Exploring Bilbao: Our Final Day in Spain

The Guggenheim Museum was, of course, a "must-see."

 Bilbao is only a little over an hour's drive from Donostia, and that was where we were turning in our rental car before our flight back to the U.K. the next morning. The rental return turned out to be slightly more complicated than we expected, mainly because we had set Dena, our GPS, to avoid U-turns. Apparently, Dena regards roundabouts as U-turns, so she directed us up a small road where we encountered a startled farmer and a pack of dogs, who also seemed a bit alarmed to see us! But we navigated that bizarre route, only to arrive at the airport where there was a sign for "Car Rental" but no sign indicating where to return a rental car, as there is at most airports. After driving for what seemed to be 15 minutes--but was probably less--we finally found the return area.

We had left our luggage at the Holiday Inn Express before dispensing with the car, so we only needed to cross the road to get a bus directly into Bilbao, which stopped a half-block from the Guggenheim Museum.

The Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, was definitely at the top of our list. While I liked the design of the museum more than his design of his Seattle building (formerly known as the Experience Music Project, and now identified as the Museum of Pop Culture), nonetheless I am not a big fan of Frank Gehry. (When it comes to post-modern architectural design, I prefer Zaha Hadid, who passed away in 2016.) But, in any case, the Guggenheim really put Bilbao on the map, and it is definitely worth a visit. It is fascinating to view the building from its many sides, since every one delivers a different "sculptural" view.

We were greeted by the famous Puppy sculpture by Jeff Koons. While perhaps not great art, it is whimsical, and no doubt the biggest West Highland Terrier that you will ever see. The plants are replaced each season.

You can gauge the height of Puppy when you see Kevin standing to the right.

The museum contains several well-known works of modern and Neo-Expressionist artists, including Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat, along with Pop Art masters such as Andy Warhol, although the Pop Art section was closed during our visit. (Pop Art does not appeal to me, and don't ask me to define any of the movements of modern or contemporary art. Ask Kevin, maybe he can.)

This Mark Rothko painting is part of the Guggenheim collection.

Tulips by Jeff Koons is prominently featured.

For me, Anthony McCall's Split Second was by far the most intriguing installation at the museum. His work uses cinematic projections of  mirrors and lights that seem like rising mist to create a hypnotic and ever-changing experience. What I liked most about his work was that observers not only become part of the creation, they can, if they like, generate new creations themselves. Extraordinary! 

Anthony McCall's installation became increasingly absorbing.

When you walk in, you are enveloped in darkness. Seats are provided so you can sit a while and let your eyes adjust. Initially, you see lighted designs that people are walking around. Then, as you go deeper, you observe streams of light, and finally you become part of the creation yourself.

Kevin became my first subject.

But my favorite photo featured a complete stranger.

When I looked at the photos on my camera later on, I saw what looked like a demon! I have no idea how this photo occurred. Honestly, I don't remember taking it. Spooky!

The demon photo!

We also saw the famous Maman sculpture of the giant spider. But this Maman appeared to be in the process of being repaired. How odd it was to see the workmen rising up under the spider.

The river walk in Bilbao that extends along the outside of the Guggenheim provides a lovely place for a stroll on a warm September afternoon. Unfortunately, my photos of it did not turn out. But we enjoyed walking around the city and even had a lunch at an Indian curry restaurant. (I felt a little guilty not to be sampling more Spanish cuisine, but the Indian restaurants near us at home aren't that good, so we like to take advantage of Indian food when we can.)

I liked Bilbao even more than I thought I would, and we spent a very pleasant day. We were also pleased with our choice of the Holiday Inn Express, which I'd recommend to anyone who is flying out of Bilbao on an early morning flight. The hotel was refurbished in 2023, and not only was our room comfortable, but they served breakfast at 5:30 a.m., which gave us plenty of time to take their free shuttle to the airport and catch our 7 a.m. flight to London Gatwick.

So it was farewell to Spain, and the beginning of new adventures in England.