Spain: Guggenheim Bilbao

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

Exterior of Guggenheim seen from a slight distance

Designed by Frank Gehry, opened in 1997, Guggenheim Bilbao is now known the world over.  It was an instant hit in a city that before then was much more industrial and not a must-see tourist destination.  The Guggenheim Foundation was looking for a site in Europe for a second museum and had been interested in Salzburg, Austria. 

A big Mozart anniversary was looming, and that city didn’t have the bandwidth to both celebrate Mozart and deal with a $100 million dollar museum project. Hence, a formerly industrial area of this city, Bilbao, became the site, and museum construction took about four years.

View of part of exterior
Maman, spider, Louise Bourgeois
Soft Shuttlecock, Oldenburg & van Bruggen

For anyone who has seen photos, Gehry’s building is unusually shaped, weird looking, and stunning. It has angles and towers and a thin layer of titanium on the exterior that shines slightly in different kinds of light. There are also several sculptures around the museum plaza outside, including Louise Bourgeois’ spider, a tribute to her weaver mother, and inside, such as the collapsed Badminton birdie which upon first viewing looks like a plant or fern leaves.

We spent several hours at the museum today, both inside and outside with our guide Sergio.  He’s well versed in the details of its construction and able to speak in detail about the paintings and other art works inside.

PERMANENT COLLECTION

Not surprising, I suppose, many art pieces are by Americans, and women are very well represented throughout the exhibits we saw on display.  Some galleries are changed out every several months. 

On the other side of Holzer’s piece, viewers see the text in Spanish or another language

Among the permanent pieces are a light and scrolling text piece related to AIDS by Jenny Holzer simply entitled, Installation for Bilbao, 1997, and eight huge metal sculptures that visitors can walk into or through by Richard Serra. 

Richard Serra’s work with Snake in the middele

A sinuous one is called Snake, and the others are part of a series entitled, Torqued Ellipses, 1996-98, or The Matter of Time.

Span of Serra’s large pieces in one long gallery
Kruger’s text and spatial work

We also got a glimpse of Barbara Kruger’s skylight exhibit, The globe shrinks (for those who own it), in which the walls and floor are covered with words in red relating to inequality. 

Experiencing Kusama’s mirrored room

Japanese artist Yayyoi Kusama provides a strange experience in a small mirrored room with lights, Infinity Mirrored Room – A Wish for Human Happiness Calling from Beyond the Universe, 2020.  The colored lights go on and off, the room briefly goes completely dark, and you see several reflections of yourself.  Only four or five people fit in the closed room at a time.

And lastly, one more work we found intriguing, which our guide called Box Man. We didn’t get the name of the artist, but its emphasis on clothing to the exclusion of some other features made it memorable.

Box Man

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Spain: Basque Geology & History

GETTING TO BILBAO

The destination for the day was Bilbao, but we went there via two interesting towns and a local winery.  The morning was cold to start (only about 55 degrees), but by noontime, the temperature was above 70. 

GEOPARK IN ZUMAIA

Beach and environs, Zumaia

A short distance from San Sebastián is the town of Zumaia, population around 10,000.  We came here with our seasoned guide Angel to visit this geopark and the surprising rock formations for which it is known.  Basque Coast Geopark is a small area between the Bay of Biscay and the mountains.  In 2015, it was named a UNESCO Global Geopark.  The surrounding area is a warm green with vegetation, and there is a small beach which attracts swimmers and surfers.

Flysch and rocky coast

What makes this park unique are the striking layered sedimentary rock formations called by the German word flysch which means “flowing.”  It was first used by a Swiss geologist in 1827.  Layers of rock under the ocean for 50 million years were pushed upright exposing the different composition and color of individual layers. 

Note the sharp outcroppings
Lone tree at the top
Horizontal ridges from beach to ocean water

Some of this action resulted from the formation of the Iberian Peninsula which previously was separate from France and the rest of Europe.  It is said that each layer represents about 10,000 years of history, and that overall tens of millions of years have been exposed here.  I found these rock formations spectacular and impressive; unlike anything I have seen elsewhere.

MEDIEVAL GETARIA

After coffee and cookies in a small bakery, a much-appreciated stop on this crisp morning, we ventured on to the medieval town of Getaria.  An early Roman village, some walls and buildings remaining, Getaria was named after the square stone Roman sinks called “cetaria.” 

Roman wall in Getaria

Parts of the cathedral here are from the 13th century and its pink stone reveals the significant presence of iron.

Part of church façade, Getaria

Also noteworthy is that this was the home of fashion designer Balenziaga and Juan Sebastian Elkano, the Basque navigator and explorer who made the first circumnavigation of the world on the only ship in the Magellan expedition that successfully returned to Spain.

Explorer Elkano of the 16th century

WINE ON THE TERRACE

Our outing on this day concluded with a visit to a lovely winery, Ameztoi, in the mountains outside Getaria.  Here we enjoyed the view from the terrace while sampling a fizzy white wine and a new rose they are producing. We sipped the wines along with bites of three local cheeses and some delectable tuna. 

Terrace table, Amerztoi Winery

What surprised me was that we were the only visitors at that time; a big bus group was just leaving when we arrived. No one from the winery checked on us or tried to induce us to buy bottles to take home.  A most relaxing interlude!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

Spain: Tolosa

TOWN OF TOLOSA

Street scene, Tolosa

Today we spent some time in the Basque countryside stopping in Tolosa, south of San Sebastián, on the way.  Tolosa is a junction point between Navarre and San Sebastián and from early times was an important trading area.  Today it has a population of just over 20,000 people and hosts a large and busy Saturday farmer’s market. 

This was evident in the crowded underground parking garage where our guide had to go round and round before he found a spot for the van.  Sensibly, there are small lights over each space, green indicating an empty available space and red one that is occupied.  Looking across the garage, you can then see and head for a green light.

Tolosa’s old gate and newer buildings

I was struck by the town’s striking architecture, tall buildings with colored facades, a metal sculpture that folks both walked through or around, and an ancient stone gate to the city.  Plus a three piece band was playing catchy music on the corner when we exited from the garage.

FARMERS’ MARKET

Market in Tolosa

I always enjoy seeing markets in another country, even though tomatoes and lettuce look pretty much the same wherever you go.  For me, there’s something appealing in how the produce or the cheeses (some not wrapped) or the eggs (baskets) are displayed.

Peppers, eggplant, onions, etc.
Fresh bread, anyone?

This is semi-open air with a clear glass canopy, and lots of folks stocking up on sausages, cheeses, walnuts, apples, or pumpkin for the week ahead.  A busy place.

RETURNING TO THE GARAGE

After our tour of the town, we were ready to head out really to the country, a small town, and eventually a large pig farm where we would have lunch.  But first, the issue was getting the van out of its parking space.  The orange car on one side had parked head out, but well into the green band, the pedestrian walking area.  Our guide, Angel, made five or six attempts to back out, but with that car sticking out and a car parked directly behind us, it was impossible.

He was thinking about  Plans B and C, but he went and found two garage staff. Their first response was they would call the police.  The woman brought me a chair which she put in an empty parking spot—guess I looked like I needed to sit, probably the white hair! 

Waiting for the van in the parking garage!

The man went with Angel to provide guidance while we waited out of the way in the spot.  Shortly thereafter, the car directly behind us left, and this gave Angel enough space with direction from the parking staff to back out.  We breathed a sigh of relief—we were not going to spend the rest of the day marooned in Tolosa.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Spain: Basque Pig Farm

FROM TOLOSA TO THE COUNTRY

Valley in the mountains

After enjoying the architecture and the farmers’ market in Tolosa, we went up into the mountains, ending up eventually at a family farm of about 100 acres. The husband and wife and their three children are the 13th generation to manage and maintain this farm. They have 400 pigs, more than 10 horses, a few donkeys, and some beef cattle. The pigs are the main enterprise, and most of them end up as hams and salami. The pigs freely eat the acorns and chestnuts on the land and their diet gets supplemented with corn and other items.

PIG HUT

Upon arrival on the property, we made a brief stop to check out a pig house. We walked up a small slope littered with fluffy-looking chestnut remains to a small 17th century wooden building. Inside are six segregated sties where expectant pigs and new pig mothers and their piglets can rest for a while. We went in and peered at two sets of sleeping pigs and piglets. A light shone in one sty, providing some warmth I guess.

Adult pig outside showing face, floppy ears & large size

Looking up, the ceiling was covered with thick spider web after thick whitish spider web.

Pig enclosure showing spider webs on ceiling

The spiders are allowed and encouraged to keep down the other insects. These Basque pigs, the most desirable ones, are mostly gray with some large pink areas on their sides.

Three baby pigs snuggle against mama

The mothers and babies were all much bigger than I expected.

LOVELY LUNCH

From the pig hut, we then drove up to the main house area and met P and M and their eldest daughter. The views are lovely, and they have a thriving vegetable garden.

Farm’s vegetable garden

We learned that P’s father died unexpectedly when he was only 19 and so, he inherited the property at that point. His wife, Maite, is from Tolosa. Previously, she was a hairdresser and then a restaurant owner. After their children, she stayed home and began to offer home cooked lunches using the products of their farm.

Hams hanging in the dining area; note the picture of a Basque pig on the wall behind
Pork products of the farm

The first course was a plate of prosciutto-like ham, slices of salami and chorizo, and tiny slices of sirloin ham, all from their pigs. I should mention that the dining room where we sat had hams aging and hanging from the ceiling, just not right above our table. Second course was mini ham croquettes, followed by fresh cepes or porcini with scrambled eggs, and then, a lovely piece of nicely seasoned beef cooked over a wood fire with roasted red pepper slices on the side.

Finally we sampled a delicate flan for dessert from P’s aunt’s recipe. We enjoyed some local cider (tart not sweet) and water with the meal. Maite does all the cooking and preparation, and it was a tasty and most memorable meal! And at that point, we were probably all ready for naps.

Flan from a family recipe

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)