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Spain

A Barrell of fun

We went to a bar called “Bodega del Riojano” in Santander Spain. This was a very interesting and quaint spot with an unassuming front entrance.

Entrance to the Bodega del Riojano in Santander, Spain

We went inside and immediately were impressed by the atmosphere and the unique decorations. There were barrels tops all painted with different images throughout the entire bar.

Barrels with unique paintings on each one above the bar area.
Barrels painted in the hallway of the Bodega del Riojano

We found a nice area to sit down and enjoy a drink . We could see that each barrel was painted with a different style and look. Some of the barrels had images that were photographs while the majority of them were hand painted.

Shelley, Ray, Mark and Vicki in the Bodega Del Riojano in Santander

The bar was a lot larger than it appeared with a large dinning area towards the rear of the building.

Part of the dinning area in the Bodega del Riojano
Barrels on display in a section of the Bodega del Riojana

There was some very interesting barrel paintings, including our favourite one. When you look closely at the painting you can see that one eye is missing. At the bottom of the paining is a bowl with an eye in with the olives.  The painting is done in a somewhat cubism style.

Barrel Painting entitled “Baco Cosecha 59” In the Bodega del Riojano

What was very interesting is that every barrel was painted by a different artist. The above barrel was painted by Sergio del Pozo Cossío, in 1994 “Baco Cosecha 59”.

Below are a few of the 126 barrels that are displayed in the Bodega del Riojano.

Artist Victor Merino
Artist Ricardo Zamorano Molina
Artist Pedro Flores
Artist Javier Vila Tierra Trágame
Entitled Peces
Artist Ana, Paillole

The Bodega del Riojano was a very unique spot and we enjoyed our time exploring the different barrels.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

Not a Canadian River

Sunday we went with friends to do some hiking in the foothills of the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park. It is located near the town of “Banyeres de Mariola” which is the highest town in the interior of the province of Alicante. The trail began with a concrete path which went towards the valley of the mountain.

Shelley at the beginning of the trail in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park.

We walked along the concrete trail for sometime and eventually the trail narrowed and changed to a dirt path.

A path in the park

We arrived to an area with a river called “Vinapoló” which was quite small and shallow. It appeared more like a stream than a river.

Shelley, Victor, Irena and Ray in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park

We walked along the path towards the source of the river. There were a few small footbridges that we crossed as we went along.

Footbridge over the Vinapoló river

We walked along the river for about an hour and came to the source of the Vinapoló, which was an underground stream.

The source of the Vinapoló river

We followed the trail further and came to some building ruins that were quite old and other unique features.

building ruins in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park

We even saw in the distance some castle ruins, but decided that it was too far for this trip.

Castle ruins along the trails in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park.

We did not pack enough water or food to hike to the castle ruins so we will save that for another time. We walked about 10 kilometers during our time in the park. It was a great day and we enjoyed seeing some of the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Santander Spain

We went to port city of Santander which is the capital of the historical region of Cantabria. It is located on the north coast of Spain. We walked along the coastline which had a large park. 

Park area near the bay of Cantabria bay

We walked through the park exploring and admiring the views. We came across some bronze status, which was a memorial.

Memorial of the fire of February 15, 1945 in Santander, Spain

It was a memorial for the rebuilding of Santander after the massive fire of February 15, 1941,  which destroyed most of the city. During the fire a total of 72,211 firefighters fought the fire and its aftermath. There was only one death throughout the fire and it was a firefighter named Julian Sanchez who was from Madrid.

Ray and the memorial

The park was quite long and ran parallel to the water.  Along the parkway we came across a large structure which was quite unique.

Structure along the coastline in Santander, Spain

It is called “Centro Botín” and it is an art center with a very unique architectural design. We walked under the edge of the Centro Botin near the water.

Shelley under the base of the Centro Botin Art building in Santander
Centro Botin, Santander

The building appears split into two halves with a central connecting hallway. There is also a stairs and an elevator which allowed people to reach the roof. We decided to head to the roof and check out the views. 

Shelley and Ray on the roof of the Centro Botin art building in Santander, Spain

We continued our walk along the  park and came across some bronze statues of children, called “raqueros”.

Bronze status of children on the shoreline of Santander, Spain

Apparently the story of the statues is to depicted the children who would wait for the tourist ships to arrive at port. The tourist would trow coins into the water and the children would dive in for the coins.

Statue of child diving into the water in Santander, Spain

We walked along the park for a while before heading in to explore  the old quarter of Santander.  The waterfront parkway was a great time and a leisurely way to spend a few hours.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

A visit to San Sebastien, Spain

We went to San Sebastien to explore this beautiful city. We began our exploring by taking the hop-on-hop-off bus.

Hop-on-hop-off Bus in San Sebastian, Spain

We were able to explore the different areas of San Sebastian and see some of the key points of interest before exploring them in more detail on foot.

Shelley, Ray, Mark and Vicki on the Hop-on-hop-off bus in San Sebastian

The city had some unique and beautiful sites. There are several great beaches which are very picturesque.

Beach front of San Sebastian, Spain

Ray on the boardwalk at the edge of the concha beach.

We walked through the old city centre exploring its charm. There was some beautiful architecture and parks.

We then went to “Funicular Monte Igueldo” which is a mountainside train which brings you to an amusement park. We decided to take the train car which is pulled up the mountain Igueldo by cable to the top.

The Funicular Monte Igueldo cable car in San Sebastian

We bought our tickets and lined up for the next cable car.

Ray, Shelley, Vicki and Mark waiting for the cable car to arrive.

You could see the train tracks leading up the Igueldo mountain.

Funicular train tracks leading the cable car to the top of the mountain

We rode the cable car up the tracks to the top of the mountain. It was an eerie felling as we went up the steep incline of the mountain. There was no sound of a motor and if the cable broke the cable car would surely go straight down the mountain. When we reached the amusement park at the top the views were spectacular.

Shelley, Ray, Mark and Vicki at the top of the mountain overlooking the city of San Sebastian, Spain

We walked around the top of the Igueldo mountain enjoying the beautiful views.

Amusement park on the top of the mountain

A view from the mountain pf the City of San Sebastian

We decided to stop and have a refreshing drink while looking at the views. Afterwards we headed back down the mountain using the cable car. We enjoyed exploring the city of San Sebastian and look forward to our next visit to this wonderful spot.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

Inside the Guggenheim Museum

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We bought tickets to go to the Guggenheim museum. The tickets were 16 euros each and provided a specific time for entry into the museum. We went a bit early and managed to get in before our selected time by approximately 30 minutes.

Shelley using the hand-held audio device issued by the museum

The inside of the museum is very unique and interesting. In the main atrium area of the museum there was a large flowing material which looked similar to a plant. It is called the “Egeria”, and is made of different fabrics, colours and textures. It flows throughout the ceiling and walking areas.

a section of the Egeria art exhibit in the atrium of the Guggenheim museum

A large section of the Egeria art exhibit hanging in the centre of the atrium area

Shelley and Ray on a walkway in the atrium of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

The “Egeria” exhibit was created by Joana Vasconcelos a reputed Portuguese artist. She was also one of the featured artist in the museum with her exhibit show entitled “I’m your mirror”

We went through her exhibits and were astonished by some of her art. In particular the “Call Centre” which was made up entirely of old style dial telephones.  The telephones are combined to create a black handgun. It was surprising to hear the telephones playing  an electo-acoustic symphony using the bells in the telephone.

The Call Center exhibit by Joana Vasconcelos in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

We also came across Joana Vasconcelos’s  Marilyn, from 2011. It is a pair of large stiletto shoes that on closer inspection are composed of pots and pans.

Joana Vasconcelos art piece entitled Marilyn, a pair of large stiletto shoes made of pots and pans.

There were many unique and interesting pieces at the museum. One exhibit which was extremely large and different was created by Richard Serra. It was entitled “The Matter of Time”

The exhibit was so large that an entire wing of the museum housed the exhibit. It was made using weathered steel and consisted of eight different sculptures. The steel was quite thick and each piece was approximately 20 feet hight.

The Matter of Time, sculptures at the Guggenheim museum

sculptures of “The Matter of Time” in the Guggenheim museum

We walked through the different sculptures and each one was a different. The walls of each one of the sculptures were slanted in different ways. After walking through the sculptures it made us feel slightly dizzy and disoriented. It was a weird feeling because we had just walked through the sculptures.

Shelley and Ray in the centre of one of “The Matter of Time” sculptures

We spent most of the day in the museum exploring the different exhibits. It was a very enjoyable and a great experience.

“Ados eta egun handia”