Azkuna Zentroa

The final part of my cultural journey round Bilbao took me to Azkuna Zentroa, originally a wine warehouse that was converted to a cultural space, designed by Philippe Starck. There’s a cinema, exhibition space, restaurant and even a pool on the roof with views over the city. You can look up from the lobby and see bathers swimming above you! The roof of the immense lobby is held up by over 40 bonkers columns.

Museo de Bellas Artes Bilbao

After a tasty lunch at the Guggenheim I headed to the Museo de Bellas Artes to check out some more art. It was in a slightly less impressive building than the Guggenheim and more traditional in its themes, but still very interesting. My favourite part was the exhibition of the work by Ignacio Zuloaga a prominent Basque painter from the turn of last century who was well known for his figurative painting. His work has been scattered around the world and this was the first time that it has all been brought together to show the scope of his work. He was influenced by rural life and focused on lowly bullfighters, hunchbacks dwarves and prostitutes as his subject matter. Collectors around the work snapped up his work whilst in Spain he was seen as showing the wrong side of Spain.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The main reason for me coming to Bilbao was to go to the stunning Guggenheim Museum. So after a scrumptious breakfast at a cafe close to my hotel, I jumped onto the metro and headed to the museum. It was a rather grey, rainy day, but the building still looked stunning, sitting next to the rivers edge. The inside was just as interesting as the outside and I was in awe at how a building like this could be conceived, let alone built! It has a very organic feel and a great combination of materials. The outside is made mainly of silvery  gold metal plates that form an armadillo-like skin and change colour in the varying light. The exhibitions inside are just as interesting and I spent a good few hours there, soaking it all up.

Cafe Bar Bilbao

I only have one night in Bilbao and after checking into my hotel, I headed to the nearby Plaza Nueva to soak up the atmosphere and sample some food and drink. After doing a circuit of the square and peering into each bar, I decided to head into the pretty Cafe Bar Bilbao, situated on one of the corners on the square. I sat at the bar and ordered several scrumptious pintxos, washed down with a cold beer (or two!). It was a great spot to sit and people-watch. Afterwards I wandered round the pretty streets of the old town. It was a bit wet but I still got a great feel for the area.