Day 145: Around Bilbao - Sat 27 Sept, 2014

Day 145: Around Bilbao - Sat 27 Sept, 2014

Woke to a foggy cold morning on our mountain top. Took until 10am for view in valley to clear. Took BilboBus 58 to Old Town, walked through cobblestoned narrow streets. Old man had slipped on wet stones and cracked his head, bleeding badly, unconscious, onlookers stroking him waiting for ambulance. Found friendly Post Office and sent last box of souvenirs/presents (less to move around inside, less to cart home in luggage). Enjoyed coffee and specialty pintxos (pinchos) decorative finger snacks "from land and sea".

Fascinating tiles of Santo Civil Hospital

Footy Fever in town....

Santiago Cathedral

   

Inglesia de San Nicolas

Onto Guggenheim Museum on the Nervion River, a magnificent ship-like building combining limestone with glass and titanium tiles, a masterpiece designed by Frank Gehry. Admired floral sculpture "Puppy" on way in to pay our €20pp entrance fee. 

Inside was more disappointing, only one small gallery of modern art - found the advertised pieces by Kandinsky, Modigliani, Pollock (didn't think they were their best examples, but did enjoy the good Miro surrealism "Hare"). Otherwise, not overly impressed by huge abstract installations nor their effusive descriptions of what they were supposed to represent. Got the giggles over the one that looked much too like the sail tied over our balcony at home, and earned such a reproving glare from the room's guard that we had to move on...  

Milo's Hare

Was therefore surprised to enjoy the film section, approx 12 giant screens of musicians all in different settings/rooms playing, singing, harmonising the same set of haunting lyrics (bringing out feminist side/ stars keep colliding in a world bigger than us...) in English!

 

Liked the outdoor installations much better, metallic tulips and bubbles and the reflections they held. (Editor's note: didn't realise the "Red Arches" on the pedestrian bridge were a part of the collection until read about them days later...) 

 

 

 

 















Took final tram ride round city to see what we'd missed to date... 

Estacion de Santander

Zubi Zuri (white bridge!)

Retraced our route on BilboBus back to camp to find Boomers had arrived and John largely recovered from his food poisoning episode. Swapped stories, watching lights come on in town below. Internal shower (still working!) and bed. The promised quiet was not to be however, a local band played enthusiastically for hours, and then the promised footie game commenced at 10pm in the huge arena below  - a long night of revelry (for some!!)