The hostess Raquel was very kind and provided me with a lot of information on potential restaurants and sightseeing, etc. The apartment was in a great location, with the Casco Viejo (Old Town) literally a 5 minute walk away maximum, mostly downhill, so it could not have been easier to get there. At the far edge of the Casco Viejo is the Nervion River and one of the big bridges over it going to the flat central section of the city - this means that you can walk to the central section of the city by crossing that bridge in just about another 4 minutes. Walking to the Guggenheim takes a little more than half an hour, but it's very easy to take the Metro from a station about 4 minutes from the apt (on the same street that you walk down to the Casco Viejo) - take it two stops and get off and then you're about 10 minutes walk from the Guggenheim. The city and it's public transport system are really incredible plus it's all extraordinarily pedestrian friendly, with public plazas and outdoor staircases and pedestrians-only streets everywhere. And everything looks almost new, and is in great shape, nothing crumbling or cracking or deteriorating at all, it's amazing. And Raquel's apartment is right there super close to everything but also quiet which I discovered was really great because on Fri and Sat nights the Casco Viejo streets fill up with young people (think high school) who are talking and laughing and it all makes a lot of noise down there; but up at Sweet Home Bilbao you can't hear any of it, and your sleep will be terrific.
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