first excursion trip; Casco Viejo.
Our tour guide's name is Andoni and he's a great guia 'cause he speaks clear spanish and
sometimes translates some things he said in castellano.
He started his talk at our meeting place, at Plaza de Teatro del Arriaga. The neo-baroque theatre was built in 1890, designed by Architect Joaquin de Rucoba who was also the architect of the city hall. The exterior walls have very interesting details, like every other theatres. It was named after Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga known in his time as the "Spanish Mozart". The theater was rebuilt in 1985 after severe flooding destroyed it in August 1983.
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| Teatro del Arriaga |
Infront Iglesia de San Nicolás, is a park named "Sandy Garden" in english, and I wasn't able to hear the castellano of it. Tried searching it on google map, yet I can't see one. I think I heard sir Andoni said that the cemented part we were standing at was a shore before and was a place where ships and boats were made, since it was just beside the body of water. Now, there is a stage standing just a few meters from the river, which is used when there are concerts or some stuffs when there is a fiesta. And the Sandy Garden when fiesta is of course never empty and ugly.
The church Iglesia de San Nicolás is a Baroque style building. It was designed by Ignacio Ibero
on 1756. Someone in a high place said that he doesn't like seeing the back part of the church
because he said it was not good-looking that's why he insisted a church bell (kampana). San
Nicolás is said to be the Patron of the Pescaderos. Above the main entrance of the church is a
sculpture which was tributed to the Saint Nicolás and the families of the pescaderos.
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| Behind Sir Andoni is the Iglesia de San Nicolás church |
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| 4 windows on the front left part. There is something about these windows, can you tell? |
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| Sculpture of bronze located above the main entrance of the church |
on it. Plaza Nueva was built in 1849. Lots of high people came and visited, there was an
Italian King who visited for a feast. And there is this King Fernando Septimo who visited too.
When you use the Metro going to Casco Viejo and chose the Begoña way, but did not use the
elevator, the plaza you're gonna be at is called the Plaza de Miguel de Unamuno. The place also
has resto-bars, and take note of the monument of Miguel. It's kinda creepy seeing only his head.
Anyway, the big space is widely used for festivities and such, but before, it was a place where
they make ladders(?). There is one tall building there where you could use when you're going to
Santutxu.
When you turn right exiting the boca of the metro, you could see stairs which will lead to the higher
part of Casco Viejo. But in the Metro, you could use the elevator if you don't want to walk that far
and high. Up there, there is the Begoña church, and before you reach the church is the
cemetery which is 8km far from the city.
The Portal de Zamudio is said to be the "entrada principal", because it is the place where raw food
are imported and exported. It is the origin of the Casco Viejo and it is the zone of the 7 streets. Normally, a
building in an old city only consists of 3 floors, but in Casco Viejo, most of the buildings have 5-6
floors. Someone whose name starts in letter "A" instructed the place to be a business ground on the ground floor and viviendason the upper floors. Right now, there are lots of shops standing below the viviendas. The main street has 2 basic funcions; 1st is the Wall Fire because almost all buildings there were fire proof
due to constructing wood in their places. And the 2nd is the Seawork. Before, they do not have
toilets, so they just do their business on the floor and since the Bilbao always have the rain as its
visitor, they just let those unnecessary thingys be washed away by the rain to the lake. ¿Que asco ga?
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| "Ven aqui" |
Calle de Pelota. They said that during the day, the street was used when people play ball games
such as bowling (the ball game sir andoni described. I just assumed it is bowling). By the end of the street from the road, to the left part, there is this mark. They say that people stand and start praying from that point to the Begoña church. My sister said, it's true that you could see the church from there. And there is this habit of the people where they eat outside their homes and drink, and when they have some money left, they'll donate it to the birhen. Which was at the building inside where there prayer mark is.
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| The mark of the starting point of the prayer going to the church. |
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| Wan't able to see the church from the point. |
called "La fuente del Perro" located at Calle del Perro. Funny story; perro is the spanish for dogs, yet, wonder why the designs of these faucets are lions? Back then, people haven't seen lions before, so they assumed that those lions are dogs. Well it's kinda cute too. haha. The rocks made out this fuente is the same rocks they used in making the whole city.
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| "La fuente del Perro" |
century. If you are to look at the whole building from the front, the left part has a different color
tone from the right part. The part where there has a wide space guarded with big gates has
much importance. It is said that the pillars are too weak and are to fall off before. Behind the left
part of the church facing from the front, has another door, which is said to be the original part of
the building.
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| Nakakita ng Pilipino si kuya Reymond |
After the knowledge feed about Casco Viejo, Eva, Brent, kuya Reymond and I had coffee and
sandwich at Cafe Lago. Thanks sa treat kuya! =)
Listening to Sir Andoni's discussion while on the place itself makes me wanna time travel to the time
these things were being built, during those important events in the place or even just on a normal
day. I wanna see the history myself. Anyway, I regret not asking everyone to pose for a group shot. tsk tsk!
Random shots:
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| FAT:Vanity |
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| I always do this on a public mirror. haha |
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| Yes it's cold |
Sources:
Teatro Arriaga
Iglesia de San Nicolás
The Long Winding Road
Catedral de Santiago de Bilbao
Casco Viejo
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