Category Archives: Spain

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”

Spain

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

We had the chance to go to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The museum building itself is an amazing piece of architecture and art.

Shelley and Ray in front of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain

We walked around the building admiring the different shapes and art pieces on display outside.

Large flower puppy designed by Jeff Koons at the main entrance area of the Guggenheim museum

There was an area beside the museum which had a pond with a fog drifting above the water.  It was called the “fog Sculpture” designed by Fujiko Nakaya, and was created using 1,000 fog nozzles and a high-pressure pump system.

Fog Sculpture designed by Fujiko Nakaya at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao

There was also some tulips on display outside of the museum.  These tulips were large and made with chromium stainless steel and had a transparent colour coating.

Tulip sculpture designed by Jeff Koons outside of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao
Ray’s reflection in the tulip taking the photo.

We came across a large “Spider” which was on the walkway between the river and the museum.

Large spider exhibit on the sidewalk beside the Guggenheim Museum

The building is very large and took quite awhile to walk around the parameter.  As we came to the back side of the museum we found a large “diamond ring” in the pound.

Ray in front of the “diamond Ring” at the Guggenheim Museum
Engagement Diamond ring created by Joana Vasconcelos  outside of the Guggenheim museum

The engagement ring was made of gilded wheel rims and glass whisky tumblers for the diamond, it was quite impressive.

The building itself was multi-shaped and had a very distinguished look. The walls were curved and covered in a shiny metal which made the building look more like a piece of art than a museum.

A view of one of the wall areas of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa
Ray in front of the walls of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
Guggenheim museum building in Bilbao

The outside of the Guggenheim was such a great thing to experience. We enjoyed seeing the large art pieces and the building architecture but the inside is amazing and warrants a blog post of its own.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

A Flamenco concert in Vitoria-Gasteiz

We were fortunate to get tickets to a flamenco concert being held in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Victoria-Gasteiz.

Jose Thomas Jiménez renown guitarist on stage  playing flamenco music

The concert featured the renown flamenco guitarist José Tomás Jiménez. The small venue was at the Cathedral of Santa Maria which is located in the old quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We arrived early and managed to get seats which were close to the stage.

Vicki, Mark, Ray and Shelley in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Cathedral of Santa Maria was built in the late 13th century in a Gothic style. It was built as a church-fortress as part of defence system of the city. The area where the concert was held had a large arched ceiling and provided great acoustics.

Arched ceiling in the concert area of Santa Maria Cathedral.

José Tomás Jiménez began playing flamenco on the guitar and it was amazing the music he produced. We listened intently as he played for about 30 minutes non-stopped. He then had a drummer and a flamenco singer join him on stage.

Flamenco singer and drummer on stage with José Tomás Jiménez

They played flamenco music and the singer would sing along with her amazing voice. They played for about two hours with spectacular and intense flamenco music.  The concert was great and a fun way to spend the evening.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

North to Vitoria-Gasteiz

We decided to take a trip to the north of Spain to explore some of the area. We headed out by high-speed train with some friends to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Ray and Shelley on High speed train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

The train had lots of leg room and was quite comfortable. It is a great way to travel at 247 kms per hour.

247 Kms per hour speed sign on the train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

We arrived in the early evening to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, which is the capital city of the Basque region. This was our “base” and we would stay here and take day trips to explore the region. We got unpacked and settled in before exploring the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The following day we began exploring the city, which was very vibrant and interesting. We walked through the streets towards the centre of the city.

The streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz near the old quarter of the city.

We came to a main plaza called “Plaza de la Virgen Blanca” which is one of the oldest meeting points in the city.

Plaza de la Virgen Blanca in Vitoria-Gasteiz
Ray and Shelley at the base of the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca

There were some cafes and restaurants around the plaza with a larger monument in the centre. The monument called “La batalla de Vitoria” is a monument to remember the battle which took place in the city during the Napoleonic wars in 1813.

La batalla de Vitoria monument in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Vitoria-Gasteiz

We walked through the old quarter which dates back to the 11th century.   We came to the 11th century “wall” of Vitoria-Gasteiz which was a fortified wall to protect the city.

Section of the fortified wall of Vitoria-Gasteiz built-in the 11th century

We explored the old city centre and came across many unique and interesting buildings and architecture. Below are a few of the pictures in the old city centre of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

13th century building in centre of the old town in Victoria-Gasteiz
View from the church area to the Plaza Virgen de la blanca.
Ray overlooking the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz from the old city streets.
Plaza de España
Government building with gardens in old centre of town
Church in Vitoria-Gasteiz old centre

The city is rich with history dating as far back 581 AD. We spent the entire day exploring the streets of the old centre of the city. It was truly amazing to see such historic features in the city.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

A visit to the Mercado colón in Valencia

We stopped at the Mercado Colón to explore this beautiful structure.

The Mercado Colón in Valencia

The outside facade of the Mercado has two prominent masonry facades which look similar to triumphal arches.  The arches also are decorated with beautiful ornamentation.

Shelley in front of the arch of the Mercado colón

We walked through the Mercado and explored the inside of the building.

Snail ornament in ceramic tiles in the Mercado

There was a nice water feature on the lower level of the Mercado.

Water feature on the lower level of the Mercado
Water feature with statue and plants in the lower section of the Mercado

 

The Mercado is over 4300 square meters and has different shops and restaurants throughout.

In side view of the Mercado Colón in Valencia

The Mercado was built-in 1916 and has iron work from that period throughout the roof structure. We walked through looking at different shops and restaurants and decided to stop for a drink.

Shelley and Ray in the Mercado de Colón in Valencia

We enjoyed a nice coffee and relaxed enjoying the sights and sounds of the market. We even had a visitor drop by for a quick visit and snack.

Pigeon having some crumbs under our table at the Mercado

We stayed at the market for about an hour enjoying the lively atmosphere. It was a great way to spend some time.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”