In order to avoid having to drive through such a large city, we took the excellent Metro from Sopelana to Bilbao, a ride of about forty minutes. Before catching the Metro, we ate breakfast at an awesome restaurant called La Kala. The coffee and tortillas were amazing and the atmosphere was colorful and vibrant. I accidentally left my camera in the car, so I don’t have any pictures of the Guggenheim Museum, but it is wonderfully done. They give every guest an audio guide in their native language that provides information on each work of art, as well as architectural information about the Guggenheim’s unique design. J. Santiago’s favorite exhibit was the collection of large Richard Serra sculptures that resemble the bat cave from Toronto International Airport (Serra designed that one as well). The Guggenheim has a massive room filled with these larger-than-life sculptures that encourage you to explore. Serra intentionally angles the sculptures and gives them a labyrinthine quality to create a feeling of claustrophobia and misdirection. My favorite exhibit was Jenny Holzer’s Installation for Bilbao. The piece has LED panels that tell a series of aphorisms detailing love, intimacy, and loss in Spanish and English in red on the front and Basque, a once forbidden language, in blue on the back. They read like a beautiful piece of modern poetry and are enhanced by the mirrored wall behind the piece that reflects the Basque text.
After a long tour of the Guggenheim, we went to the Casco Viejo for their nueva cocina and txakoli wine. We also visited the Basque Museum before taking the Metro back to Victor’s car and hitting the road to Santillana del Mar, a medieval town close to the famous Altamira Caves. They call it the town of three lies because it is not holy (santi), flat (llana), or on the sea (del mar), but it is a charming town and our favorite stop on the trip. Due to city ordinances dating back to 1575, citizens have never been able to bring a horse or car into the city unless they have a garage in which to keep it. The consequence is a pedestrian-friendly haven that looks like something straight out of a movie set!
Santillana del Mar:
When we finally made it to Santiallana del Mar after hours in traffic, we checked in at the only hotel we slept in during our week of travels. The hotel, Siglo XVIII, was absolutely lovely and the receptionist told us that we were there for the evening of the Festival of Santa Juliana and a celebration was going on in the city center.
The amazing hotel:
We headed for the plaza and enjoyed an evening of entertainment, free food, and wonderful sites.
The Festival:
Enjoying the free food (chorizo con pan y cerveza...YUM!):
The city at night:
We walked back to the hotel for a great night’s sleep.
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