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| In the funicular station, a history - old but steady. |
The city is surrounded by mountains, one of which offers fine views of the city itself.
I had to search a bit for the Guggenheim, but the highly visible La Salve Bridge next to it helped:
See it? Here it is with a little help from my zoom:
Not a lot to do up above after you've enjoyed the views (wish I'd lucked into a sunny day - as you see I did not), but I was able to find north from south thanks to this wind vane in the small relatively uninteresting park atop the hills:
It was a rather pleasant trip, but I was in a hurry and caught a taxi back into the city, as I had another fish to fry, or museum to see.
The Museo de Bellas Artes:
This small museum has more than a fair share of interesting art, including works by Goya and El Greco. Recently, however, the powers that be changed the manner in which they showed their paintings, via ABC. Unfortunately for me I read very little Spanish, so I wandered somewhat confused through the collection, while still very much enjoying my it. While I paused for the great masters I tried to focus my attention on Basque artists that I was not already familiar with (i.e. all of them).
I found myself intrigued by a Basque sculptor named Eduardo Chillida. The title of the small piece below is "Around the Void," created in 1964.
A painter I was not aware of, the 18th century artist Luis Paret, completed this work, "Bermeo" in 1783.
I liked it in general, but also because part of my next day in Bilbao would include a trip away from it to Bermeo, on the Bay of Biscay. I appreciate coincidence, so I very much liked seeing this.
Another seaside town, not far from Bermeo, is called Elantxobe. Time was too short to visit it as well as Bermeo, but I was somewhat satisfied by this painting of the village and the sea beyond, from 1924, by the artist Antonio de Guezala.
One other sight that I had to miss on this trip is one of the best-known places in Spanish Basque country, Guernica. Well known for all the wrong reasons a Fascist air attack on it during the Spanish Civil War, and made even more famous by Picasso's brilliant painting of the city it is only about 30 minutes north of Bilbao via train.
A more famous artist than the three noted above happens also to be one of my favorite modernists, Oskar Kokoschka. He too recorded a reaction to the attack in this small sketch with the plaintive title "Help Basque Children," in 1937. That war I may seem a small nightmare compared to the greater war that followed it, but it was confusing, complicated and horrid. A very different take from Picasso's but powerful as well.
Just in case you're interested, my favorite book by George Orwell - yes, more than his much better known works - is Homage to Catalonia, and details the author's own experience fighting in it.
I had to search a bit for the Guggenheim, but the highly visible La Salve Bridge next to it helped:
See it? Here it is with a little help from my zoom:
Not a lot to do up above after you've enjoyed the views (wish I'd lucked into a sunny day - as you see I did not), but I was able to find north from south thanks to this wind vane in the small relatively uninteresting park atop the hills:
It was a rather pleasant trip, but I was in a hurry and caught a taxi back into the city, as I had another fish to fry, or museum to see.
The Museo de Bellas Artes:
This small museum has more than a fair share of interesting art, including works by Goya and El Greco. Recently, however, the powers that be changed the manner in which they showed their paintings, via ABC. Unfortunately for me I read very little Spanish, so I wandered somewhat confused through the collection, while still very much enjoying my it. While I paused for the great masters I tried to focus my attention on Basque artists that I was not already familiar with (i.e. all of them).
I found myself intrigued by a Basque sculptor named Eduardo Chillida. The title of the small piece below is "Around the Void," created in 1964.
A painter I was not aware of, the 18th century artist Luis Paret, completed this work, "Bermeo" in 1783.
I liked it in general, but also because part of my next day in Bilbao would include a trip away from it to Bermeo, on the Bay of Biscay. I appreciate coincidence, so I very much liked seeing this.
Another seaside town, not far from Bermeo, is called Elantxobe. Time was too short to visit it as well as Bermeo, but I was somewhat satisfied by this painting of the village and the sea beyond, from 1924, by the artist Antonio de Guezala.
One other sight that I had to miss on this trip is one of the best-known places in Spanish Basque country, Guernica. Well known for all the wrong reasons a Fascist air attack on it during the Spanish Civil War, and made even more famous by Picasso's brilliant painting of the city it is only about 30 minutes north of Bilbao via train.
A more famous artist than the three noted above happens also to be one of my favorite modernists, Oskar Kokoschka. He too recorded a reaction to the attack in this small sketch with the plaintive title "Help Basque Children," in 1937. That war I may seem a small nightmare compared to the greater war that followed it, but it was confusing, complicated and horrid. A very different take from Picasso's but powerful as well.
Just in case you're interested, my favorite book by George Orwell - yes, more than his much better known works - is Homage to Catalonia, and details the author's own experience fighting in it.
I could go on about the museum, but suffice to say I learned a good bit from it, and even though it is literally dwarfed by the Guggenheim, if you find yourself in Bilbao (and you should), please take the time to visit.
Having zipped up and down the funicular, and having had a very good experience at the Museo, I found myself rather tired, and was content to have a late lunch at my hotel. My delicious starter, artichokes and Iberian ham,
was followed by a good but rather tough cut of veal (the potatoes and peppers were the best part of that course)
but as it was all washed down with a very tasty glass of Spanish red, I was very pleased.
Much of the next day in Bilbao, my fourth, was spent on the way to and from Bermeo, along with a pleasant stroll through the town once there.
There are two rail stations in Bilbao, one for long hauls, to Madrid for example, the other, smaller, for really inexpensive rides to different locations in Basque country. I boarded a train from the latter and headed to the coast of the Bay of Biscay, the last stop of which trip is Bermeo
It's a pretty place, set on a hill looking out over the bay,
and has one of the longest jetties I've seen.
I got my morning exercise, deep-breathing fresh sea air, walking the length of it and getting my first look ever at the famous Bay of Biscay. Below you'll see just a bit of the concrete jetty itself, a fishing boat heading back in to port, and a bit of the land just outside the city
A view of the city on my return walk:
And a bit of the coastline
I had thought to stay for lunch, but found that, pretty as it was, there wasn't all that much in Bermeo to keep me. I'd had my look at the bay, a great walk, and last but not least a very pleasant seaside park.
I then hopped the train back to Bilbao. On the return trip I paid more attention to the sea and landscape, one of the finest reasons for getting out of the city for a bit.
Above, just pulling out of the city...
And below just a bit farther along
Not mountainous, but a nice hilly countryside
a bit more of the landscape...
And soon I was back in the city, in the heart of the old town or as the natives call it, the Casca Viejo, ending up at the Plaza Nueva
After which I took it easy, feeling more and more a part of a city I had come to love.
Next morning, my final day in Bilbao, I continued to relax, heading to the local market. And WHAT a market - La Ribera!
From one end (above) you get a feeling for its scale and the length
The other end is nice as well.
And then there is the inside - two levels filled with all sorts of good eats. Seafood abounds:
Also meat - uh, not for the weak of heart; here they serve up the whole pig!
Fruits and veggies of course:
And tapas, which up in Basque land are referred to as pintxos:
and two very cool bars:
It was too early in the day for me to tipple, but clearly not for everyone.
Later in the day I caught a boat, cleverly called a Bilboat, for a look at the city from the River Nervion - great fun!
We cruised under the Zubizuri Bridge
We passed the football stadium. We call it soccer, though I wish we wouldn't - in football/soccer they actually use the foot constantly, not just for kick-offs and punts. Its called San Mames and known by the locals as" the cathedral of football!"
We ventured into the old part of the city, a shadow of its former self as a seaport
and of course we passed the Guggenheim!
Then after another stroll through the Casca Viejo, I called it a day. Suffice to say it was a really great stay.
Having zipped up and down the funicular, and having had a very good experience at the Museo, I found myself rather tired, and was content to have a late lunch at my hotel. My delicious starter, artichokes and Iberian ham,
was followed by a good but rather tough cut of veal (the potatoes and peppers were the best part of that course)
but as it was all washed down with a very tasty glass of Spanish red, I was very pleased.
Much of the next day in Bilbao, my fourth, was spent on the way to and from Bermeo, along with a pleasant stroll through the town once there.
There are two rail stations in Bilbao, one for long hauls, to Madrid for example, the other, smaller, for really inexpensive rides to different locations in Basque country. I boarded a train from the latter and headed to the coast of the Bay of Biscay, the last stop of which trip is Bermeo
It's a pretty place, set on a hill looking out over the bay,
and has one of the longest jetties I've seen.
I got my morning exercise, deep-breathing fresh sea air, walking the length of it and getting my first look ever at the famous Bay of Biscay. Below you'll see just a bit of the concrete jetty itself, a fishing boat heading back in to port, and a bit of the land just outside the city
A view of the city on my return walk:
And a bit of the coastline
I had thought to stay for lunch, but found that, pretty as it was, there wasn't all that much in Bermeo to keep me. I'd had my look at the bay, a great walk, and last but not least a very pleasant seaside park.
I then hopped the train back to Bilbao. On the return trip I paid more attention to the sea and landscape, one of the finest reasons for getting out of the city for a bit.
Above, just pulling out of the city...
And below just a bit farther along
Not mountainous, but a nice hilly countryside
a bit more of the landscape...
And soon I was back in the city, in the heart of the old town or as the natives call it, the Casca Viejo, ending up at the Plaza Nueva
After which I took it easy, feeling more and more a part of a city I had come to love.
Next morning, my final day in Bilbao, I continued to relax, heading to the local market. And WHAT a market - La Ribera!
From one end (above) you get a feeling for its scale and the length
The other end is nice as well.
And then there is the inside - two levels filled with all sorts of good eats. Seafood abounds:
Also meat - uh, not for the weak of heart; here they serve up the whole pig!
Fruits and veggies of course:
And tapas, which up in Basque land are referred to as pintxos:
and two very cool bars:
It was too early in the day for me to tipple, but clearly not for everyone.
Later in the day I caught a boat, cleverly called a Bilboat, for a look at the city from the River Nervion - great fun!
We cruised under the Zubizuri Bridge
We passed the football stadium. We call it soccer, though I wish we wouldn't - in football/soccer they actually use the foot constantly, not just for kick-offs and punts. Its called San Mames and known by the locals as" the cathedral of football!"
We ventured into the old part of the city, a shadow of its former self as a seaport
and of course we passed the Guggenheim!
Then after another stroll through the Casca Viejo, I called it a day. Suffice to say it was a really great stay.
Next stop, San Sebastian!
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