Let me set the scene: on one hand the people of the autonomous region of the Basque country are aggressively complaining about the bizarre cold weather the last couple of weeks—where it is between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius. However, on the other, in Boston— where I would usually be around this time— people are complaining about a similarly extraordinary weather at the humble temperatures of -46 degrees Celsius. It is very interesting to me how fast the body can get used to certain weathers. While I did not feel as miserable as the people of Bilbao, I layered very similarly as to how I would back at Wellesley.

Anyways, Kaixo ~hello in Basque~ from the “Ria del Nervión” in my first “properly rainy day” in Bilbao. I am back in my “sit spot” and enjoying the light drizzle this Wednesday morning. It appears we are starting to see real Bilbao weather. You see, before arriving in the country, we were told by the program leadership that we were going to see rain on 80% of our days here. To say I was not thrilled would be a major understatement. However, we have been pleasantly rewarded with some sunny and bright days. As such, waking up to our second day of class in musky weather was a surprise to no one.

After some further research, I can say that according to most websites, Bilbao has two main seasons: a warm and a cold one. The warm season typically lasts from mid-June to mid-September. (Quick parenthesis here: I take daily walks with my host parents, and I am amazed at the level of social organization the Spanish people have. One example of this is directly related to the weather. They explained that dogs are only allowed to go to the beach in the winter months when there is not as many people —we see so many every night. Second fun fact of the post: apparently there are more pet dogs per capita in the Basque country than there are children. Furthermore, since there is such a big culture of taking walks with friends and families, you will see people walking with their dogs on sidewalks at ALL times of the day.) Going back to the weather, it is important to note that while Bilbao does have only two big seasons, the temperatures in these does not typically vary a lot as the proximity to the ocean yields a lot of weather regulation. This explains why so many people have been complaining about the unexpectedly cooler weather we have seen the past couple of weeks.

While it has also been unexpected for us to get as much sun as we have, once it begins to rain regularly, I am going to have to learn to love the rain. I have been told I cannot complain much because as people love to tell you here: if it did not rain so much, then the plants would not be so brightly green.  In any day, there is a 25% that it will be considered a wet day in Bilbao (that is one with at least 0.04 inches of rain). Due to this, you can see bright flowers lining up the river most days of the year; you can smell bright, freshly cut grass every morning; and you would not be able to enjoy the innovative indoor activities such as the Azkuna Zentroa (which I will leave for you to look into). Additionally, the rainy Bilbao weather has allowed us to enjoy sculptures such as “Puppy”, which is an art piece created by Jeff Koons in 1992. Having been made with stainless steel and covered in diverse flowers, it pays a homage to classic European gardens from the eighteenth century.

         This is it from me today! Agur! Hope you are enjoying my fun facts as much as I enjoyed my first

Pintxopote and sunset in the Puerto Viejo<3