Lezama to Bilbao - September 1st & 2nd, 2011

                                                  

Fortunately, this was a short walk (11.79 kms.) as it was hot, humid, and apparently all uphill. Although this was certainly not one of the hardest walks, it offered little in the way of interesting vistas & at one point, I sent Sergio a text saying simply "estoy muriendo" ("I am dying") as I thought I might not make it up the incline. However, the arrival in the beautiful and fascinating city of Bilbao made the torture worthwhile.





We had decided to spend an extra day in Bilbao, both to visit the Guggenheim Museum there as well as to connect with a chico that I had met the night I encountered Sergio: Nacho. I will let Sergio write about our night out on the town eating tapas, etc.

The Guggenheim was simply fantastic: all of the exhibits were extremely captivating and thought-provoking. I kept thinking that I had never been so impressed by or engrossed in an art museum. They employ a great audio guide system where, in addition to learning about Frank Gehry's process of designing the incredible space that is the Guggenheim, each of the artists displayed discuss the thinking behind their work.

The curves on the building were to appear random. The architect said that "the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light". When it was opened to the public in 1997, it was immediately hailed as one of the world's most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism, although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement. Architect Phillip Johnson called it "the greatest building of our time".  Computer simulations of the building's structure made it feasible to build shapes that architects of earlier eras would have found nearly impossible to construct.

The collections usually highlight avant-garde art, 20th century abstraction, and non-objective art.






The famous sculpture of flowers that stands at the museum entrance known simply as "Puppy".






                  Windows reflecting the architecture surrounding the museum.





                      Sergio getting caught up in work while on vacation.





A photo of one of the exhibits where the artist is using LED technology to communicate words related to love and connectedness.

One of the exhibits that (as a psychologist) I found most interesting was a room full of televisions, each with a comfortable chair, with each screen showing a different person from Bosnia "telling their story".  It seemed that the idea was to demonstrate how the telling of one's story and making of a narrative is an intimate process that requires a "listener" who shares in the process.

El camino de hoy es explosivo, tras un pequeño recorrido de unos cuatro kilómetros llegamos a Zamudio, donde se encuentra la Torre de Malpica, donde en un expositor te explican las costumbres de la época medieval, su gastronomía y costumbres, junto a la iglesia de Santa María.
Pasamos junto a una zona industrial y de repente comenzamos una empinada subida hacia el monte Avril, con otra vertiginosa bajada con una espectacular panorámica de Bilbao. Demasiado calor por el camino y la humedad que se evapora del terreno se puede masticar.
Bilbao, nos recibe por su casco viejo, el cual ya solo abandonaremos para ir al museo Guggenheim.





Este llama poderosamente la atención desde la distancia, gracias a sus sinuosas formas en placas de titanio, como si de escamas de pescado se tratasen, según parece ser al arquitecto de tan caprichoso diseño le recordaban a las carpas que de pequeño echaban a la bañera tras volver con ellas del mercado. El interior es un derroche de imaginación de formas curvas, en el que casi las rectas no existen. Curiosamente el arquitecto hizo un boceto en un sobre el propio hotel cercano a la zona donde posteriormente se construyo este impresionante museo. Alberga obras, con las que los visitantes pueden interactuar con ellas.

The Matter of Time, a series of weathering steel sculptures designed by Richard Serra and housed in the 430-foot (130 m) Arcelor Gallery (formerly known as the Fish Gallery). (photo courtesy of Wikipedia).  Por ejemplo hay una elipses deformadas en las que al caminar por ellas la sensación de mareo y desorientación es normal. Están construidas de unas enormes planchas de acero de cinco centímetros, que se dejaron oxidar en el exterior para dar diferentes tonos y curiosas texturas.




                               Dusty reflejada un tulipán.

Tulipanes

                         Sergio's contribution to the Guggenheim Collection.                    

 Sin embargo hay otras que desde mi punto de vista son autenticas estupideces. Nunca imagine que los escombros y retos de obras recogidas de los vertederos pudiesen considerarse por si mismas obras de arte... ¡Venga ya! estructura de carton yeso retorcidos.

Bueno anoche llame a Natxo, un chaval bilbaíno que conocí el año pasado en el Camino de Santiago, que hizo parte del Camino en bici, y que al final realizamos algunas etapas juntos. y que con el que pase muy buenos ratos. Tuvimos sin lugar a dudas un buen anfitrión que nos llevo por los diferentes bares del casco antiguo, degustando pinchos y bebiendo vino Txakoli, por entre las llamadas sietes calles, que todas ellas desembocan en la ría. Acabamos bien entrada la noche y emplazando nuestra próxima reunión en Málaga.

I had a wonderful time sharing in a "pinchos tour" guided by Sergio's friend, Natxo (Nacho), whom I had met the previous year at the same time that Sergio and I first crossed paths.  We stayed out late, eating, drinking and listening to music until the early morning hours.

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