Okay for all you curious minds, here's my long story, short.
Approaching Bilbao past the large Church, I followed the arrows to this tiny church that lead me to this statue. I notice two really old looking/dirty backpacks leaning against the building near the door which was clearly locked. There was no one around in this small area except a man (Spanish) standing 15 feet or so on the other side of the statue. He appeared to be on his phone. Wondering where the owners to the backpacks were I proceeded to take a few pictures of this beautiful statue, then off I went.
Further into the town (I'm sorry I don't know how to explain where I was exactly) I was in a large open area like a square that lead into a street with a lot of people. As I approached the street, an elderly (mid 50's/60's) gray haired man got up from a bench where many were sitting and started walking straight towards me. Mind you he was quite a distance from me when he got off the bench. He had a daypack and spoke in English asking me if I new where a hotel was. As he unfolded a paper map of the city he proceeded to tell me he couldn't find the hotel where his wife was waiting for him. I asked if he had a phone and he said the battery was dead or something to that nature. I got the feeling he was not a pilgrim.
I stopped to help him look at the map, but I was just as confused as he was. He said, I think it's this way, the direction I was headed. As we walked further into the crowded street, him in front of me, I noticed through the refection in the windows to my right that two men were following very close behind me. Nearly touching me. We were moving at a fast pace. Then a man came rushing towards us from across the street and when he got just in front of me he dropped a lit cigarette. As he bent down to pick it up I had to stop suddenly so not to bump into him. I stopped and turned my back against the building so the man/men behind me couldn't try anything all the while keeping my hand over the pocket I had my cell phone in. HIGH ALERT!!
I managed to get past this. The elderly man was waiting for me. I said to him, "Did you see what those men just did? He said "Oh don't worry about them." We walked a little further when he said, I think it's up that way, so off he went. A little further down the street here he comes out again from the opposite side and started walking with me again. Then a block or so down he did the same thing, I think it's up here he said, then off he went. I kept on my way looking for the Bilbao alburgue where I had a reservation. I saw a pilgrim I knew from the Markina day, he was waiting at a light to cross the street. He was so happy to see me, he thought for sure I had died that day on the trail. He said, "Oh you're alive" with great enthusiasm. LOL
As the pilgrim and I talked here came the elderly man again from across the street. After my conversation with the pilgrim I stopped again to help this man but this time I had my phone out. I know the man had a phone but I don't recall the details of why he couldn't use it. Anyhow, I started thinking that he may be trying to steal my info from my phone so I closed my phone and wished him good luck as I went to find the alburgue. Come to fine out I wasn't far from it.
I decided not to stay in the alburgue. I went up to sign in but it was too early. I looked around, but got a really bad vibe, I didn't like the way it was set up and there were a few men in there that gave me the creeps. Needless to say I had to forgo my deposit and move on. At the Guggenheim, I went for a snack across from the big dog. I sat on the bench outside the shop when a man came, sat down next to me. I had my phone out trying to figure out how much further I would have to walk. The man pulled out two phones and was doing something on both. I closed my phone, got up and walked away.
My intuition tells me: The man at the statue gave my description (a solo female pilgrim) to the man on the bench. I believe they were working together and had targeted me for something. Bilbao has bad juju for me. I walked to Portugalete that day a total distance of 30.5 k's for the day. WHEW!!