Lost in translation

I've been to Italy a few times and can order a passable espresso. In France, I can just about read a menu. But I've only ever spent two days in Spain before, and apart from 'Hola', I can't speak a word of Spanish. Which has made my trip to Bilbao quite the experience. I think I've spent roughly half of my time here completely lost. Yesterday, while trying to navigate the map of the 2nd Bilbao International Garden Festival, I was trying to get to the metro station Indautxu (ha, try pronouncing that after a glass of Sangria!). I knew where I wanted to go, but blow me down if I could work out where I was. Mind you, being lost in Bilbao's Metro system is an experience in itself: it was designed by architect Norman Foster and looks like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The garden festival is amazing. There are more than 20 gardens "as art" dotted around the city. My favourite is this one of umbrellas atop giant bamboo poles by local designer Jose Ibbarola. "I feel as if umbrellas grow like mushrooms when it rains in my city," he explains. Lucky I had my umbrella with me at the time; it hasn't stopped raining since I got to Europe!