Fun in Atlanta, GA

We've had an absolutely fabulous time in Atlanta with Steven and Michael.  It's hard to believe that I haven't been back since 2012.  

The boys really rolled out the Southern Hospitality for Kája which he loved.  Hopefully he's not spoiled now for the rest of our holidays.

On Sunday, Kája got to see his first baseball game.  The Atlanta Braves no longer play at Turner Field.  They now use the new Truist Park stadium that was built in 2017.  The Braves played the Miami Marlins and the Braves won 6-3.  

I still miss baseball in Euroland.  Anyway, the game was fun.  At one point I was trying to explain to Kája what was going on.  We were speaking Czech and this kid in front of us turned around and you could see he was having a hard time processing it.  He must have thought we were speaking Klingon or something.

The 4th of July is a big deal in the USA.  Parades, fireworks, lots of flags, BBQs, family and friend get-togethers, and we had it all.  In boys' neighbourhood, kids have a little parade and the local fire station even participates.

After the parade, we spent a good bit of time at the neighbourhood pool.  The home owners association had the Varsity send a food truck to cater.

The Varsity is an Atlanta institution.  It's a family owned business that opened in 1928.  It's huge.  It sits on two city blocks and can seat about 800 people.  When you walk in, the cashiers all shout out "What'll ya have, what'll ya have, what'll ya have?"  It's not the healthiest of foods but you can't go wrong with a chili dog, onion rings, a frosted orange drink and a fried peach pie.  So tasty but only as a special treat.

Later we spent the evening out at Lake Lanier, about 97 km (60 miles) northeast of the city.  Steven's sister Beth and her husband Reggie Davis invited us, along with Steven's mom, for dinner on their houseboat.  Steven's mom is great and I just love her to pieces.  The last time I saw her was when she and Steven came to visit in 2014.

Again, the Southern Hospitality was in full force.  Beth had a full spread of BBQ ribs, corn bread, mac 'n cheese.  Everything was so good but I'm afraid at this rate I'll gain at least 5 kg.

Plus music and fireworks out over the lake.  What a great evening!

Atlanta has lots to see to do.  We spent a few days trying to see as much as we could with out feeling overwhelmed and rushed.

The World of Coca-Cola museum showcases the history of the cola.  

The Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005.  It's huge.  Until 2012, it was the largest aquarium in the world.  Today it only ranks as the world's 6th largest aquarium.

The aquarium is home to thousands of animals, in seven major galleries, living in more than 42.000 m³ (11 million gallons).

Centennial Olympic Park was built for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.  It's a 89.000 m² (22-acre) public park in downtown Atlanta.

The Swan House is a mansion that was built in 1928.  It is part of the Atlanta History Centre and has been featured in many films.  In 1977 it was listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden opened in 1976.  It sits on 12 hectares (30 acres), adjacent to Piedmont Park.  

The Chattahoochee River is about 690 km (430 miles) long.  

The Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum is located at the Atlanta History Centre.  The Cyclorama is a cylindrical panoramic painting of the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War.  It was painted in 1885. 

The painting is 114 metres (374 feet) and weighs 4536 kg (10,000 lbs) and was once the world's largest oil paining.

Stone Mountain is about 24 km (15 miles) east of the city.  It's the state's most visited tourist site.  It was opened on 14 April 1965, exactly 100 years to the day that President Lincoln was assassinated.

On the north face of the quartz mountain is the largest bas-relief artwork in the world.  In 1972, the carving depicts three Confederate generals.

What a week it's been.  It was so nice spending time with the boys and catching up with people.  Brian and his wife even drove down from Tennessee for a visit.  

The last time I saw Brian was in 2013 when made it to the 5th Czechsgiving.

Now it's on to Prescott to to visit Mom & Dad.

Bilbao Trip Summary

After very little travel due to Covid-19 it felt so good to get on an Iberia flight to Spain.  One of the things that British Airways / Oneworld did during Covid was to extend frequent flyer status levels while people couldn't travel so thanks this this I still have my silver medallion status.

For Kája and I, this was our first trip together.  Who knew if we would travel together well or not?  Kája is used to Ryanair, so it was a nice surprise for him when we arrived at the airport and got to move to the front of the queue and he had his first airport lounge experience.  

Bilbao was great!  Neither of us had been there before and visiting the Basque Country has been on my list of places to see for years.

On Thursday we did a free walking tour of historic Bilbao.  Our guide, Marina, was excellent.  

We enjoyed walking around and checking out the local sights.  It was especially nice enjoying the 30℃ (86℉) weather which was way warmer than in Brno.  

On Friday, we went to see the Vizcaya Bridge and did some walking around in Getxo and Portugalete.

On Saturday was our half-day tour which included stops at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, and Guernica.

You can't visit the Basque Country and not enjoy pintxos, which is the Basque version of Spanish tapas.  Both are small snacks but pintxos are usually served on top of bread with a toothpick holding things together.

On Saturday afternoon we came across Basque folk dancing in the centre.

I'm not sure what I did that there's no sound but you get the idea.

Later we took an hour-long boat cruise along the Nervion River which gave us another view of the city.

Halloween seems to be catching on more and more across Europe.  

I think only in Spain will you see kids go trick-or-treating in pubs.

Of course, Saturday night wasn't just for kids.  

There were plenty of adults out as well.

We had a great time in Bilbao.  We definitely want to return to the Basque Country and next time we'll check out San Sebastián.

Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao (Bizkaia in Basque) is located in north-central Spain; about an hour's flight from Madrid.  With about 347.000 inhabitants it is the country's tenth largest city.  Although the greater metro area is home to more than a million people.  Bilbao is also the largest city in the Basque Country. 

It was founded in 1300 by Diego López V de Haro.  It thrived as a port city for Basque wool and iron.   

Heavy industrialisation took place in the 19th and 20th centuries.

During the Spanish Civil War, Bilbao was bombed heavily by Spanish and German planes and then the city was besieged.  

Today, the city is an architectural mishmash of Gothic, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Neo-Gothic and contemporary styles with 17 bridges and 18 public parks providing 200 ha (490 acres) of green space.  In 2014, Bilbao became a UNESCO City of Design.

Most of Old Town is a pedestrian zone.  In the middle is the Fountain of Dogs which dates back to the 1800s.  The water spouts used to resemble Egyptian-style lions but over the years they have faded and today look more like dogs.  

The Plaza Nueva was built in 1821.  There's a government building and the Royal Academy of the Basque Language. 

Santiago Cathedral was built in the 14th to 15th centuries and it was the city's main parish church.  It was declared a Roman Catholic cathedral in 1950.  In 1993 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Teatro Arriaga is the opera house built in 1890.  It was destroyed in a flood in 1983 and rebuilt in 1985.

The Church of San Antón is a Catholic Church that was built in 1510.  Since 1984 is has been a Spanish National Historic-Artistic Monument.

Next to the church is the San Antón Bridge.  It is the city's oldest bridge dating back to 1318.  It has been rebuilt several times following floods and in 1937 it was rebuilt following damage during the Spanish Civil War.

The Ribera Market sits on the right bank of the Nervion River.  It is 10.000 square metres (110,000 sq feet), making it the biggest covered market in Europe.  There are more than 60 merchants selling meat, shellfish, produce, and cheeses.

The Bilbao City Hall building was completed in 1892.  

The Church of San Nicolás took 13 years to build and it opened in 1756.

The Zubizuri, "white bridge", was built in 1997.  The bridge has a curved walkway and the deck is made of translucent glass bricks.

Moyúa, "Elliptic Square", was built in 1876 and refurbished in the 1940s with French and English style gardens. It was rebuilt in  1997 following six years of construction of the city's subway.

The Iberdrola Tower opened in 2012.  It is 165 metres (541 feet) tall and is the tallest building in the Basque Country and the eighth-tallest in Spain.

The church of the Incarnation was consecrated in 1526. It is run by Dominican nuns and it also contains the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.

The Princes of Spain Bridge, also called the La Salve Bridge, was built in the 1970s.  

Mount Artxanda is one of the city's two small mountain ranges.  The funicular to the top opened in 1915.  

It only takes 3 minutes to go to the top where there is a park and great views of the city.

Maman is a bronze mama spider sculpture that was made in 1999.  It is almost 9 meters (about 30 feet) tall.  The original debuted at the Tate Museum in London and this is one of six on permanent display.

Puppy is a 12,4 metre (40.7 feet) tall still sculpture of a West Highland terrier carpeted with 38.000 plants.  The petunias, impatiens, marigolds and begonias get replaced twice a year.  It first exhibited in Germany in 1992 and in 1997 it was purchased for the opening of Guggenheim Museum.

The Guggenheim Museum was designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry and it opened on 19 October 1997.  It cost $89 million to build and it is one of the biggest museums in Spain.  Its permanent collection focuses on visual arts of the second half of the 20th century and the present.

Here's a three minute video I found on YouTube about it.

©Rick Steves

Bilbao is a great town.  There's plenty to see and do.