Bilbao

I spent three days in Bilbao before heading out on the pilgrimage. Most of that time was spent leisurely walking around Bilbao’s Casco Viejo (old town), pictured below:



Home of the Basques
Bilbao is home to the Basque people, a separate ethnic group that lives in northern Spain (and even spills over into southern France. The culture is an ancient one, predating most of the peninsula’s waves of inhabitants.
In fact, the Basque people speak an ancient language totally unrelated to any other language on earth (as opposed to most other European languages, which are of the Indo-European family.) Evidence of this language is evident all over the region (officially called “Pais Vasco”—Basque country), with signs first in Euskara (the name of their language), then in Spanish.

The Basque language, culture, and way of life is very important to the Basque people, and they work very hard to preserve it. Surely many of you have heard about the terrorist attacks by Basque separatists over the past several decades. Things have calmed down a bit, but it is still very much an issue in Spain, and the post-Franco government is MUCH more open to expressions of Basque culture than was experience in most of the 20th century.

Royals Sighting
While I was in Bilbao, I caught a glimpse of Spanish royalty. A large crowd had gathered outside the theatre, so I assumed it was some actor or actress inside. Not terribly interested, I passed by the crowd and continued exploring. When I returned to the area an hour later and saw an even greater crowd, I asked a local who was inside and was pleased to hear that the Prince of Spain and his wife were about to make an appearance. That’s worth sticking around for, so I got out my book and read while I waited.

Finally they appeared, and, surprisingly, got right in their car and drove off. I suppose I was anticipating the sort of public appearance you’d expect by an elected official in the US. But, considering at the Prince’s position is assured by his birthright, I guess the whole waving/thumbs-up/hand shaking/small speech routine isn’t part of the job description. Nope. It was out of the building, a few quick waves, and into the car.

Considering how long many of the locals had been waiting, I looked around to see if anyone appeared offended by such a dismissive display (to me), but actually I saw smiles…and even a few tears. Spaniards sure seem to love their royal family. :)

The Guggenheim Bilbao
I love this building! I giggled with glee the entire time as I walked the perimeter. Seriously. For me, it’s just one of those unique places in the world that has everything. It’s fascinating yet beautiful, over-the-top yet ingeniously so, bizarre yet thought-provoking. I took many, many pictures of the exterior (mostly stitched together panos):

Side view:


Entrance:


View across the river, with bridge (which is actually part of the architectural design):


Another side view:

Architect Frank Gehry, who designed the museum in 1997, drew as his inspired the anatomy of a fish and the hull of a boat—both elements of Bilbao’s economy. The building’s skin—shiny metallic fish-like scales—is made of a thin titanium, and from many angles it does abstractly resemble a huge, shiny fish.

In front of the museum is another bizarre yet fantastic element: a 42 foot tall Terrier covered in 60,000 plants and flowers (by Jeff Koons). It seems such an odd juxtaposition when placed in front of the glimmering steel museum, but…it works. As Clinton and Stacy would say, “it doesn’t match; it goes.” (If you don’t get that reference, don’t worry. Probably only my sister will get it.)


I did visit the interior of the museum, and some parts were thought-provoking. Most of it was of the “it’s-art-because-some-famous-dude-says-it-is” variety (ie… “telephone on table”, “plastic arm in flower pot”) and I just can’t get into that.

So, back to the exterior :)…. Outside the museum are smaller modern art pieces, which were fun to walk around. I loved the giant metal spider best. Creepily cool.

And elsewhere…Interesting architecture and tree-lined boulevards are to be found all over the city. It’s a very livable city in my opinion (other than the terrorism, of course.) Here are some examples of other buildings and sculptures that I particularly liked:

Bilbao is a great city: definitely worth a visit!