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Spanish Basque country
Wanting to discover the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao, we drive along the Basque coast.
1. Stop in Ondarroa to discover this pretty little coastal town.
2. Its marina at the mouth of the river.
3. Back street…
4. Intrigued by the noise, we discover a group playing Basque pelota on a concha (field) .
5. Return to VLV via the fish auction, empty this morning…
6. The same auction from the outside. It is built on a quay, right in the city.
After a one-hour stop to repair the VLV headlights that no longer work – one contact of a plug, corroded, broke – we arrive in Bilbao shortly after noon. After parking not without difficulty – it’s not easy to find a space large enough – we eat in VivaLaVida and then go discover the famous building of the Guggenheim Museum.
7. The city of Bilbao combines the old and the new.
8. We discover the Guggenheim from the opposite bank.
9. What an architecture!
10. Spectacular!
11. Contrast of the sculpture all in curves…
12. Water…
13. Nothing is strait!
14. Curves…
15. Entrance to the museum which we’re not going to, the current exhibition not being suitable for children.
16. Still curves…
17. The part of the building that houses the administration.
18. Plaza.
19. After searching in vain for a place to sleep by the ocean, we finally find it in the hills back from the coast, right next to a real menhir.
20. It’s Euro soccer final night and Emile doesn’t want to miss it! On my side, I’m enjoying the sunset…
More to come very soon as we continue our progress towards the west.
Eventful way to New Orleans
My definitive papers there, I could set sail “for real”, unusual feeling of freedom ..!:-D
So I took the road to Alabama where some beautiful public forests worth a short stop on the way to Louisiana and Texas. I leaved Buford late, so I was caught in Atlanta trafic jam, especially with a steady rain. I spotted a small Primitive Campground near a small lake approx. 130 miles away but when I got there, a sign said “Seasonal Closure, we will welcome you from mid march” … It was dark for two hours, so I opted to sleep on a small car park at a trailhead in the forest.
I woke up at 4am by a strong gust of wind shaking Vivalavida. A storm front was coming and lightning were so numerous that the light was almost constant. Fifteen minutes later, I heard sirens in the valley and then voice in speakers too distant to be audible. I turned on the little Weather Radio that Corry and Mike had given me, the Swiss couple I’ve camped with in November. It broadcast loop alert “violent storms and marked tornado risk” urging everyone to get away..! Glups, I have not dragged to break camp and get out of this forest, so as not to take a tree on Vivalavida. Ten minutes later, they were real downpour under a huge storm that forced me to drive not faster than 10 m/h, I didn’t just see anything. With almost continuous lightning, it was daunting! Arrived in the valley 45 minutes later, I sheltered under a bridge where two trucks were already stoped. Wake somewhat hectic!
I could take the road again 1:30 later. The weather being advertised rainy for two days in this area, I made the choice to forget the walks that I planned in these forests and head directly to New Orleans. So I drove 530 miles in one go and I arrived there at around 18h.
I visited this charming city quite different in the landscape of American cities. I hardly heard some French Creole, at most a few seniors. This language seems to be lost, it’s a pity…
Here are some pictures gleaned during my walks…
1. The French Quarter and his cabs…
2. The cathedral…
3. Madonna in an alcove.
4. Inside the cathedral…
5. Typical balconies…
6. Arcades near the famous Café du Monde…
7. Typical house of the French Quarter.
8. Streets are busy…
9. Live Music is everywhere, in cafes as on the street…
10. Nice face…
11. Another one…
12. Old colonial house.
13. New Orléans rickshaw.
14. Small bars like this, it’s everywhere!
15. Small street…
16. Another one…
17. Nachez comming back, one of the last boats of Mississippi which still runs on steam.
18. The famous paddle wheel.
19. The famous Café du Monde, crowded at any time. You can taste the famous Café-Beignet, the local specialty. Too bad I can make it taste you… 😉
20. The night is falling…
21. … but live music continues…
22. Stores stay open till late in the night.
23. The city is really animated.
24. Reference name…
That’s it for this little pictorial tour, hoping that it doesn’t make too much of a blow… My feet were a little heavy after 10 hours visiting streets and quays..!
The following day, I discovered the vast Mississippi delta; so the next update will be again more wild with some new adventures to tell you… 😉
Way back from Florida (add)
In my last post, I forgot to show you pictures of Phenix, a small town in Alabama that was built along a river right next to the only rapids around. The river “falls” of about 25 feets on three or four hundred yards. This enabled the construction of mills, particularly those used by the cotton industry, a major in the region. Today rehabilitated as homes and offices, the area looks really friendly. Here are some pictures of this beautiful little town.
1. Disused drawbridge, downstream of the city
2. Trees of the surrounding forests is here transformed into paper and cardboard.
3. Arrival at Phenix, view of the river. The Indians believed that a monster once lived in these rapids and removed some canoe or raft trying to cross it…
4. The neighborhood of old mills…
5. Reconverted industrial buildings…
6. To the left, the building that contains the Pressure pipes and turbines, now out of use. (panoramic of de 3 vertical images)
Here are also three pictures taken when going through Atlanta…
7. Downtown
8. Remains of the Atlanta Olympics…
9. A five floors highway junction..!
That’s it for this supplement…Enjoy the weekend! 😀
D5 Creation