Animal Welfare Project in Bilbao, Spain

Arrival at the project
I spent November and December 2021 at the animal welfare project in Bilbao. My arrival went as I planned it without any problems. I took the flight from Munich to Bilbao and met José at the airport. We went to the accommodation together by bus.

My tasks in the project
On two to three days per week we worked for about three hours in the shelter, a mixture of animal shelter and day care for dogs. The operator Marco mostly took care of the tasks like feeding the animals and cleaning the shelters himself, we volunteers were primarily there to give the dogs a good time.
We went for walks with them, cuddled them and played with them. Despite the rainy weather, it was always a really nice time with the dogs, who were always very happy about our visit. We had a lot of fun and quickly made many four-legged friends.
Once a week we had the opportunity to help in a rescue center for cats. The station is located in Bilbao and we could reach it by metro. There we helped to clean the shelters of the cats and to give them medicine. In addition, of course, there was no shortage of playing and petting.

My accommodation
As already mentioned, I lived in a shared apartment with eight other young women. The most beautiful thing was that completely diverse nationalities met: USA, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Bolivia, France and Germany. I lived in a room with three other girls. It was definitely big enough for us all.
The apartment was located very central and we reached the language school within ten minutes by foot. We had our Spanish classes there. It was also very near to the old town or the shopping area of Bilbao. Right next to the house you can find numerous supermarkets as well as pharmacies, bakeries and cafes.

Food in Bilbao
There are plenty of food options in Bilbao, especially if you like to try Pintxos (small meal - similar to tapas). Unfortunately, vegetarians often have little choice when eating out and have to resort to either tortillas or desserts. If you are unsure whether something is vegetarian, it is better to ask, because it usually contains meat or fish. Apart from Spanish specialties, there are numerous international restaurants so that everybody could find something to eat.

Free time and activities
The language classes were always from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and after that we were mostly with the dogs or the cats. Sometimes the projects were cancelled because of the rain, so we had the afternoon off.
However, the language school always offered activities, so we went wine tasting, ice skating, or tried churros con chocolate, for example. This was great to get to know more people and was a lot of fun.
We definitely had enough free time to explore the city and relax.
On a Sunday, I took a day trip to San Sebastián. It takes about two hours by bus, but the prices are very affordable. The city is really beautiful and definitely worth a visit when being in Bilbao.

My departure
Everything worked out wonderfully on the way back despite the pandemic. I went to the airport with another volunteer and flew directly to Munich. Looking back, the best part was definitely the time with the dogs! It was a great project and I would definitely do it again!