Guggenheim, Bilbao, Part Two

Continued from Guggenheim, Bilbao, Part One

I might not have gone for a close-up, but I did take a few more shots of Anish Kapoor's 'Reflectorama' from various angles. Here are a couple.

 Anish Kapoor's 'Reflectorama', full length

This following shot almost got dumped into the bin because I thought it was too cluttered and Guggenheim just overshadowed the silver orbs. However, I set out to work on it and I quite like the finished product. Rather than being overshadowed by Guggenheim, it now seems to forge with it, giving a shape of something not unlike the old statues of protective animals.

The Steel Puppy

We walked around the museum, looking up, down and around, looking beyond... now, how on earth did they dare construct such a hideous monster beside something like Guggenheim??? Doesn't it make you wonder? Even The Flower Puppy looks at it disapprovingly.

The Flower Puppy isn't happy

And here's the Puppy, in its full flowery glory, guarding the Guggenheim.

The Flower Puppy

I remember, too, that it was a hot day, and kids could be seen playing among the sporadic jets of water shooting out from the invisible fountain, on the west of the museum.

Sporadic jets from hidden fountain

When I said before that we didn't enter the museum, I meant entered to see the exhibits. I did enter the shop and had a quick walk around. With places such as museums and art galleries, I like to take my time and time was a bit short on this particular visit.

Guggenheim, Bilbao, Part One

Continued from Zubizuri Bridge

Treading on the soft walkway of the Zubizuri Bridge, we crossed River Nervion, and walked along its banks until the huge silvery monster looms before us. Guggenheim.

Sun on titanium

Well, as I'd mentioned before (in First Impressions), I thought I might hate it; no, it's an awesome monstrosity. What I'd forgotten to mention in that post is that if you're coming into town by the airport bus, choose a seat on the right hand side. That way, the impact is greater when this titanium masterpiece looks down on your shoulder as you ride past.

I was lucky to have arrived as the sun was just setting and the early evening glow on the titanium plates was just wow! Sadly, I was never able to witness the same effect again in my short time in Bilbao. I found the building rather difficult to photograph. Depending on where and how the sun is, you may very well find it surprisingly quite dark. Honestly, it's another of those places you'd need to see at different times of day, under different weather conditions. If the conditions aren't right, working in monochrome offers an interesting alternative.

Guggenheim in monochrome

Having just 3 nights in Bilbao means only 2 days to look around so I decided not to go in the museum, preferring instead to walk around the town. Even though I don't get to see the exhibits inside, there are other sights to behold in the vicinity. Walking the full circle around Guggenheim is a must, but this time around, I only completed part of it.

Here's half a shot of Anish Kapoor's 'Reflectorama'; I can't understand why I never went up close for a shot. Perhaps, the lighting wasn't good enough. I honestly can't remember, but I do remember that I never got the right lighting conditions for Guggenheim each time I was there.

 Anish Kapoor's 'Reflectorama'

What about you? Have you been there? What were your impressions?

Zubizuri Bridge

Continued from First Lunch

Four syllables needed to say "white". Basque is a difficult language!

In the previous post, I referred to this pedestrian bridge as sexy. Well, as Plato says, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. This bridge has raised quite some controversy in the past, and not everyone likes it. Remember, I said about walking on foam? Well, the original material used for the deck was glass, and, well, walking on glass in Bilbao can be, mmm, rather treacherous!

They say it's a very rare event if you spend 3 days in Bilbao and not witness rain. This was personally confirmed in my 3 days there. Rained on the 3rd. No kidding. Apparently, a lot of people slipped while crossing the bridge during wet weather, so the local council decided to carpet it. Now, I'm left wondering how the bridge originally looked!

Read more about the bridge in Wiki.

Here are more shots of Santiago Calatrava's creation.

Under the bridge

Puente Zubizuri in the daylight

In monochrome

Twilight time

Reflections

From a distance

And since I like this one so much, I'll reproduce it here again.

The sexy one

Which of these shots do you like best? Why? I'd love to hear your opinions!