"We have sheeps", indeed: La Queseria, Bilbao

 

A delightful cheese shop in old town Bilbao, La Queseria

Indulging my passion for cheese we rounded off our stay in Bilbao by heading down to the old town to pop into a cheese shop and to source Basque Country cheeses. 

And as the shop owner said, 'we have sheeps', so its ewes milk cheese and she choose two for us.  One pasteurised and the other 'cruda', both well matured and sourced directly from the farm -queso idiazabal and queso irati. 

A fresh baguette and Basque cheese awaits with a view of the Pyrenees as we are back in Salies-du-Salat. 

Another special moment indeed.

A day at the museum, venturing inside: Guggenheim Bilbao

The inspirational work of El Anatsui, Rising Sea.

The interior spaces of the Guggenheim are as remarkable as the exterior and at times completely dwarf the art. Even Picasso's larger pieces of sculpture looked intimidated by their context. 

One piece, however, held its own. The Ghanian artist El Anatsui's monumental work, Rising Sea, up on the third floor. As it happens this was the last piece we walked past and when I appreciated what I was looking at it completely stunned me. Art from liquor bottle tops.

Quote from Curator: For six decades, El Anatsui has been refining a pictorial language that transcends boundaries of culture and medium. In 1998, the artist began making metal sculpture from discarded liquor bottle tops. The material holds conceptual significance given that alcohol was one off the commodities Europeans transported to Africa in exchange for slaves. The material therefore bestows the work with an historical symbolism that, as with so much of Anatsui's work is as powerful as it is subtle.

His team of studio assistances flatten, twist, crush and then stitch the aluminium tops together with copper wire which took up to a year for this piece! 

The epic scale of the work is a metaphor for the enormity of climate change.

Rising Sea, the expansive surface glimmers like waves, the bottom colour bursts suggest a skyline.

Warhol, Kusama, Picasso 

A day at the museum: Guggenheim Bilbao

The Guggenheim from the Puenta La Salve

It only took 4 years in the mid-90's to build this titanium, limestone and glass masterpiece with its incredible visual impact. Built on the site of a former industrial wharf on the Nervion River it has become a icon of Bilbao throughout the world and what a gift to spend the day in, on and around the Guggenheim.

The building dwarfs 'Maman' 

Fred and I have experienced many impactful buildings during our travels and this Frank Gehry's design, with its unreadable internal and external scale and logic, is now a firm favourite. 

Perhaps only the Sydney Opera House would compare for mathematical complexity of design. 

Can you imagine trying the read these plans!

The titanium sheets kept changing their hues as the weather and light conditions changed throughout the day and it glows.

Rather peaceful view of the Nervion River.

'Tall Tree and The Eye' Anish Kapoor, all about the reflections on surfaces.

Meet Puppy, world's largest flower sculpture: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Puppy, Jeff Koons, stainless steel, soil and flowering plants
Entrance to the Guggenheim Bilbao

Puppy at the entrance to the Guggenheim here in Bilbao.

Thousands of colourful begonias, impatiens, daisies and greenery make up Puppy as he stands with dignified attention at the main entrance to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. 

The museum's faithful guard dog.

A monumental piece and also a monument to the sentimental - puppies and flowers. 

He makes me smile and I cannot wait to get back for another look this morning.

 

Tulips, also by Jeff Koons, could not be more different to Puppy. A bouquet of high gloss colourful balloon flowers blown to gigantic proportions.

Tulips, stainless steel balloons!

Snowy owl moments: 'Maman' at the Guggenheim, Bilbao

'Maman', bronze by Louise Bourgeois, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

There are times on long extended overseas travel when it's too easy to compromise, it's easier to say no for whatever reason, Fred and I call these decision moments, Sharon's 'snowy owl'. We had been travelling across Canada and Alaska for a couple of months and had arrived back in Anchorage, a couple of days earlier than expected, after a particularly arduous birding trip out to the Pribilof Islands.

I thought about planning a trip up north to Barrow, the furtherest northern community in the USA and an excellent sighting spot for the Snowy Owl. But I didn't. We went bear watching, glacier viewing, cooked salmon and halibut instead, all special but I have yet to see a Snowy Owl, a must on any birders' list.

It was a decision where I settled, rather than being bold and following what I really wanted to do.

And here we are, in Bilbao, Fred having driven across the 380km from Salies-du-Salat, and this is not a snowy owl moment, we braved traffic, a parking garage, signs we cannot read to get to the Guggenheim this evening as heavy rain is predicted all day tomorrow - our museum day.

I have just experienced what I have desired to see and do, which is to experience the power of art,  'Maman'! 

'Maman' is monumental, 9m in height, predatory but protective of her sac full of eggs. 

She hovered above me on those bronze spindly legs which are like Gothic arches, she is powerful and fragile. 

Happy and grateful.

'Maman' looking towards the bridge.