This is the last post in my little series on Bilbao. These are just images from around and about, buildings I loved, murals, sculpture etc.
I worked from home today. It feels like a long time since I did that, though probably isn't so long in reality. It was a relief to be home and not commuting into London, Mr Mouse popping in to say hello from time to time, Tit giving me the odd quack from outside. I used my train time and lunch break to catch up on some much needed housework, and I even posted a few snaps on Instagram. I'll work from home again tomorrow. I'm still really busy and a bit stressed-out, but when your home sat on your own chair with nice things around you it's not quite so bad, that and the fact tomorrow's Friday!
Hope your not bored of my Bilbao posts (sorry if you are) I just want to share what we saw so much, it's such an inspiring place it feels wrong to keep it to myself. These shots are all from the Guggenheim, the building itself designed by Frank Gehry is a must see, both inside and out, the atrium acts as a massive heart pumping visitors around the building. Fujiko Nakaya's Fog sculpture drifts across the water every hour or so. Richard Serra's massive curving structures in rusted metal fill a whole wing of the gallery. Louise Bourgeois' majestic Mamam - the spider sculpture inspired by her mother stands outside. And then there are Jeff Koons' playful Tulips - giant metallic balloons, as well as Puppy the massive planted puppy dog that sits obediently outside the main entrance. Of course there is much, much more to see inside, we were lucky enough to catch David Hockney's - A Bigger Picture whilst we were there. If you're visiting Bilbao for the art you must also visit the Fine Arts Museum, it's just a short walk from the Guggenheim and well worth a visit (you can buy a special combined entry ticket to save a little money if you're visiting both galleries). I think I actually enjoyed this one a little more, unfortunately no photos to share but it's packed with art, predominantly but not exclusively from the Basque region, from the 12th century to the present day. There's a lot to see and if you're going I'd recommend a day for each gallery, and of course you could spend a lifetime going back for more!
So Bank Hoilday weekend is over, how was yours? We had a good one, stayed at home but had a few day trips out, saw family and friends, pottered and ate good food. I also dabbled with Instagram which I'm enjoying so much these days, if you're not on it yet I think you're missing out (I keep telling D the same)!
If you take the metro, which is well worth doing as its designed by Sir Norman Foster, to either Portugalete or Las Arenas you'll find the Vicaya Bridge. It's the world's oldest transporter bridge, built in 1893, it was designed by Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. You can cross by the gondola which hangs suspended over the water, or take the lift to the top and walk across. I walked across for the fantastic view and came back via the gondola. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the locals were promenading along the quayside in typical Spanish fashion - one of the things I love most about Spain and something I don't think we do enough of here in England.
In other news the long weekend is upon us (well here in the UK at least) I say hip hip hooray for a bank holiday, they tend to creep up and surprise me! Also check out my latest list over here on Francesca and Xanthe's Blog It's a List Thing this month mine's a list of things I collect, you might have seen some of my collections already, here, here, here, here, here, here and here - well there are more, I'll share them with you some other time. Meantime happy weekend to you all!
We did a fair bit of walking in Bilbao, and it's an easy place to wander round. It basically sits in a big bowl surrounded by green hills. Everywhere you go you find something of interest - an old building, a new one, crazy street furniture and sculpture. Even the library is a work of art and a cool place to hang out.
Back in reality, life here in the UK has been dominated by work hence my lack of blogging. My job's been really busy, I've needed to travel to London daily rather than my usual three days in London and two days at home. All that travelling takes away my free time - my time to be creative, to do the things I love like write this blog. But at least long train rides allow me to catch up with the blogs I love to read and follow your instagram antics, I've hardly posted any pictures there myself - there are only so many views from the train window I can bare to post!
Welcome to part 1 of Bilbao. D and I loved this place so much; the food, the architecture, the art, the people, the metro, the cleanliness, we just loved every minute of being there. We took a fair few pictures so there will be more posts like this to come. Hopefully they give a sense of what we loved so much.
In other news I'm just back from a three day photoshoot, we were shooting farm animals for a book I'm working on. It was lots of fun, I worked with some lovely people and fell in love with some very cute, adorable animals. It was a full-on three days and I'm now looking forward to a relaxing weekend hanging out with my D, Mr Mouse and Tit. The sun is out and I can't wait to get outside and make the most of it.
