Golden Tulip Gran Hotel Ercilla

Pleasant pintxos and set menus

by timtregenza about Gran Bodegon

Archetypal Bilbao bar/restaurant with pinxtos in the bar and a restaurant area at the back.

This bar is close to Hotel Ercilla so is used to tourists.

With each visit, more surprises

by cochinjew

"Suprise No 1 Galicia"

Those of us with deep connection to Latin America, the words Galicia and Gallego has very symbolic meanings.. especially so in Cuba and Argentina. To give an example, Fidel Castro is a Gallego!
Tainted as we may be of our perceptions about the emigrant nature of the galician people and our perceived backwardness of them, it was such a pleasure for me to discover Galicia over one week with some good friends. Will write more about it in a Galicia page, especially about Food.. which was nothing short of excellent

"Surprise No 2 Pais Vasco"

The antiquity of the land, ETA, the obscurity of the language, oppression under Franco.. these are the things we learned..but a recent visit to Vitoria and Bilbo, revealed the human aspects of the Basque people..warm, generous, educated, hardworking and orderly..
Also emigrants, Porto Alegre, Nevada, Canada..Hawaii some of the places you would find basque descendants.. Will write about Hotel Ercilla and an excellent Dinner at Restaurant Gyra. on the Bilbo page and the restaurant Xixulu in Vitoria in the Vitoria page

"Surpise no 3 Madrid itself"

wandering around Madrid on this sunny day , the eyes were greeted with one pleasure after the next..two neighbourhoods attracted attention this morning... the elegance of La Latina counter poised by the all marginal neighbourhood of Lavapies where all nationalities are represented.. including a heavy dose of Bangladeshis.. with perfect spanish accents.. When you are here to sell something, you learn the language fast... more on my Madrid page ..