It seems we are still suffering from jet lag, as we got a very late start heading out of the apartment. Our goal for the day was to visit the Azkuna Zentroa, an early 20th century wine warehouse, destroyed by fire and rebuilt as a cultural center by the architect, Philippe Starck. While the original facade still stands, the interior is now dominated by contemporary culture. There are 43 columns in the Atrium of Cultures, representing many cultures, ancient as well as modern. It was difficult to photograph because the benches for observing are brightly lit white boxes, but here are a few examples:

We enjoyed wandering through the hall and also took in the museum space on the floor below. We thought of Donna while viewing this celluloid work with text:

We had a good wander around the building, disappointed that the rooftop bar was closed.

The walking route going there was through a very urban area full of food shops for Arab and East Indians. Immigrants and their cultures are welcome and supported here. But we walked back a different way, through high end shops and restaurants. We noticed this cool, mirrored government building, the department of health:

Finally we decided to head back to our neighborhood and get lunch at one of the places which serve a “Daily Menu”. For about €20 you get an appetizer, main dish, dessert, wine and bread.We chose Restaurante Harrobia and were quite satisfied. Ken had a beautiful salad with goat cheese and berry compote, pork tenderloin medallions with a yummy carrot puree and lemon sorbet. I had spider crab cannelloni, Pil-Pil cod and a custard filled puff pastry with chocolate sauce. The Pil-Pil sauce is made from whipped olive oil and was quite tasty but I enjoyed the dessert the most.

We walked around a bit after lunch, happy to be able to find our apartment without using a map.

After an extended rest time, I went for one more walk and visited the church, The Santiago Cathedral, which is part of the famous Camino.

I said a little silent prayer and left. The streets were lively with families, friends and, of course, dogs.

I am hoping we can get on a more “normal” schedule and shake this jet lag by tomorrow but I consider this to have been a successful day.