December adventures and activities with the Instituto Hemingway 2021

We may not have seen it coming, but December is now upon us. Perhaps it was the rain, the cold and the bargains in the shops that distracted us, but seeing the lights of the city starting to shine in the streets and the shop windows filling with colours and Christmas decorations gave us many signals to help us realise.

And so, just like every year, at the Instituto Hemingway we’re preparing for December’s cultural activities so our students studying Spanish in Bilbao can revel in this jolly season with us.

We will welcome the start of the month with our first activity on December 1st, savouring some hot chocolate with a side of churros. What a truly Spanish experience that people have been enjoying for nearly 100 years and which you can now do all over the country!

Afterwards, we’ll have a ball at the “eco-friendly” ice-rink that the Bilbao Council has set up in El Arenal. At 800m squared, it’s one of the largest of its kind in the country.

On December 6th, we thought we’d offer a trip to the Guggenheim Museum at 4pm to drink in its stunning architecture and the many works on display inside. Notably, we will come across the exhibition “Alice Neel: People Come First”, which looks at the art created by this piercing and radical painter, whose works reflect the spirit of her era in which people who suffered daily sexism, racism and capitalism are reflected in her intense portraits.

Later down the line, on December 10th, we will continue on our culinary course through the Casco Viejo with a visit to a bar which specializes in Iberian products. Here, we will eat some delicious bocatas made with Iberian ham that will make your mouth water just from seeing them.

Following this, on December 13th we’ll be soaking up the atmosphere of a wine tasting with our wine expert Alfredo. Now we can keep you constantly up-to-date thanks to his brand new Instagram account, where he will be publishing all of his wine tasting notes. Check it out here!

On December 20th we will be going to the Euskalduna theater to listen to the txistularis (musicians who play traditional instruments and songs from the Basque country) in a magnificent concert they are putting on.

The following day, a mixture of cider and traditional Basque food are calling us to celebrate Santo Tomás in El Arenal. We will finish the year with a few other exciting activities leading up to New Year’s Eve, with endless energy to bring on 2022.