Tag Archives: Spain

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”

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

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”