Peace, Love and Football - Bilbao
Part of my Hemingway Pilgrimages 2025
Bilbao, Spain
As I’m writing this, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is on and football is all over the news. It brings back my favorite football memory from last year.
Morning workout and men in knee-highs
It was Saturday morning, November 15. I woke up in my room at Hotel Carlton in Bilbao, feeling excited about the new day. In the afternoon, I would be going to the Guggenheim Museum, which had been my dream for years. I got up slowly, opened the curtains to get some daylight and switched on the kettle. Once the water was boiling, I prepared a cup of instant coffee and brought it out on the balcony.
The hotel had given me an upgrade, a top floor room with a balcony. The view to the building across the street could have been quite voyeuristic, but the space looked dead. Possibly an office, closed on weekends, and nobody to watch me back.
There was more action down at street level, with traffic building up. Cars, buses and motorcycles were frantically circling Plaza Eliptikoa (in Basque, Plaza Elíptica in Spanish), which is one of Bilbao’s major public squares. Prudently sipping the hot coffee, I had a funny thought. The plaza has an elliptical shape, as its name in local languages suggests. The direct translation in English is “elliptical square”. That could drive a mathematician crazy.
Well, what did Wittgenstein say? “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
After a second dose of caffeine, I decided to leave linguistic philosophy alone and go down to the hotel gym. But, when I got out of the elevator on the first floor, an unexpected scene awaited. The corridor was heaving with young men wearing identical training gear. So was the gym. It looked like some football team was staying at the hotel.
“Definitely too many men in kneehighs for my taste!” I thought inside my head and turned to walk away.
One of the gentlemen, maybe the team’s captain, stopped me and apologized politely for taking over all the space. I told him not to worry, I would go for a run in the nearby park instead. An hour later, when I returned to the hotel, I saw the well-mannered young man again. He was in the lobby, surrounded by journalists and cameramen. I needed a shower after the run, so I didn’t think anything of it and rushed to my room without eavesdropping.
Guggenheim Bilbao, seen from La Salve bridge.
Guggenheim Bilbao was spectacular
I spent the entire afternoon at the museum and it blew my mind.
After the visit, I walked up to the bridge overlooking this magnificent piece of architecture. I was out of breath and out of words. How do you describe this - thing? They call it a museum, but that word sounds so lame.
Then I remembered the Wittgensteinian thought of the morning. Our language does not have accurate words for this. But somebody imagined it. Somebody created it. We can experience it with our senses. I’m sorry, Mr. Wittgenstein but you were not right. Our world is less limited than our language.
The afternoon’s experience required some time and oxygen to sink in, so I took a long walk before heading back to the hotel. Whatever language you use to describe Guggenheim Bilbao, it was one of the most spectacular man-made things I’ve ever seen. I want Umberto to see it some day.
“Puppy” by Jeff Koons, guarding the entrance to Guggenheim Bilbao, is the world's largest flower sculpture.
Inside Guggenheim Bilbao. It’s difficult to take photos there because of the amazing dimensions.
Complete madness around Hotel Carlton
Darkness had fallen by the time I was approaching Hotel Carlton. A few blocks away from the elliptical square, traffic was completely stalled and the sidewalks were so packed it was difficult to go forward. I kept maneuvering through the crowds. Luckily, I’m not big and tall so I could manage it inconspicuously. Once I got to and saw the banners and flags, it was obvious what was going on: a pro-Palestine demonstration.
But not only that. Hotel Carlton’s entrance was barricaded by metal fences and a squad of security guards. Hundreds of people, adults and young kids, were standing behind the fences, instead of going with the flow of the demonstration. They were waving flags with red, green and white, and wearing matching shirts and scarves that looked like …
Before I could finish the thought, a big red bus appeared on the side street next to the hotel and the kids started screaming louder even if nobody had walked out yet. I negotiated my way to the hotel entrance and showed my key card. The security guard allowed me in courteously. I felt like a Hollywood star with the cheering crowds barricaded away.
“Football?” I asked him.
“Yes, m’am,” the guard responded, expressionless.
“Apologies for my ignorance, but which team is staying at the hotel?” I felt embarrassed but had to ask.
“It’s the Basque Country national team, madam. They’re playing a friendly against Palestine at the stadium tonight.” He replied, now with a proud smile.
“Muchisimas gracias,” I said, cringing inside. I didn’t even know the Basque Country had a national team. So the guys I saw at the gym in the morning were not just from “some” football team. Oh well, you live and you learn.
I also learned something about my lodgings. I had chosen the Carlton because that’s where Hemingway stayed in 1959 while writing The Dangerous Summer. In its one hundred years of operation, the hotel has also hosted many other famous guests, including Ava Gadrner, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Pierce Brosnan. What I did not know was that Carlton Hotel is the one hosting visiting football teams when they are in town to play against Atletico Bilbao. Men in kneehighs are therefore not a rare sight in the corridors of this glamorous establishment.
I felt like a Hollywood star entering the hotel, with the cheering crowd and security guards.
All quiet on Plaza Eliptikoa late at night, a picture taken from my balcony.
Love, peace and football
Back in the room, I went out on the balcony to see what was going on. Thousands and thousands of demonstrators were peacefully walking towards San Mamés stadium which is less than a mile away from the hotel. I had seen it, walking back from the Guggenheim. Everything was proceeding in a tranquil manner, as a peace demonstration should. And by the time I left for dinner, the streets were empty.
After dinner, I checked out the news on local media. The stadium was sold out, with over 51,000 spectators. The proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to Palestinian aid run by Médecins sans Frontières. The Basque national team - which is not recognized by FIFA or UEFA and is therefore only allowed to play unofficial friendly matches - won, but the local fans cheered on the visiting team as well, all night. The Palestine team’s representatives commented on the incredible support and solidarity the team received in Bilbao, on and off the football field.
Before going to bed, I took a moment on the balcony to admire the Basque Country night sky. Usually covered by a heavy coat of clouds, it was all clear now.
I don’t know much about football, as you can tell, but this I know: that was more than just a game.
Hotel Carlton seen from Plaza Eliptikoa. The hotel opened its doors in 1926.
The Hotel Carlton lobby.
*****
My Bilbao Favorites
Hotel Carlton is the place to stay if you love old world glamor and like to walk everywhere in Bilbao. And if you happen to be a football fan.
Guggenheim Bilbao - suffice it to say: go and experience it!
The Basque Country has a fabulous culinary scene. I did not have one single bite that I did not love. These were my two favorite restaurants in Bilbao:
The word means “calm”, “tranquil” or “take it easy” in the Basque language. A chilled space indeed! Tasting menu with amazing flavors, an inspiring wine list, and extremely professional service.
Innovative Basque seafood restaurant with a Michelin star. I made the reservation only a week before, and they only had availability at the Chef’s table. That option was all right for a solo traveler, and in the end, really enjoyable as it allowed me to observe the action in the kitchen.
*****
I recently wrote another blog post about the Basque Country: A Beautiful Illusion - San Sebastián
The morning after the match, I had the hotel gym all to myself!
“Maman” by Louise Bourgeois is almost nine meters tall.