Spain, not Spain. Even within the enormity of Europe and its myriad cultures and histories, Bilbao in the Basque Country stands out as a singularly fascinating city for many reasons.
With SH Diana docked at the region's major port of Santander, we boarded coaches for a visit to Bilbao, an easy hour-or-so by expressway. After a rocky start in Ireland, the weather has certainly turned in our favour, with warm, mild days and even some welcome sunshine, making our walking tours a most pleasant experience.
Ever since the city's founding around 1300, it has remained proudly Basque, historically industrial and now celebrated for architecture and food. In fact, from my perspective as a first-time visitor, the evidence of the maritime industry is everywhere, not erased but rather artistically integrated into the modern incarnation of 21st-century Bilbao.
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| The Carola Crane was used in shipbuilding at Bilbao (Fred Romero/WikiMedia) |
One such delightfully romantic remnant is the massive 60m red crane, Carola Crane (Grúa Carola), named in honour of a striking young woman who would walk past the shipyard on her way to work, effectively halting production during her regular transit. The shipyard's manager even offered her a private car to take her to and from her employment. Carola politely declined.
While Carola still dominates the former industrial estuary, she is merely a memorial to Bilbao's past. The city had become enormously wealthy from nearby iron deposits, steelmaking, shipbuilding and banking. But by the late 20th century, industrial decline had left it with unemployment, abandoned waterfronts and a badly polluted waterway, ultimately leading to its closure.
As a testament to urban renewal, it was decided to locate a Guggenheim Museum adjacent to Carola. The 1997 opening of the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum served as a symbol of Bilbao’s reinvention. Located on a former industrial wharf, it is clad in titanium, glass and limestone; its success has popularised the term “Bilbao effect”, namely the notion that a landmark cultural building can help transform a city’s economy and international image.
Like any of Frank Gehry's many buildings, it certainly stands out. I visited his bizarre structure in Prague, and we even have one at the UTS in Sydney. His garish but supremely functional buildings are perfectly suited to museums and galleries, and visiting is as much about exploring the architecture as the many exhibits.
Beyond the museum are districts with more significant buildings, such as The Mercado de la Ribera, the ornate railway station, and the Siete Calles, or Seven Streets, a compact medieval quarter marking the historic nucleus of the city.
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