Bilbao: Chapter 2

Leaving the market and its sensory over-load behind, we headed for the Guggenheim Museum ('El Gugg'). The building itself was astounding. The permanent installations filled the interior with perfection, as if the space was built for them. Most notable among these is Richard Serra's "The Matter of Time", a series of huge iron sculptures, in a massive gallery some 150 meters long. Walking through these sculptures is an intense experience, as the curving surfaces distort space and sound, constantly throwing you off balance. We probably spent an hour just in that one gallery. The current temporary exhibits, one on 300 Years of American Art (we flew to Europe to see this?) and another on Surrealism, were generally uninspiring aside from a few particular highlights.

We spent much of the rest of the day just ambling around the city, strolling along the riverfront, hanging out in the park (Amber snoozing, Matt roaming), and enjoying the vibe and the general lack of tourists compared to the mayhem of San Sebastian on the weekends. The city felt vibrant, young, full of visual and intellectual stimulation. The river corridor is particularly nice - in addition to the Museo Guggenheim, there are a number of bridges, some of them quite striking, a vast pedestrian path, and sculptures scattered among the mix of beautiful old and new buildings.

We found ourselves wishing we'd had more time to spend there, and considering heading that way for the next leg of our journey. But with the recent weather here - frequent rain and wind, and temperatures in the high 50's many days - the sun is also calling us. So we booked a flight to the Canary Islands! Two weeks there... Matt, of course, is hoping for birds and adventures, and is already planning outings in search of seabirds and endemic landbirds. Amber is looking forward to some sun and the local menu del dia, both of which the islands seem perfectly suited to.