Day 17 (del Norte): Bilbao 2

For many visitors, Bilbao equals Guggenheim Museum. Today is the day to check it out. We are changing hotels - moving from Old Town to the Guggenheim area. The idea was to be closer to the museum and also move in the general direction the Camino heads, although it does involve re-packing and unpacking. In retrospect, it does look a bit silly as the new hotel costs twice as much and from yesterday's walk, Old Town does not seem all that far from the Guggenheim so we could have stayed there. What's more, I initially booked the hotel right in front the museum but I picked the wrong date by accident. By the time I realized it, that hotel is no longer available and now I am paying more to be a bit further away. Ah, the danger of clicking the digital calendar on-line.

Bilbao: as we leave the boutique hotel in Old Town, removing the stuff on top of the table, we find this spider, which I call a proletariat version of the large sculpture by Louise Bourgeois at the Guggenheim complex.

Bilbao: this new hotel just a block from the museum seems overpriced compared to the places in Old Town, but hey, at least they have a complimentary snack bar.

Anyway, the room is not ready at the new hotel so we walk a very short distance to the museum with the tickets we bought yesterday in hand. This structure is truly an architectural wonder. We make an entire circle around the museum in order to appreciate the constantly changing shape and ambience of the curved shiny building. The "Puppy" is a dominant structure and everyone stops for a photo, with good reason - it is large, cute and who doesn't like flowers.

Bilbao: stepping out of our hotel, we are greeted by a view of Guggenheim Museum.

Bilbao: reflections on the windows of this hotel tell you that it is right across the street from Guggenheim. This is where we meant to be. But because of a booking error on my part, we are a block away and paying more. 

Bilbao: the Puppy by Jeff Koons has become a very popular symbol of Guggenheim and perhaps the city itself. It's holding up the building by its nose, isn't it?

Guggenheim: coming down the steps from the Puppy and around the main entrance, we are now near the river.

Guggenheim: continuing the turn

Guggenheim: a guitarist seen through the legs of...

Guggenheim: yes, the Spider. A large piece by Louise Bourgeois.

Guggenheim: curves everywhere you look

Guggenheim: looking up toward the bridge

Guggenheim: climbing up to the bridge

Guggenheim: looking down as we enter the bridge

Guggeneim: from the bridge

Guggenheim: a view of the museum and the river from the bridge

Guggenheim: view of the museum, the river and the bridge

Guggenheim: now we are back to the main entrance area. The museum certainly deserves a 360 degree evaluation!

Guggenheim: there has to be a better way to make a living...

Guggenheim: we decide to have a bite before entering the museum. The terrace bar has pretty good food (pintxos and an eggplant vegetarian salad).

People have said the art work inside the museum does not match the building and who would argue with that? The Guggenheim is dedicated to contemporary art, so obviously the displays are not for everyone. On the ground floor are large space-occupying steel works of Richard Serra. Let's just say that as I walk around (and inside) them, they go over my head. Well, at least the Yoko Ono retrospective is no longer here. But I am not happy that the Jeff Koons retrospective is just over. I want more than the Puppy! We linger a long time at the temporary exhibit of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Puerto Rican-Haitian black American who started as a street artist in New York City and died at age 27 of drug overdose. I knew very little about him but his works, especially his paintings, are growing on me.

Guggenheim: inside the atrium - curves and slanted lines everywhere. The interior of this masterpiece by Frank Gehry as striking as the celebrated exterior.

Guggenheim: curves everywhere you look

Guggenheim: a huge exhibition space dedicated to the works of Richard Serra

Guggenheim: looking down at the atrium from an upper floor

Guggenheim: just outside the special exhibit of Jean-Michel Basquiat, there is a chalkboard where visitors can express themselves. The staff person seems delighted when " I love Euskal Herria" is written.

Guggenheim: am I the only one to notice that the first 5 letters of his name is the same as those in Basque?

Guggenheim: some of the collaborative works between Basquiat and Andy Warhol

Guggenheim:  sitting down at the single-table "library." Basquiat had an eclectic interest and was oddly obssessed with the book Gray's Anatomy. I am willing to excuse the part of one of his paintings where "Gregor Mendel" is followed by "discoverer of X-ray."

Guggenheim: one more look at the interior as we leave the museum

After getting into our hotel room, we take a rest. A band around the wrist lets you get back into the museum. I suppose the proximity of the hotel to the museum has its advantages.

To be continued...