Bilbao and Pamplona Gallery
One has art; the other has bulls. They are the capitals of their respective provinces and have a lot more going for them than the things which make them famous. Here we share some of our favourite images from Bilbao and Pamplona.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was designed by architect Frank Gehry
The strange fog, which appears hourly, is another outdoor artwork
There is also a Guggenheim Museum in NYC, in case you feel confused
Gehry says he was inspired by fish in his mother’s bath tub (yes really) but I thought it looked more like a ship heading down the river
One of the outdoor artworks at the Guggenheim
“Maman” means Mother and the museum’s audio guide includes a rather odd explanation by Bourgeois of how and why this spider represents her mother
This enormous mural is painted on one of the supporting pillars of La Salve bridge near the Guggenheim
The museum’s website explains that this living sculpture uses two of the most saccharine symbols available (flowers and a puppy) to create “a monument to the sentimental”.
San-Marié and Daniel on the Zubizuri (Basque for “white bridge”)
Our local guide, Daniel, used this beautiful window in the train station to explain how Basque sports evolved from agricultural activities
Arcos Rojos means red arches and these arches were added to La Salve bridge in 2007 to mark the Guggenheim’s 10th birthday
A rainy afternoon and the timing (we went exploring during the siesta) meant we had the streets of Pamplona to ourselves
We had the enormous cathedral complex to ourselves for our entire visit, a rather magical experience
Sunlight in one of the chapels of the Santa Maria Cathedral in Pamplona
A retable is a decorative structure raised above an altar, in case you haven’t visited 12 cathedrals in the last month, like us
Modern art has been carefully (and in my view very successfully) incorporated into the Pamplona Cathedral
A more traditional arcade in the cloister attached to the Pamplona Cathedral
Detail from the Santa Maria Cathedral in Pamplona
Iruña is Basque for Pamplona
Photographic experience surface in this Bilbao and Pamplona Gallery. Congratulations to the photographer. I personally love building photos,but struggle.