Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz

(Nov. 12, 2024 Vitoria-Gasteiz)

 Greetings All! We are slowly wrapping up our 3 month Northern Spain trip. Today we take you from the city of Bilbao southward to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country. Not knowing much about this city we arrived on a cold November day on the bus from Bilbao.

While the year 2012 saw the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz become the European Green Capital, in 2019 it was awarded Global Green City, joining an exclusive group to have been granted the award that includes cities like Vienna (Austria), Vancouver (Canada), Oakland (United States), Curitiba (Brazil), Nantes (France), Mannheim (Germany) and Yokohama (Japan). It also hosts their famous Jazz festival in July.

Upon arrival we could see the emphasis on their Green Technology with the electric buses and tram system.....

A city with contrasts though, as seen here.... In the medieval quarter....

 

Cathedral María Inmaculada of Vitoria

 

The Monument to the Battle of Vitoria (1917) is a sculpture that commemorates the Battle of Vitoria, which took place on June 21, 1813. The battle was fought between the allied forces of Britain, Portugal, and Spain, led by the Duke of Wellington (shown on the horse, center), and the French army, led by José Bonaparte. Miguel Ricardo de Álava y Esquivel is shown on horse at bottom right. The french defeat led to ending the rule of Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte over Spain. Fascinating!

 

 Natural areas surround the city and are linked by its Green Belt, some 31 kms long! We hiked a large part of it.

 

 After the hike it was on to the Armor museum via the ultra modern Tram.....

The museum is now 50 years old, located in front of the palace of Ajuria Enea (1920)

They have a very impressive collection of more than 1500 pieces from Prehistory to the early 20th century, as well as killer suits of armor. How dificult it must have been to walk around, much less fight a battle wearing one of these! Surprisingly, one of our favorite museums we visited.

 

 

We were thoroughly impressed with the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. With the incredible amount of trees they have planted throughout the city, the easily accessible natural areas and hiking opportunities, the history and culture, the excellent public transportation and its cool vibe, we were fortunate to visit this outstanding city.

 

Thanks for checking out this post and stay tuned for the next one as we head to Burgos!

Regards, KnJ