Back from Bilbao

I've just returned home after a relaxing week-long cruise from Liverpool to northern Spain. It came at exactly the right time for me, as I've been battling with a tough deadline for ages and I finally managed to deliver just 24 hours before the sailaway. Phew! Cruising from Liverpool was a new experience for me, and a good one. I'd definitely like to do it again sometime.

Because I'd been hard at work for what seems like ages with various writing projects, my focus was on getting time to decompress and this worked well. Within an hour or so of getting on board, I'd spotted a copy of one of my novels in the ship's library, heard some great music and watched an exciting finale to a football match. A good start, and things carried on in that vein. I read five crime novels, all of which will feature as Forgotten Books on Fridays in the future. Suffice to say at this stage that they amounted to a mixed bag, but ideal light entertainment. 

The highlight of the trip was a day in Bilbao and a visit to the Guggenheim Museum, which is architecturally stunning, both inside and out. Some of the works of art inside might be regarded as an acquired taste, but it was a fun visit. The local resort of Getxo (lowest photo above) was also worth a visit. Another good trip the following day was to Gijon, a coastal town I'd never even heard of before the trip, but which proved to be quite delightful and certainly photogenic. A hidden gem, I'd say.

After several days of sunshine our luck ran out on Friday with torrential rain coinciding with a stop at La Coruna. So we had to content ourselves with wandering around the puddled streets and waterfront (see below) before retreating to the observatory lounge to view the Pillars of Hercules lighthouse from the dry. The sea was quite wild that day. 

But considering the time of year, this was hardly surprising, and my overall feeling on returning home was that the trip had more than lived up to expectations. During the pandemic, there were moments when I wondered if I'd ever go on another cruise, but the industry seems to have proved more resilient than most people expected and there were plenty of first time passengers. A great week.