We had planned to spend three nights in San Sebastian arriving on the Saturday afternoon. Then having become wise regarding Sunday's in Spain the next day in Bilbao. Worked very well. Such a change in temperatures in the north of Spain, otherwise known as Basque country. They speak/write an entirely different Spanish, which my beginners Spanish did not cope with. Use lots of 't,z,x' in their words, looked almost Russian. Like the Catalonians they want to be seperate from the rest of Spain and very passionate about independence.
San Sebastian is a resort town in the Bay of Biscay. Cobblestone streets, verdant treescapes and very nice shops, smartly dressed population. Was very beautiful and restful.
We were very lucky to stumble upon a fab restuarant called "Chutney Gastrobar" run by a couple of guys with maybe 8/10 tables? Always booked solid but we turned up at 7.20pm and they were keen to host two kiwis as long as we perched at the bar and gone by 8.30pm. Not a problem. We both struggle with waiting for dinner till 9pm as is the norm here. Exceptional food, small, tasty. The two hosts cooking in front of us, talking sixty to the dozen, while welcoming each local guest like old friends. Funnily enough we saw the two hosts in the town on the Monday shopping and lots of laughter about our time in Bilbao.
So Sunday as planned got the bus from San Sebastian to Bilbao, only took 1.5 hours for 7 euros each, a bargain on super slick Alsa buses. Walked directly to the famous Guggenheim Museum.
This puppy is covered in flowers, just so clever, at the main entrance.
Guggenheim is an amazing build, 33,000 titanium sheets, glass, steel at every angle possible. Designed by Frank Gehry opened 1997.
The museum houses modern, contemporary art. Think Pop Culture and Expressionism. You either like, admire it or you do not.
A black canvas with bottom left corner "unpainted".
Yes scrap metal installation with 4 paragraphs on what it all meant.
A clever piece from squashed bottle tops and various other waste products held together with copper wire and the rising sea telling us the end is nigh.
A collapsed pot plant made from canvas. Must have taken hours.
A nod to Andy Warhol and his followers.
Curved 25ml plate steel installation by Jeff Kroons which is also a maze.
Three floors maybe 2.5hrs later we came upon the final expressionist art piece. I burst into laughter and sat down beside a German couple who were also bemused.
We discussed how the worlds problems were supposedly caused by us baby boomers, who are also colonialists and racists. He said "and of course us Germans are Nazis also!!! All this while looking at the below installation. This is the emperors new clothes in art form.
I kid you not, Pinocchio face down in a tub of water and below it's title.
Oh and the strategically placed ladders with "war and peace" about how the artist was feeling, expressing with this installation.
Went for a stroll around the township of Bilbao, quite a bit going on for a Sunday really. Very eclectic mix of buildings.
Amazing picture made from coloured sawdust in front of the Cathedral.
Plants, flower, vinyl records and a book market.
Bilbao council chambers
Most of the streets are pedestrian only other than early morning deliveries.
This was the Centro train estacion but since moved to another part of the city.
In the immigrant part of the city, mostly from Senegal, Mali, Guinea etc. we came across a barbers come dreadlocks shop. Jeff's hair was getting wild so through hand signals, charades the chap worked out what was needed. Probably the only silver fox hair the barber had ever cut and along with the three young guys lounging about playing music "you tube " clips was very entertaining. The women doing dreadlocks was amazing to watch, patience personified.
Sayo the barber and a very trimmed Jeff. They do a great job with no hair from any part of the head escaping their attention - moustache, eyebrows, ears, nose. We had a similar experience in Tunisa, always memorable and fun.
We had mentioned the predominance of dachshunds, both short haired and long haired, in Spain. Just love this wee chap - slightly nervous waiting for dad outside a shop.
Back in San Sebastian we had a full day mooching about. Was very overcast and only 15C, a shock after all the late 20Cs etc. Certainly not conducive to spending the day on the gorgeous beach. We did the walk up to the old fortress remains, along the river and spent some time chatting to an Aussie couple who asked our opinion on which route to drive to Porto, Portugal. Around the coast as agreed.
One of the beaches at San Sebastian. There is a funicular to the right that takes to a historic castle.
The main beach San Sebastian called La Concha.
Several entrances through remains of the town wall
Storks nest in any available spot. This one with chicks. They are also endemic in Morocco.
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