Jesse's Summer, 2023

I recently had a fabulous day hiking in Cantabria, Spain, a short bus ride away from where I've been living in Bilbao.  I joined a website called Workaway  earlier this summer where you can meet fellow travelers and get advice. Through the site, I heard from a local that the mountain Pico Candina near Laredo in the Cantabria region was a fantastic hike. It's colloquially known as the Devils Eyes, and a beautiful beach down below waits for hikers after they summit. That is where I went by myself a few days ago, and it was the most beautiful place I've seen in Spain.  This is the rock formation which gave the hike its name. I walked right past it on my way to the summit, but I did admire the rocks from down below on the beach. I bet at certain times with the sun shining through it looks outstanding.  With a car it would have been easy to get to this beach, but I had to take the bus. For about 4 euros I  rode from the Bilbao Intermodal bus station to Laredo, and la...

Since the last blog post I have changed countries and continents, arriving in Bilbao, Spain. This is where I've been since the start of June.  I intend to make more posts explaining much more about my experience here in the Basque Country (and posts that finish recapping the trip my girlfriend and I took to Malaysia this May). But in this article I am going to summarize some key parts about my stay here in Bilbao such as what brought me here, my perceptions of life in Spain, and some of my favorite activities I've done in and around Bilbao so far.  Last spring I got help finding a summer internship from my Spanish professor at the University of Toronto. He was born in Asturias, but later moved to the Basque Country for his early education, so when I asked for suggestions regarding Spanish-speaking places, he quickly suggested Bilbao.  My professor also helped me secure an internship with Agirre Lehendakaria Center , a social development organization that takes on communit...