Or why we never bothered to go in…
Giant Spider at the Guggenheim Museum
This spider is the sole reason my friend, arachnophobe and Bilbao native Marta, cannot visit the museum.
In August we drove from Madrid to Asturias, passing through Guadalajara, Medinacelli, Logroño and the Basque Country. We stopped for a few hours in Bilbao, a city like many in Northern Spain (a charming, old city center ringed by industry and mediocrity.) Just off the city center along the ría (I had to look this one up on google to find out how to even say it in English! A ría is an estuary.) sits the ultra-moderno Guggenheim. The museum’s crazy curves and shiny surfaces are certainly interesting, but to be honest, the DH and I didn’t even bother going inside. We snapped a few pics and meandered around. We’re sometimes not very good tourists.
A bonus Photo Friday photo, since I usually only post one:
Giant Floral Dog at the Guggenheim Museum
See more Photo Friday featuring travel photos here.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
We just adored the Guggenheim! Isn’t the building absolutely superb?
We had such a wonderful time in Bilboa in June and did not expect that at all as the city itself does not have a great reputation. I love to be surprised. The museum ( inside and out) was just fabulous ( and the kids playground next to it) but we also stayed at a fabulous beach nearby and had some great food…so we will always have such fond memories.
We had been wanting to spend a lot of time in Northern Spain since our world tour began in 2006, so savored it all thoroughly in the off season.
I love the floral dog – it’s very much in keeping with my Photo Friday post last week with the living statues from Cornwall. http://www.roamingtales.com/2009/01/02/photo-friday-living-statues-in-cornwall/
Caitlin I loved those photos you posted!
soultraveler 3 – the food in the Basque Country is so good. Although I love the dishes of my husband’s home province of Asturias, I think the Basques have the best food. From their grilled meat to pintxos (tapas) to haute cuisine, it is all so good! And of course, I much prefer the beaches of the north to the south – I am a fair redhead, after all!
Very interesting photos!
We loved Bilbao and the museum when we were there several years ago. We both found the exterior far more fascinating than the art inside…and I have a book at home about the process of designing and building the Frank
Gehry-designed building itself. If you think the curves and shiny surfaces of the building look crazy, you should see some of Gehry’s initial drawings for it…they looked like kids’ scribble paintings! Really!
Y’all are so right about the Basque food, too. We were in France for the same trip, and as good as the food was in Paris, we loved the Basque cuisine so much more. The afternoon stops for pintxos….yum!
We loved the food so much there, I took photos and posted a few of them when I did one of my Passports with Purpose posts last month http://tinyurl.com/8e8dne
Thanks for reviving some great memories for me
Yes, Im afraid that it is true….. And when I opened the website I jumped in my chair!!!! Actually Im working on this little problem with the spider….. ha ha ha. But with “Puppy” we can compensate the “horrible” spider in Bilbao. The little doggy is beautiful dressed with so much flowers, isn’t it??
A bib hug, enjoy in your new city.
The Guggenheim in Bilbao has been on my list-of-place-I-need-to-visit for a while now. We have some good friends who live in Bilbao, but unfortunately we haven’t been back to Spain since 2000. Some day soon. Love the photos.
What great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Very cool. I love sculpture – even when “provocative.” It must be my age, but the spider reminds me of something from the Star Wars series (second or third movies). Maybe the shape of the the ends of the legs. Modern art is so much fun.
Wow! Thanks for all the comments everyone! I’m glad so many of you have visited or would like to visit Bilbao and Northern Spain! I am a big advocate for that part of the world! I’ll be stopping by your blogs when I get a chance – I’m getting ready to go to the airport for my flight to Vancouver now!
The flower dog is amazing, so beautiful! My boys would love to see that spider!!
Peace