Bilbao and Ibarra land

Bilbao

After a long day driving to Bilbao, we woke up late and set off for the Guggenheim. As usual we quickly found ourselves lost. For us being lost is part of the fun. As we attempted to get back on course we rounded a corner and saw the city of Bilbao stretched out below us. This actually helped as we were able to see the Guggenheim and the roads that led to it.

Maman Spider

As we approached the museum we walked under the giant spider by Maman. There was something very alien about the enormous sculpture.

Exterior of the Guggenheim

The architecture of the Guggenheim, designed by Frank Gehry, is absolutely amazing. The exterior is clad with a very thin layer of Titanium and is a soft silver / gold color. The building is designed to echo the lines of a ship and as it is situated along the river, it really does feel nautical.



Jeff Koons "Puppy"

In addition to the Spider, there are several other pieces of Phart located outside the building. These include the Jeff Koons "Puppy". This giant dog is covered in flowering plants. Another piece of Koon's work, "Tulips" also sits on a balcony off the building.

Richard Serra's work

Inside the Guggenheim is Richard Serra's "The Matter of Time". This exhibit consists of about 8 large scale steel pieces that curve, wrap and undulate in various directions, throwing off ones sense of perspective as you walk through them. Surprisingly, we found that the exhibits inside were minimal, as we happened to be there while the entire second floor was closed in preparation for a new exhibit. The building is only three floors tall with the entrance / lobby taking up the majority of the first floor. Aside from the large pieces, the majority of the works were from the post World War 1 era. While these were interesting we found ourselves underwhelmed. In retrospect visiting the outside of the Guggenheim would probably have been enough.

Ibarraland

We then hopped back in our car and headed south towards Ibarraland. Ok there isn't really an Ibarraland, but there are several areas and towns that include the name Ibarra. Luis's ancestors on his father's side are descendants of Francisco de Ibarra. He was a Spanish Basque explorer from the 1500's, who traveled to Mexico and led many expeditions. Along the way he founded Durango Mexico, discovered silver mines and is credited with coining the term "Nuevo Mexico" in reference to what would one day become the territories of AZ, New Mexico, Texas and California. While on our trip Luis wanted to visit the Ibarra area to see where his family roots come from. To get to this region, we drove southeast from Bilbao into the heart of Biscaya.

Biscaya is true Basque land. About a quarter of the people from this area primarily speak Euskara. This language is very different from Spanish and was probably used prior to the Romans being in Spain. Many of the Basque want autonomy from Spain and there is a lot of  resentment towards the Castillans. We saw some ETA banners, signs and graffiti as we drove through the little towns. Interestingly most street signs in this area are written in Spanish, French and Euskara. On many traffic signs, the Spanish words would be scratched off. No doubt, this was done by the Basque separatists. The area were heading to was located in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Lush green forests and mountains covered in mist surrounded us. To get to Ibarra we had to travel through several small villages to the more isolated forest areas.

A small chapel

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Along the way we passed several small chapels and many large ancient farms. After driving through lots of windy, narrow roads we found one of the areas named Ibarra. This Ibarra is not a town but rather a hillside area containing about ten or so houses. While in the area Luis had hoped to meet some locals who may have had knowledge about the Ibarra name and the history of the area. Sadly the only people we spoke to were three people who came out to see who was driving through their neighborhood. None of these people appeared particularly friendly. We chalked it up to their resentment of the Castillians as Luis was speaking Spanish.

Old Church in Elizondo

Curch and graveyard

On the way back out of Ibarra we stopped at an old church in the next town called Elizondo. The church was constructed around the early 16th century and had a small cemetery attached. We expected to find old gravestones, however most were from the early 70s. Many of the names of the dead included variations on Ibarra such as Ibarrondo and Olibarri.

Although Luis was disappointed not to have met any distant relatives, we saw some amazing scenery and had a fun day exploring.