堡壘，現則設有博物館，介紹聖塞巴斯堤安的歷史，博物館最高層的耶穌像，在山腳早已清晰可見。耶穌像也是俯瞰全城的最佳地點。
The original fortress at Castillo de la Mota
山頂的Mota堡壘
Crucification of the modern kind! 背負重任的耶穌！
Panoramic views of San Sebastián 俯瞰聖塞巴斯堤安
For the way downhill, I deliberately chose a path that led to the shore and the small fishing village lining the foot of the hill before entering the Old Town (Parta Vieja). With the time left, I could only manage a fast-food lunch made of seafood and a blitz through the Old Town before heading back for the bus terminus along the Urumea river.
走下山時，特意選一道直達山腳海濱的路，好讓我見識一下山腳的漁村，再從那裡進入舊城區，吃了頓海鮮快餐，便趕快找通往Urumea河的路徑，沿河返回長途車站，匆匆了結聖塞巴斯堤安之行。
The path downhill to the shore
下山往海濱的路徑
The English Cemetery
英軍墳場
Bahía de la Concha and the little Santa Clara Island in the middle of the bay
貝殼灣和灣中的Santa Clara小島
The fishing village at the foot of Monte Urgull
Urgull山腳的漁村
Parta Vieja and the Plaza de la Constitución
舊城區及其憲法廣場
After visiting the San Fermín festival, there was only Bilbao left on my itinerary. Bilbao gained some fame in recent years, thanks in no small way to the opening of the Guggenheim Museum and the design of underground railway station exits by the British architect Norman Foster. I had to give Guggenheim a miss due to a lack of time, and those station exits were not anything special, but there were still enough things in Bilbao to keep me interested. The receptionist of the hotel doubled up as my trip advisor and helped me plan a trip through the highlights of the city. I was very grateful for his suggestions!
奔牛節後，我的西班牙之旅祇剩最後一站——畢爾包。今時今日的畢爾包，有賴美國古根漢藝術博物館（Guggenheim Museum）在那裡開館，和英國建築師Norman Foster設計的地鐵站出入口帶起名氣，這次沒空參觀古根漢博物館，地錢站也沒啥特色，不過畢爾包還有其他吸引人之處。酒店的接待員熱情地向我仔細介紹了好幾個景點，我也言從計行。
The area near my hotel - almost reminds me of Hong Kong!
酒店附近的風光竟跟香港有幾分像！
From the hotel, I first walked up to two small parks in the nearby hill, then descended and crossed the Ría de Bilbao into the Old Town (Casco Viejo). I passed by a market and a shopping street before coming across a set of steps. I decided to walk my way up it.
從酒店先走上附近山頭的兩個小公園逛逛，然後走下山，跨過畢爾包河（Ría de Bilbao），便踏入舊城區，經過菜市場及其中一條購物街後，不經不覺來到一道樓梯，便拾級而上看個究竟。
The market
市場
Pretty ceiling art 天花藝術
Casco Viejo (Old Town) of Bilbao 畢爾包舊城區
At the top of the steps was a park (Parque de Etxebarria) where I could take in the views of the entire Bilbao along the paths. I felt I could finally take a breather from the hustle and bustle of Pamplona the day before, as there were so few people to be seen around the park.
樓梯頂原來是個公園（Parque de Etxebarria），沿着路徑便可飽覽全市景色，公園內人煙稀少，散步時很是舒服，正好讓我從熙攘的潘普洛納喘喘息。
The steps leading to Etxebarria Park 通往Etxebarria公園的樓梯
Bilbao by its river 河畔的畢爾包
The hotel receptionist recommended me to see the roof of the Guggenheim Museum from the bridge adjacent to it (Puente de la Salve). It would have been more straightforward if one part of the Parque de Etxebarria had not been closed off. The only way was to go downhill via the municipal police office, then take the nearby streets uphill again. Bilbao and its surrounds were indeed quite a hilly place, but the local government has done a good job in making everyone’s life easier, by installing plenty of escalators along many of the steeper streets.
酒店的接待員推介從古根漢博物館旁的橋上（Puente de la Salve）觀賞其屋頂，本來從Etxebarria可直接走到前往該橋的路，但那部分偏偏有工程進行而封了去路，唯有經過警察辦公室下山，然後取道毗鄰的街道再上山。說來畢爾包及鄰近的市郊山路也不少，當地政府也很照顧人民的需要，在山路廣設扶手電梯方便大眾上山，可算是一種德政。
The Municipal Police Office and the Town Hall (through the gaps between the red buildings of the police office)
警察辦公室和市政廳（在兩幢紅色樓宇中的空隙可見）
A typical street in Bilbao with escalators
畢爾包市內設有行人電梯的街道之一
It’s only too difficult to miss the Guggenheim Museum from its roof which formed some kind of a petal pattern. The modern Museum together with the artistic flair of the bridge have certainly given Bilbao a breath of fresh air. As I was worried about the possibility of spending too much time in the museum, I decided to skip the visit and go straight to my next destination.
來到古根漢博物館，其略呈花瓣型的屋頂就展現在眼前，簇新的博物館和帶有現代藝術氣息的橋，正標緻着畢爾包現代的一面。由於擔心時間不足，在博物館門外祇逗留了一會，便前往下一個重要景點。
Puente de la Salve and the Guggenheim Museum
古根漢博物館及旁邊的Puente de la Salve橋
Spider warning by the Guggenheim!
古根漢博物館發出蜘蛛警報！
Laugh as you may at the entrance!
入口前，人仰馬翻
The cat in front of the Guggenheim
古根漢博物館前的「花貓」
Plaza Moyúa, before I took the metro
乘地鐵前經過Moyúa廣場
I took the Bilbao Metro to the suburb of Getxo, which was home to the famous Puente Colgante de Bizkaia (Suspension Bridge of Biscay). This bridge is now listed as world heritage and spans across the Nervión river and its estuary. One of my Spanish colleagues explained to me that the bridge was designed to deal with several pragmatic needs at the same time. It had to facilitate the pedestrian and vehicular traffic across the Nervion without obstructing the flow of cargo shipments in and out of the port at the estuary. With limited space on either river bank and the technology available at that time, the solution was to build a bridge with a high crossbeam and suspend from the crossbeam a gondola that would shuttle between the river banks.
乘地鐵到達位於市郊Getxo區的比斯開懸吊橋（Puente Colgante de Bizkaia）。吊橋是世界文化遺產，橫跨內爾維翁河（Nervión）與大海相連的河口，聽西班牙同事講解，這座橋既要方便河兩岸的人來往，又要讓貨船進出港口無阻，附近空地又少，衡量過當時的技術，於是便架了這座橋身高五十餘米的吊橋，橋樑又吊着一條人車兩用的吊艙，穿梭兩岸。
The bridge and the walkway in the crossbeam
懸吊橋和橫樑上的行人通道
The gondola (left) and how its traverse across the Nervion was controlled in the former times (right)
運輸人車的吊艙（左）和當年控制吊艙運作的方法（右）
Technical information for the engineering buffs
(It also tells you how to destroy the bridge!)
懸吊橋的技術數據（亦有說明如何能摧毀此橋！）
This bridge is anchored in the middle of the residences.
懸吊橋的鋼纜，以民居作支撐
There was a walkway on the crossbeam which could be reached by a lift. The walkway is the place to marvel at the ingenuity of the design and to enjoy a panorama of the surrounding suburbs of Getxo and Portugalete.
乘升降機到橋樑上的通道，除能體會到工程的浩大外，也能俯瞰位於河岸兩邊的Getxo區和Portugalete區。
Getxo/Las Arenas and the port
Getxo區及河口的港口
Portugalete on the opposite bank
河對岸的Portugalete
After descending from the bridge, I first had a quick walk along the Nervion on the Getxo side, all the way up to the end of the jetty there. Then I headed back to the bridge and rode the gondola to Portugalete on the other side of the Nervion and strolled through the suburb before returning to Bilbao by the metro. There were still a few places in the Old Town that remained to be discovered.
下橋後先到Getxo那邊的河畔，沿河走到堤壩盡頭，然後折返吊橋，乘吊艙往彼岸的Portugalete，在那裡閒逛後坐地鐵返回畢爾包市區，逛逛舊城區還沒有到過的地方。
Views of Getxo from the jetty
從Getxo的堤壩回望Getxo
Views of Portugalete Portugalete數景
Top left: Basílica de Santa María 左上：聖瑪利亞大教堂
Top right: town hall of Portugalete 右上：Portugalete市政廳
Bottom left: one of the many hilly streets further uphill 左下：Portugalete眾多斜路之一
Bottom right: Centro Cultural de la Villa 右下：文化中心
Puente del Arenal leading to Casco Viejo (Old Town)
進入舊城區的Puente del Arenal橋
Arriaga Municipal Theatre (top left), Iglesia San Nicolás (St. Nicholas' Church, top right) and Plaza Nueva (left)
Arriaga市立劇院（左上）、聖尼格老教堂（右上）及Nueva廣場（左）
I was deciding if I really wanted/needed a dinner, but the parades of eating places and the smell of food were only too tempting. I ended up in a cerveceria (the Spanish version of pubs and bars) and treated myself to a dish of hot potato croquettes stuffed with salted cod (Croquetas con Bacalao). The feeling of warm and filling food was indeed very satisfying, a perfect way to end my day in Bilbao and my second Spanish adventure.
本想連晚飯也省，但走在舊城區，館子處處，飢腸轆轆，都是決定走進一家Cerveceria（西班牙式酒吧），吃了一客熱騰騰的釀了鹽漬鱈魚的炸薯球，正好是整天和整個西班牙行程的圓滿結束。
My second visit to Spain was most memorable for the different culture and atmosphere that I could experience as I went from one part of the country to another. You can appreciate better what I mean when I write about Barcelona!
這次遊西班牙，最深切的體會就是該國不同地區的獨特文化和風情，日後寫巴塞羅那的見聞時再細說吧。
奔牛節前後，有時間走訪巴斯克地區另外兩個著名城市——聖塞巴斯堤安（San Sebastián，巴斯克語亦稱Donostia）及畢爾包（Bilbao）。
The Basque Country (in the broadest sense) is a region encompassing the north-eastern part of Spain, extending into the adjoining south-western corner of France. It boasts of a culture distinct from other parts of Spain and a militant organisation based in Basque called ETA has been seeking independence in a prolonged struggle with Spain. My three days in the Basque country was obviously not enough for me to appreciate completely the cultural dissimilarity between the Basque country and the rest of Spain, but the most conspicuous sign has got to be the language which is totally different from Spanish and unrelated to any other European languages. The Basque people also enjoy their own version of tapas called pintxos, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to find any dishes that were distinctively Basque.
舉辦奔牛節的潘普洛納亦屬巴斯克地區，位處西班牙東北角，延伸至與其接壤的法國西南邊境地區，文化與西班牙其他地方截然不同，當地的式裝巴斯克獨立解放組織多年來都爭取脫離西班牙獨立，究竟文化有何大差別，短短三日當然不能全然了解，不過最明顯的就是隨街可見而又陌生的巴斯克語，與西班牙語甚至其他歐洲語言全無淵源，飲食方面，西班牙最堂吃到的小吃tapas，在巴斯克語稱為pintxos，不過三日內都品嘗不到真正獨特而有別於西班牙其他地方的菜式。
Since I arrived very early in Pamplona on 5th July, I could catch the first bus to San Sebastián and spend a good part of the day there before checking in at a student residence in Pamplona which was my accommodation.
7月5日那天到達潘普洛納後，時間尚早，我趕緊乘第一班往長途車往聖塞巴斯堤安，好讓我能在那裡玩上大半天才到在潘普洛納入住的學生宿舍報到。
San Sebastián is a seaside city blessed with one of the top 10 beaches in Spain, called Bahía de la Concha (Seashell Bay). But the beach atmosphere was pretty much washed away by a persistent shower right from the beginning of my excursion! After arriving in San Sebastián, I walked along the Urumea river which would lead to the seaside at its estuary. Before reaching the beachfront, however, I decided to make a detour into the city centre, so that I can take shelter from the shower which became quite heavy at times.
聖塞巴斯堤安是海濱城市，而且有西班牙十大最佳海灘之一的貝殼灣（Bahía de la Concha），若是天公造美多好，但到達聖塞巴斯堤安外圍已是漫天煙雨，下車後便沿着Urumea河，冒着大時小的雨往海邊進發。河口正是海灘，不過我先想到市中心逛逛，兼想避雨。
River Urumea and Puente Maria Cristina (right) Urumea河及Maria Cristina橋（右）
The Parish Church of Buen Pastor (Parroquia del Buen Pastor), also a good place to take cover from the rain!
Buen Pastor教堂，正是避雨的好地方。
Left: Palacio de Justicia (Palace of Justice); right: the Church of San Bartolome
左：法院、右：聖伯多祿教堂
It wasn’t long before I reached the Bahía de la Concha. The whole bay was hiding behind the shroud of shower while the beach looked desolate.
從市中心走到貝殼灣海灘，在煙雨中，整個海灣都罩在一層白紗中，海灘更是空無一人。
Puente de la Zurriola (Zurriola Bridge) at the estuary of the Urumea
Urumea河口的Zurriola橋
Bahía de la Concha in the rain 雨中的貝殼灣
What the bay would have looked like on a bright sunny day
這張相片正好讓人想像晴空下的貝殼灣是怎樣的！
'Why am I stupidly waiting for customers that would never show up in the rain?'
有雨也不會去避的待應
The bay was guarded by two hills at both ends, and I was expecting a beautiful view of the whole bay from the top of the hills. I was pretty determined to reach the peak of Monte Igeldo to the west of the bay. I couldn’t care less about getting wet from the steadily intensifying shower or the mist that was completely hiding the peak from view. My determination turned out to be a synonym of sheer stupidity, as my jacket became soaked while there was absolutely to be seen from the peak apart from a blanket of white. Couldn’t I have worked that out before making all the way to the peak?
貝殼灣左、右兩端各有一座山鎮守，聽說從山頂俯瞰全灣的景色挺不錯，所以也不管離遠已見到西面的Igeldo山已被一層霧鎖住，也不管雨勢越來越大，一心都要往那座山進發。怎料上到山頂，得到的祇是失望和更濕的外套，眼前看到的祇有一片白色，真傻，從山腳看不到山頂，在山頂又怎能奢望看到山下的風光？
The funicular up Monte Igeldo 上Igeldo山的纜車
Casa del Terror (The House of Terror) amusement park at the peak of Monte Igeldo
Igeldo山頂的遊樂園——恐怖之屋
Bahía de la Concha, on the way downhill
下山時貝殼灣的景色
After a funicular ride downhill and a bus trip back in town, the rain has finally stopped in time for my expedition to Monte Urgull on the east side of the day. But by then I’m steadily running out of time until my bus back to Pamplona in 3 hours. I could only take the shortest way uphill and had to miss out on a good part of the nature and the batteries along the many other paths.
乘纜車下山後，坐公車回到市中心，那時雨終於停了，正好可以出發往貝殼灣東面的Urgull山，但已時屆中午，還有三個鐘頭便得返回潘普洛納，所以上山也祇好走捷徑，中途的鳥語花香和炮台算是與我無緣了。
The Town Hall and the view of Monte Urgull from there
市政廳（左）和Urgull山一景（右）
The establishment at the peak of Monte Urgull was originally a fortress (Castillo de la Mota), but is now turned into a museum on the local history of San Sebastián. A statue of Jesus stood on top of the museum and could already be seen from afar downhill. It was also the best vantage point for the whole city.
山頂從前是個堡壘，現則設有博物館，介紹聖塞巴斯堤安的歷史，博物館最高層的耶穌像，在山腳早已清晰可見。耶穌像也是俯瞰全城的最佳地點。
The original fortress at Castillo de la Mota
山頂的Mota堡壘
Crucification of the modern kind! 背負重任的耶穌！
Panoramic views of San Sebastián 俯瞰聖塞巴斯堤安
For the way downhill, I deliberately chose a path that led to the shore and the small fishing village lining the foot of the hill before entering the Old Town (Parta Vieja). With the time left, I could only manage a fast-food lunch made of seafood and a blitz through the Old Town before heading back for the bus terminus along the Urumea river.
走下山時，特意選一道直達山腳海濱的路，好讓我見識一下山腳的漁村，再從那裡進入舊城區，吃了頓海鮮快餐，便趕快找通往Urumea河的路徑，沿河返回長途車站，匆匆了結聖塞巴斯堤安之行。
The path downhill to the shore
下山往海濱的路徑
The English Cemetery
英軍墳場
Bahía de la Concha and the little Santa Clara Island in the middle of the bay
貝殼灣和灣中的Santa Clara小島
The fishing village at the foot of Monte Urgull
Urgull山腳的漁村
Parta Vieja and the Plaza de la Constitución
舊城區及其憲法廣場
After visiting the San Fermín festival, there was only Bilbao left on my itinerary. Bilbao gained some fame in recent years, thanks in no small way to the opening of the Guggenheim Museum and the design of underground railway station exits by the British architect Norman Foster. I had to give Guggenheim a miss due to a lack of time, and those station exits were not anything special, but there were still enough things in Bilbao to keep me interested. The receptionist of the hotel doubled up as my trip advisor and helped me plan a trip through the highlights of the city. I was very grateful for his suggestions!
奔牛節後，我的西班牙之旅祇剩最後一站——畢爾包。今時今日的畢爾包，有賴美國古根漢藝術博物館（Guggenheim Museum）在那裡開館，和英國建築師Norman Foster設計的地鐵站出入口帶起名氣，這次沒空參觀古根漢博物館，地錢站也沒啥特色，不過畢爾包還有其他吸引人之處。酒店的接待員熱情地向我仔細介紹了好幾個景點，我也言從計行。
The area near my hotel - almost reminds me of Hong Kong!
酒店附近的風光竟跟香港有幾分像！
From the hotel, I first walked up to two small parks in the nearby hill, then descended and crossed the Ría de Bilbao into the Old Town (Casco Viejo). I passed by a market and a shopping street before coming across a set of steps. I decided to walk my way up it.
從酒店先走上附近山頭的兩個小公園逛逛，然後走下山，跨過畢爾包河（Ría de Bilbao），便踏入舊城區，經過菜市場及其中一條購物街後，不經不覺來到一道樓梯，便拾級而上看個究竟。
The market
市場
Pretty ceiling art 天花藝術
Casco Viejo (Old Town) of Bilbao 畢爾包舊城區
At the top of the steps was a park (Parque de Etxebarria) where I could take in the views of the entire Bilbao along the paths. I felt I could finally take a breather from the hustle and bustle of Pamplona the day before, as there were so few people to be seen around the park.
樓梯頂原來是個公園（Parque de Etxebarria），沿着路徑便可飽覽全市景色，公園內人煙稀少，散步時很是舒服，正好讓我從熙攘的潘普洛納喘喘息。
The steps leading to Etxebarria Park 通往Etxebarria公園的樓梯
Bilbao by its river 河畔的畢爾包
The hotel receptionist recommended me to see the roof of the Guggenheim Museum from the bridge adjacent to it (Puente de la Salve). It would have been more straightforward if one part of the Parque de Etxebarria had not been closed off. The only way was to go downhill via the municipal police office, then take the nearby streets uphill again. Bilbao and its surrounds were indeed quite a hilly place, but the local government has done a good job in making everyone’s life easier, by installing plenty of escalators along many of the steeper streets.
酒店的接待員推介從古根漢博物館旁的橋上（Puente de la Salve）觀賞其屋頂，本來從Etxebarria可直接走到前往該橋的路，但那部分偏偏有工程進行而封了去路，唯有經過警察辦公室下山，然後取道毗鄰的街道再上山。說來畢爾包及鄰近的市郊山路也不少，當地政府也很照顧人民的需要，在山路廣設扶手電梯方便大眾上山，可算是一種德政。
The Municipal Police Office and the Town Hall (through the gaps between the red buildings of the police office)
警察辦公室和市政廳（在兩幢紅色樓宇中的空隙可見）
A typical street in Bilbao with escalators
畢爾包市內設有行人電梯的街道之一
It’s only too difficult to miss the Guggenheim Museum from its roof which formed some kind of a petal pattern. The modern Museum together with the artistic flair of the bridge have certainly given Bilbao a breath of fresh air. As I was worried about the possibility of spending too much time in the museum, I decided to skip the visit and go straight to my next destination.
來到古根漢博物館，其略呈花瓣型的屋頂就展現在眼前，簇新的博物館和帶有現代藝術氣息的橋，正標緻着畢爾包現代的一面。由於擔心時間不足，在博物館門外祇逗留了一會，便前往下一個重要景點。
Puente de la Salve and the Guggenheim Museum
古根漢博物館及旁邊的Puente de la Salve橋
Spider warning by the Guggenheim!
古根漢博物館發出蜘蛛警報！
Laugh as you may at the entrance!
入口前，人仰馬翻
The cat in front of the Guggenheim
古根漢博物館前的「花貓」
Plaza Moyúa, before I took the metro
乘地鐵前經過Moyúa廣場
I took the Bilbao Metro to the suburb of Getxo, which was home to the famous Puente Colgante de Bizkaia (Suspension Bridge of Biscay). This bridge is now listed as world heritage and spans across the Nervión river and its estuary. One of my Spanish colleagues explained to me that the bridge was designed to deal with several pragmatic needs at the same time. It had to facilitate the pedestrian and vehicular traffic across the Nervion without obstructing the flow of cargo shipments in and out of the port at the estuary. With limited space on either river bank and the technology available at that time, the solution was to build a bridge with a high crossbeam and suspend from the crossbeam a gondola that would shuttle between the river banks.
乘地鐵到達位於市郊Getxo區的比斯開懸吊橋（Puente Colgante de Bizkaia）。吊橋是世界文化遺產，橫跨內爾維翁河（Nervión）與大海相連的河口，聽西班牙同事講解，這座橋既要方便河兩岸的人來往，又要讓貨船進出港口無阻，附近空地又少，衡量過當時的技術，於是便架了這座橋身高五十餘米的吊橋，橋樑又吊着一條人車兩用的吊艙，穿梭兩岸。
The bridge and the walkway in the crossbeam
懸吊橋和橫樑上的行人通道
The gondola (left) and how its traverse across the Nervion was controlled in the former times (right)
運輸人車的吊艙（左）和當年控制吊艙運作的方法（右）
Technical information for the engineering buffs
(It also tells you how to destroy the bridge!)
懸吊橋的技術數據（亦有說明如何能摧毀此橋！）
This bridge is anchored in the middle of the residences.
懸吊橋的鋼纜，以民居作支撐
There was a walkway on the crossbeam which could be reached by a lift. The walkway is the place to marvel at the ingenuity of the design and to enjoy a panorama of the surrounding suburbs of Getxo and Portugalete.
乘升降機到橋樑上的通道，除能體會到工程的浩大外，也能俯瞰位於河岸兩邊的Getxo區和Portugalete區。
Getxo/Las Arenas and the port
Getxo區及河口的港口
Portugalete on the opposite bank
河對岸的Portugalete
After descending from the bridge, I first had a quick walk along the Nervion on the Getxo side, all the way up to the end of the jetty there. Then I headed back to the bridge and rode the gondola to Portugalete on the other side of the Nervion and strolled through the suburb before returning to Bilbao by the metro. There were still a few places in the Old Town that remained to be discovered.
下橋後先到Getxo那邊的河畔，沿河走到堤壩盡頭，然後折返吊橋，乘吊艙往彼岸的Portugalete，在那裡閒逛後坐地鐵返回畢爾包市區，逛逛舊城區還沒有到過的地方。
Views of Getxo from the jetty
從Getxo的堤壩回望Getxo
Views of Portugalete Portugalete數景
Top left: Basílica de Santa María 左上：聖瑪利亞大教堂
Top right: town hall of Portugalete 右上：Portugalete市政廳
Bottom left: one of the many hilly streets further uphill 左下：Portugalete眾多斜路之一
Bottom right: Centro Cultural de la Villa 右下：文化中心
Puente del Arenal leading to Casco Viejo (Old Town)
進入舊城區的Puente del Arenal橋
Arriaga Municipal Theatre (top left), Iglesia San Nicolás (St. Nicholas' Church, top right) and Plaza Nueva (left)Arriaga市立劇院（左上）、聖尼格老教堂（右上）及Nueva廣場（左）
I was deciding if I really wanted/needed a dinner, but the parades of eating places and the smell of food were only too tempting. I ended up in a cerveceria (the Spanish version of pubs and bars) and treated myself to a dish of hot potato croquettes stuffed with salted cod (Croquetas con Bacalao). The feeling of warm and filling food was indeed very satisfying, a perfect way to end my day in Bilbao and my second Spanish adventure.本想連晚飯也省，但走在舊城區，館子處處，飢腸轆轆，都是決定走進一家Cerveceria（西班牙式酒吧），吃了一客熱騰騰的釀了鹽漬鱈魚的炸薯球，正好是整天和整個西班牙行程的圓滿結束。
My second visit to Spain was most memorable for the different culture and atmosphere that I could experience as I went from one part of the country to another. You can appreciate better what I mean when I write about Barcelona!
這次遊西班牙，最深切的體會就是該國不同地區的獨特文化和風情，日後寫巴塞羅那的見聞時再細說吧。
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