Europe Summer 2013: Bilbao, Spain

BILBAO, Spain

Bilbao

Have I mentioned that it has been unseasonably cold and rainy?  Cold as in the high 50's and rainy as in yuck!  Poor Jeff, he REALLY hates the rain and for us Southern Californians, the high 50's is COLD.

Bilbao

Note to self: even though the forecast says it will be hot and in your own experience the Med is always hot in June ... bring something warm to wear AND a lightweight raincoat. ALWAYS!

In spite of the rain, we had a wonderful day in Bilbao.  I had arranged with Made in Spain one of our Virtuoso specialists in Spain, to have a private half day tour.  We were delighted to meet Esther who was in her mid-30's and also was one of only 20 certified guides at the Guggenheim.

Nervion River

We began our half day tour with an overview of Bilbao.  We learned about the population of 375,000 locals and found out that almost 1 million people live in the outskirts.  The unemployment in Spain is very high at 27% but here in Bilbao, it's at 11%.  Bilbao is a factory town that produces iron and steel.  It has 2 universities one a private school with an emphasis on the humanities and the other is a public school.

During our overview of Bilbao, we saw the first suspension bridge invented.  Pedestrians and up to 8 cars take the bridge from one bank of the Nervion River to the other.  Very interesting to see!

Guggenheim

Our next stop was the highlight...the Guggenheim museum designed by Frank Gehry.  It was everything that you have seen and more.  The Guggenheim opened in 1997 and cost $100 million to build.  What an amazing use of space and the architecture was breath taking! 

Richard Serra

Inside the Guggenheim, Esther explained that there were 2 permanent exhibits and the rest change 2-3 times per year.  My favorite exhibit was on the first level.  Richard Serra, a native of SanFrancisco and friend to Frank Gehry has created an incredible wing full of post-Minimalist sculpture that draws you in to experience the space ... its one of those hard to explain experiences but this is a must for you to put on your must do travel list.  While at the Guggenheim, we saw works by Picasso, Miro, Kandinsky and an exhibit of French art from 1936 to after WWII.  Some of the art was created by French Jewish survivors and this contrasted with the “ideal” German art and finally we saw art inspired by people of the resisting the Spanish Civil War.

We toured the Bilbao's Old Town Quarter and saw the 15^th Century San Anton Church and the Gothic inspired 17^th Century Basilica of Begona.  We also saw the Siete Calles or 7 cobblestone streets that make up Old Town.  Afterward, we met up with new friends that we had met on the cruise and enjoyed a tapas lunch at Victor Montes which was so much fun and back to the boat we went.

Siete Calles

Tomorrows a day at sea and then we visit Lisbon with our Virtuoso group.

The World is Our Playground!

Mari