BILBAO; been there/done that

David Paterson was blown away by tapas and architecture l How did you get there?

Scheduled flights from Glasgow via Heathrow. Including a flight from Bilbao to Madrid, it cost under #300.

l Where did you stay? On the edge of the Casco Viejo, the old quarter of the city. The hotel was spartan but clean. l What was the one thing you should have taken with you? A smattering of Spanish or, even better the odd phrase in the local language, Euskerda. The locals are much more responsive if you have a bash. l What was the best thing you ate? The tapas here are very delicately prepared and presented. The langoustine con el heuvo - prawn and egg served on a thin slice of tomato - was my favourite. l What didn't you buy that you wish you had? An umbrella from the Guggenheim Museum. On the last night the rain was positively Glaswegian. l What did you buy that you wish you hadn't I'm about five foot two and three-quarter inches tall, so the XL boy's T-shirt from the children's section (well that's what the sign said) of the museum shop looked like a good souvenir. The shelf had been wrongly labelled and it was a man's XL. It was closed the next day so I couldn't change it. l What are the locals like? The Basques are to the Spanish as the Belgians are to the rest of Europe. They take it in their stride. In fact they tell jokes about themselves. The Bilbainos are relaxed almost to the point of unconsciousness, until that is it comes to supporting the Athletic Bilbao which is made up entirely of Basques. l What was the best thing you did? The main reason for my visit was to see the new Guggenheim Museum and the Puppy. I was staggered by its size. It's a mass of swirling titanium with a maritime theme and is like no other building you have ever seen. l What was the oddest thing you saw? Crowds of people waiting for the Green Man. Jaywalking has yet to be invented here and El Hombre Verde is treated with almost religious fervour. l What was the weather like? The first three days were blisteringly hot - 38-39 - then in the high 20s. Luckily it's near the coast so there was a cool sea breeze most of the time. l A useful phrase you picked up? "Tiene txakolina por favor'' It means: "do you have any Basque wine please?. This is usually a good icebreaker in a cafe or bar and the Bilbainos love it if you show an interest in their country. Where is it? Bilbao is the capital of the Basque province Bizkaia and dominates the estuary of the river Nervion. It is near the French border on the north coast of Spain and is surrounded by lush green mountains What is it famous for? Not an awful lot really. It has been a busy commercial port since 1300. At the moment Bilbao is undergoing a major revival with loads of money (usually the EU's) being spent on tourism and information technology industries. Any other claims to fame? It is the home of one of the most outstanding new buildings of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum. Even if there were no works of art, the building itself is well worth a visit. Don't miss The Guggenheim, The Puppy, football, tapas, bars, cafes and night life.

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