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.
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, SpainRay 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 mountainA 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.
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 museumA large section of the Egeria art exhibit hanging in the centre of the atrium areaShelley 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 museumsculptures 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.
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 BilbaoRay’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 MuseumEngagement 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 BilboaRay in front of the walls of the Guggenheim Museum in BilbaoGuggenheim 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.
We went to Valencia to celebrate Shelley’s birthday. Our day began with a 1:40 minute train ride to the city of Valencia. We arrived to a beautiful warm day in downtown Valencia. We settled in to our hotel before heading out for a walk through the city. We started out walking through the beautiful “Jardin del Turia.”
Path in the “Jardin del Turia” which leads under one of the bridges in the city.Jardin del Turia in Valencia
The park has a very interesting past. It was originally the Turia River which overflowed its banks in October, of 1957. The flooding reached heights of over five meters (17 feet) high. At least 81 people died and thousands were displaced during the flooding. As a result of the devastation caused by the flooding the city decided to divert the entire river through fields south of the city. After much debated and public protest the former seven kilometres of riverbed was converted to the current park in 1986.
Map of the Jardin del Turia Park
We walked through a section of the Jardin del Turia and then headed towards the centre of the city. Along the way we came across some beautiful building architecture, parks and statues .
Building in Valencia with ornate decorOrnate building in Valencia
We stopped along the way to enjoy the views and admire our surroundings.
One of the arches in ValenciaShelley and Ray in front of one of the many statues in ValenciaShelley in front of the fountain near city hall plaza in Valencia
We walked along the streets until we reached city hall plaza.
City hall Plaza in Valencia
The streets around the plaza were cordoned off and there was a large street party going on. We stopped to check out the live music and walk through the area.
Street party with live music at Valencia City Hall Plaza
After exploring the city centre, it was getting dark so we decided to walk back to our hotel, which was a fair distance away. On the way back the city views changed as it got darker.
Valencia city view in the eveningThe view of the City Hall Plaza at night in ValenciaFerris wheel in ValenciaA section of “Jardin del Turia” at night
It was a long walk but very enjoyable. The city of Valencia has some beautiful features and architecturally interesting buildings.
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