Ongi etorri Euskal Herrira (Welcome to the Basque Country)
As was the case with Granada last year, there's always a destination that is the shortest leg of a tour. In this case, it would be Bilbao.
The 27th began with a bus tour of Bilbao. We didn’t go very far as our first stop was El Museo Guggenheim. As a New Yorker, I mentioned to one of my colleagues from Ohio that I've never visited the museum in Manhattan and got a shocked look. I don’t visit museums in my own back yard, opting for live music venues instead. But it’s the opposite when I travel.
There's more to the exterior than just “Maman”. This is “Tulips” a piece by the artist Jeff Koons. The colors shining off the waterfront and the silver exterior of the museum. We would go in to begin the tour.
I wasn’t able to get many images of the art work with security all around. But I did come across this one, Richard Serra's “The Matter of Time”. It is a series of eight sculptures depicting the complexity of his creation. From a simple elipse to a spiral as one walks through it. The other piece in the collection that caught my eye was Andy Warhol's “One Hundred and Fifty Multicolored Marilyn's”. Marilyn Monroe’s image all in multiple colors.
But there was one more thing left to see at the other end of the museum. A few of us went up to the “Puppy”, Jeff Koons's sculpture made of grass and leaves. After a brief peek, it was time to scramble and get back on the bus.
The tour of the Casco Viejo would continue by bus with our tour guide, Ivan. After among other things, a well placed rant aimed at the architect Santiago Calatrava and a bridge he designed for the city, we arrived at the Plaza Nueva for lunch.
Under the columns are restaraunts. I was asked by my colleagues Sandi, Brenda, Tran & Cuong if I wanted to join them for lunch. As our paths have crossed during the trip, I obliged.
It wouldn't be the last time that our paths would cross this week. After a brief stop at our hotel, half the bus continued exploring Bilbao while the rest of us continued onto the optional excursion. It was one of the anticipated moments of the trip.
As the hour long bus ride went on, the strains of Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah” and “You Want It Darker” filled the air, along with Neil Young's “Heart of Gold”, Bob Dylan's “Girl From The North Country” and Lou Reed's musical interpersonal of “The Raven”.
Our bus made it to the top of Monte Igueldo, a surprise thanks to Ivan and our driver Jose Luis. We could see all of the beach, La Concha through the foggy clouds.
We had a bit of time to explore the town before reuniting.
The gray chill stuck around the entire visit and I made the mistake of not keeping my sweater on as it was a warmer day in Bilbao. Not expecting for it to get cold so quickly. But it didn’t diminish the beauty of the city one bit.
The coup d'grace of the evening was a pinxtos bar crawl. So much food on toothpicks and more importantly, warm shelter. We would visit three pinxtos bars and a cafe before getting back on the bus to Bilbao.
The bus returned back to the hotel just after 11pm on Thursday night. I ran inside and took a long hot shower to warm up.
Tomorrow would be our last move of the trip as the Spanish capital of Madrid awaits.
This trip is halfway done.