We flew into Bilbao, Spain. After picking up a rental car at the airport, we checked into the Hotel Sirimiri near the Old Town. It was conveniently located near the tram station and just a 5-10 minute walk to the Old Town. Plus, parking was free. It was nothing fancy but the room was clean , the bathroom modern and the towels large and thick--my criteria for a good hotel.
The tram station was located just a block away. Purchase a ticket for €1.40 (1 euro = $1.30) at the machine inside the building, validate the ticket at another machine outside the door and board the tram.
We got off at the Guggenheim Museum. Designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry and opened in 1997, this transformed Bilbao from an industrial city into a vacation destination.
Made of limestone and titanium, the museum sits on the Nervion River.
Outside the Guggenheim are several sculptures. This is a 30-foot tall spider called "Maman"--Louise Bouregeois' depiction of her mother who was a weaver.
42-foot tall "Puppy" clad in plants and flowers--designed by Jeff Koons.
"Fog Sculpture" that billows up from below--occurs every hour on the hour.
The other outdoor sculpture that is worth seeing is "Fire Fountain." We didn't get to see it because we left the museum too early--it plays every few minutes from 7:30-8:30 pm.
The entrance fee to the museum is €13. The exhibits are nothing exciting but it's worth the entry fee to see the inside of the museum.
2012 10 07
2012 10 07
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