The breakfast buffet featured eggs, cold cuts, breads, cereals, and desserts. There were also slices of  fresh pineapple and oranges. Then we had a walk though town. Todd led us to the mercado (market) where we had a “coffee break.”  I convinced Nick  that we needed a vegetable. We shared a slice of carrot cake.

It was time for our tour of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. As Rick Steves says in his book, Basque Country: Spain & France, “Even if you’re not turned on by contemporary art, the Guggenheim is a must-see experience.
Its twenty galleries, on three floors, are full of surprises, and it’s well worth it just to appreciate the museum’s structural design, which is a masterpiece in itself.”  (page 50) I strongly recommend having a knowledgable tour guide, as we did. Outside the museum there’s a structure of a West Highland Terrier called Puppy  that contains 60,000 plants and flowers. It was supposed to be temporary, but the townspeople loved it so much that they bought it. There is also a fascinating structure of a spider. In the photos, you can see me with Nick as well as with my buddy, Linda.

We had lunch in the museum’s cafeteria. Nick ordered a salad, while I enjoyed a grilled brie and avocado sandwich with tomato. Raw tomatoes are not my favorite, but when traveling I try to go with the flow.

We returned to our hotel room for a rest. This was to be the group’s final dinner together. We enjoyed drinks  and breads. The appetizer was eggplant rollatini, one of my favorites. Our entree choices were cod, turbot, pork and lamb. Nick and I chose the lamb, which was perfect. The chef gave us a bit of manly taste sensations on one plate for dessert:  two cream puffs, one slice of tiramisu, one slice of chocolate cake, and two scoops of ice cream, one mixed berry and one vanilla. The meal was truly memorable.

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