Time to leave Bilbao

Iker arrived slightly before 6. We carried the luggage to his car and luckily everything fitted in the car.

Arriving at the airport I still had 3 kg extra in my luggage but I manage to take them with me filling up the laptop's case.

Arriving to Munich for our connecting flight I was on my way to toilet when a police came towards me and asked: where are you going. He wasn't dressing like a police and he showed me the police identification (like in a movie). Tired couldn't imagine that he was asking to which country I was travelling and I quickly answered: to toilet. And asked from where I was coming and if I had s connecting flight to what I answered yes to Finland. He told me that he might see my password! I said fine, it's in my bag. There was a policewoman also with him and they followed me to pick up the passport that was in my laptop case with the girls. The girl though that we all have to show the passport and the police just asked again the sane question to where we are going. They answered at the same time: to Finland. Jenna stressed that we have been in an internship in Bilbao. Ahm, you are in s group said the police. We said yes and after that he didn't want to see the passport any more.

The four hours at the airport were not that fast as I thought, maybe I was excited to get home. 14:45 was the flight time and it left in time. We arrived to Finland 20 minutes before the expected time.

Last moments in Bilbao

Today we had lunch with Ariana (Krista's boss from manuel&ariana where Krista was interning). Larruzz Bilbao was the restaurant chosen by Ariana and it was a great choice. We went for the menu de la casa which includes starter, main course, dessert and drinks and we paid only 15,50€. Ariana is a great person. We had a nice time with her pity that we didn't meet before.

After tasting different starters as we shared, paella was our main course. This paella is made with a special pasta and not with rice as normal, different and also tasty!

For the first time I tried a dessert from the Basque country, yummy! 

When we arrived to Ariana's shop her husband warn us about the manifestation that was happening in Bilbao. Jenna and I couldn't realize that in the morning because we were at Ballonti shopping mall in the morning. 

Guggenheim was hosting a big 'conference' and the participants were from many European countries. Couldn't understand well why they broke up all the shops and bank's windows and they also poor some ink on it.

Ops, it was nice that good day as Stradivarius was expecting.

  

In Casco Veijo (the old Bilbao's town) was even worse, they burned some dumpsters, it was awful.

Iker came to our place at 7 pm to set up the time he was coming to pick us up to the airport. 6 o'clock was what we agreed. We had a long conversation with Iker and it was nice to hear the good feedback about our group. 

When Iker left we started to pack the last things. I couldn't imagine that I would have such an extra kilos as on Monday evening I had only 15 but didn't put everything inside. We fight to reorganize the luggage and we even change luggage to manage better. Well, in the final end the solution was to have an extra luggage. That's what Jenna and I did, pay for an extra luggage.

Goodbye feeling

Time flights and now is time to pack, next Tuesday we go back to Finland. Happy and sad it's how I'm feeling at the moment.  For sure it will be good to go home but I think we are already missing Bilbao. 8 weeks felt like long time to stay here but there is still many things to see and do in Bilbao. Well, impossible to do and do everything in eight weeks!

Trying to do things that we couldn't do before, taking pictures from the places we will miss gives me a really picture of last moments.

Our Sunday program was a visit to Areeta and to a Park in Abando. We couldn't go before, so we did it today as our last chance.

Well, just have to say that I really enjoyed the time in Bilbao and the internship at Ian Mosh where I have learned a lot.

Hope to come back one day to Bilbao in summer to enjoy the warn weather in this cozy city.

Carnival in Bilbao

Weeks ago we heard that there will be carnival at our last weekend here in Bilbao. Neene had an idea that our fantasy could be the 70's clothes and we all liked the idea. There are many fantasy shops here in Bilbao from the cheapest option to the most expensive. The fantasy shops have been crowded last weeks.

I went with Jenna on Wednesday to Zubiarte shopping mall to look for a fantasy. It was not easy to find the one we wanted in a good price. At least we saw what they had available and we could plan what to do.

On Thursday Jenna found a second hand shop and she bought there her fantasy. 

On Friday I went to look for my fantasy. As we didn't have so much time I decided to buy only pieces and create a fantasy. 

Cowgirl was the fantasy I choose after being indecisive between pirate and Cowgirl when I opted to Cowgirl. 

The parade was at 6 o'clock. Laura was also coming to join us together with her friend. 

For some time we thought that they had to cancel the parade because of the rain but not, they didn't! We had the opportunity to enjoy the rainy and fanny carnival in Bilbao. The parade was great, they even have a WhatsApp group which was for me quite funny as nowadays WhatsApp is known  worldwide.

After the parade Krista and me went for some pintxos with Laura and her friend, Jenna went home because her boots were completely wet. Laura's friend also left after some pintxos and we continue to try another pintxos. 

The carnival feeling was great around the city that we couldn't resist and we went to s pub to dance.

Again we gad nice time with Laura and we got hone slightly before 2am. 

Sushi at mu Japonês

Thanks Krista for the idea of going to mu japonês to have dinner. Mu japonês is located in Indautxu. The Japanese restaurant has a typical atmosphere of a Japanese restaurant. Jenna suggested Misou soup as starter and I like it.

My surprise was that while ordering using my 'portunhol' the waiter understood that I speak Portuguese and I asked me in Portuguese if I speak Portuguese and I said 'sim' yes! After that it was much easier to interact with him and I also speaks good English. He learned Portuguese by travelling to Portugal and he have been also to Angola and Mozambique and he said that he love it.

As main course I chose a dish with salmon and rice. It was delicious.

After asking for the menu I didn't know what to choose. Well, chocolate never disappoints me. I opted for coulant  de chocolate with green tea ice cream, yummy!

We head back home after the lovely dinner.

Last week at Ian Mosh

The week went fast as the time here in Bilbao! This week I was teaching to José (the new employee) the the tasks I have been doing so that he can start doing when I leave. It was good to teach and see how he was going but that gave me a real view that the time in Ian Mosh was in the end. He learned quite well and fast. The parcels were perfect. After he learned everything I just organized in a file all the work I have been doing to help them to find easily when I'm not there.

My farewell...

Olatz is quite busy and she doesn't come to the company everyday. I was glad that she came on Friday to thank me for the work and say good bye. I also thanked her a lot for the opportunity and the great time there. 

They order some pintxos for lunch. We have a great time talking and laughing. 

Olatz gave me two lovely dresses on my choice. They look amazing and I love it. I gave them the Finnish chocolate Fazer and the famous Sammiakki candies. I could see from Laura's face that she didn't like it so much but at the same time she didn't want to be impolite. When I said to her that I don't like it neither she felt but comfortable to say that its bit difficult to know if she likes or not because it's kind of different taste that she can't describe. 

Once again, thanks to Ian Mosh for this opportunity!!!

The Spanish Siesta Zzzz

The Spanish work culture includes 'siesta' to mostly of the companies, shops and even banks. Siesta is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal and it can last from two to three and half hours.

At Ian Mosh they don't have siesta, their working hours are between 8:30 to 3:30 which I like because after work I could still have a short nap and after that had time to make something else.

If the work starts at 10pm and there is siesta in between it seems that the working day can finish at 8pm.

For example:

10 - 14 work
14 - 17 siesta
17 - 20 work

There are some facts showing the benefits of the siesta:

Siesta Facts

- More energy
- Improve productivity by over 30%
- Improve alertness by up to 100%
- Reduce stress and the risk of heart disease by 34%
- Better negotiation and communication
- Reduce risk of accidents at work and on the road
- Happiness and wellbeing- Warning
- Possible slight risk of developing Diabetes Type 2


Somehow I thought that siesta was only to shops and some small companies but once I went to bank before 5pm and it was closed. They told me to go back at 5pm after siesta.

So siesta is not only for shops and small companies (as I thought) it extends to big institutions as well and has existed for thousands of years. Previously was regarded as a physical necessity rather than a luxury.

Siesta is also common in Italy (there called riposo), where museums, churches and shops close during siesta so that proprietors can go home for a long lunch and perhaps a snooze during the day’s hottest hours.