van
Current Location:
nashville, Tennessee
Study break in bilbao
April 19-21, 2019
Basque country life:
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The best part about going to a less populated city is having a close airport. After 30 minutes on a bus and a 5 minute metro ride, we got off at Casco Viejo - Bilbao's medieval quarter. I liked seeing people everywhere right when we got off of the metro stop. They were just enjoying a casual Friday afternoon with a drink and some pintxos (like the Basque version of tapas). I'm not sure if this scene was a daily/weekly occurrence or more of a special weekend activity since it was Easter Weekend and Basque Fest in Bilbao, either way I was excited to be in the city during this time.
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The weather was perfect for spending time outside and walking the streets, so we dropped off our bags at the airbnb in Casco Viejo and went to find some pintxos at the places near us. Ordering pintxos was very weird. You basically grab what you want and pay at the end. It just seemed like it would be easy for people to walk out without paying, but I guess the system works here. Each pintxo is about 2-3 euros, and they change throughout the day so there are lots of options!
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Casco Viejo is a great spot for some sightseeing. After lunch we went to Plaza Nueva, Bilbao Cathedral, and La Ribera Market. Plaza Nueva is a square with lots of tables and surrounding shops/places to eat. Lots of people were there having an afternoon snack or drink while passing the time. This weekend there was also a stage in the middle for Basque Fest festivities. Bilbao Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church from the 14th C that has a mix of Gothic and Neo-Gothic style. When we were exploring the streets of this part of the city, we happened to run into La Ribera Market near the river. La Ribera is just like Torvehallerne in Copenhagen and Mercado San Miguel in Madrid with a ton of restaurants inside. Since we just ate lunch we just browsed all the restaurants inside to see what we wanted when we came back tomorrow night.
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It was still only 4:30ish after walking around Casco Viejo, so there was still a lot of sunlight left in the day for another activity. Seeing the sun still out was a big change from the early nights at the beginning of the semester in Copenhagen, but I didn't mind at all. I read about the Funicular de Artxanda when I was looking up things to do in Bilbao, and I thought it looked super cool. The Funicular is a cable railway from the 1900s that goes up at an angle up Mount Artxanda. At the top there's an amazing view of the city and a park along with a few other buildings. It only cost 3.50 euros to go up and down the mountain on the 3 minute funicular, and it was so worth it. Nothing beats a good view of a city and the reason I don't see some of them in other cities I visit is because of the lines and cost. But for a 3 euro ride and a short wait to see the entire city of Bilbao, I was here for it. The walk to the Funicular was also nice because we got to walk along the water and see most of the city. There were more sites for Basque Fest activities, lots of ice cream stands, and fun water activities like paddle boarding and canal tours.
On Saturday we did the Bilboat canal tour that we saw on the way to the Funicular. It was 13 euros and you can buy tickets ahead of time on their website, but the site was being kind of shady when trying to reserve. There are tours that just go along the city or you can choose a longer tour that goes all the way to the ocean. They also give you a free audio headset so everyone can understand the tour. My ranks of best canal tours in Europe are probably Paris, Bilbao, Amsterdam.
Casco Viejo Metro Stop Area
Funicular de Artxanda
Bilboat Stop Along the River
La Ribera Market
Basque fest:
Basque Fest is a giant 4 day festival of Basque culture in Bilbao during Easter weekend. There are themes such as Gourmet, Cinema, Culture, Market, Music and Sport in different sites around Bilbao. The schedule includes concerts, learning the Basque language, dance exhibitions, workshops for Basque instruments, learning traditional sports, and watching street entertainment. I thought it was a super cool idea for the city to teach people about their culture and it was fun for me to visit as a tourist. The schedule was insanely packed and included so many different things at different locations simultaneously. The city really invests a lot of time and resources into Basque Fest and it showed. Our last night we ran into a dance show near our airbnb and the place was crowded with people. It was a nice way to end study break - and my last trip for the entire semester before heading home.
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Another city, another gugg - Guggenheim Bilbao Museum:
In 8th grade, I made a paper mache model of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim in Bilbao. Seeing the museum in person was significantly more impressive than my model and fulfilled my childhood dream of going to Bilbao. The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum may be my favorite museum yet and not just because I've been obsessed with seeing it since 2012.
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I've hear some people say they don't like modern art because it doesn't make sense or its too ambiguous, but I don't think that can be said about the Guggenheim in Bilbao. The range of modern and contemporary exhibited by the Guggenheim were relevant and interesting.
Architecture Effects examines the historical developments during the time of the Gugg's construction and the 'effects' of architecture in contemporary life now. Talking about how architecture in itself produces an effect is best exemplified by the Guggenheim's role in coining the phenomenon known as the "Bilbao Effect." The Bilbao Effect is the transformation of a city by global visitors due to the construction of a cultural icon - like the Guggenheim. Gehry's Guggenheim was monumental for its organic, deconstructivist style that resembles a ship moving through the water. The ship imagery is important for referencing the history of Bilbao as a major port. Also the use of digital design technology in creating these curving titanium clad forms made the building an incredible innovation.
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The entire second floor exhibited Jenny Holzer's Thing Indescribable (Mar. 22- Sept. 9). This exhibit was amazing and powerful in its curation and message. Holzer is an American artist known for her use of language and text to highlight the social issues facing our generation. She uses different mediums from posters to stone benches to human bones to make public statements on the fundamental concerns of our time, such as the global refugee crises, sexual assault, and the systematic abuse of power. Honestly, the one of the most memorable and compelling exhibits that I have seen to date. One aspect of the Guggenheim Bilbao that I really enjoyed while viewing this floor was the breakup of exhibition spaces into physically separate rooms. Rooms were small and connected by hallways rather than feeling restricted in an exhibition that has all the rooms sharing walls.
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If you really aren't a modern art fan, the exhibit on Giorgio Morandi and the Old Masters is on the third floor until Oct. 6, 2019 and examines the influence of the 16th-18th C Old Masters on Morandi and his still lifes in the 20th C. I thought this exhibit diversified the art experience of the Guggenheim extensively and made my visit more interesting.
