And Now, Bilbao

There was a time when tourists avoided the port city of Bilbao--if they knew about it at all. Back in 1964 on my first visit to Spain, it was certainly not on my radar.  

Then in 1997, along came architect Frank Gehry with a building that looked like a futuristic origami project made of aluminum foil.  Now, if you announce "Our next stop is Bilbao", everyone knows you aren't going to the city.  You are going to the art gallery, aka Guggenheim Bilbao.

And from the Picos, it is a short hop. If you get all the connections lined up, it takes about 4 hours or less.  We however did not have such luck, and wound up having to wait for three hours in Llanes.  
We could have done worse.  This little port city is quite picturesque, so we wandered around, camera at the ready.

Llanes

By the time we got to Bilboa, it was late afternoon.  But we were not deterred.  Our hotel was close to the Guggenheim, and since we were in Spain, we knew that we would not be late for dinner even if we turned up at 9:30.  We had plenty of time to thoroughly explore the art gallery and its environs. before searching out a restaurant.

We discovered, en route to the holy grail of galleries, that the city has happily embraced its arty side. 

"Bilbao"

We couldn't help but think that the Toronto waterfront could use this sort of upgrade.  The walk to the Guggenheim gallery is beautiful, and features gardens, sculptures, and interesting civic architecture.

Puppy, covered with living flowers, greets gallery goers.

I love this sculpture!

No ordinary bridge...this is one is gallery-worthy 

Even downtown Bilboa seems to know it should look good for visitors.

Early Sunday morning in Bilbao.

Take time to admire the city...and while you're at it, amble across the intersection!