And I’m back. And totally jetlagged.
Spain was great - a fabulous country. I will definitely go back again.
Also, it turns out that "vacation" vacations do have some nice perks over "adventure" vacations:
- Being able to brush your teeth without worrying about getting sick.
- Being able to eat fruit from street vendors without worrying about getting sick.
- Knowing that you’re not totally screwed if you lose your passport.
- Not stressing about safety when calling a cab.
- Western toilets.
Oh, and amazing wine and cheese. Though, the exchange rate is rather killer.
Next trip? I’m thinking back to south america - but who knows. 
Pictures coming soon.
Me, in front of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. Taken an hour before sunset with the help of a park bench.
The last stop in my trip to Spain was Bilbao. The city in recent years has become an international destination with the building of the Guggenheim. The building, designed by Frank Gehry, is shaped like a “ship” with fish-like titanium scales. I loved how it caught the colors of the city at different times of day.
The collection housed inside of the Guggenheim was much smaller than I expected. The temporary Munoz exhibit was very good, and my appreciation for Richard Serra grew after seeing his permanent pieces. But overall, the building itself much overshadowed the art inside.
the guggenheim from across the river
the “fish scales” texture
my rocky run
spider
organic lines of the building
water fun
blue is blue
twilight
a little bit of vegas
at night
reflections
dancing
San Sebastian is an absolutely gorgeous beach town. Unfortunately, it got hit with a case of “seattle weather” while I was there…. so there wasn’t a lot of frolicking on the sand. Fortunately, Spain summer sales started that Monday - so I ended up being pretty productive anyways.
looking down at san sebastian
relaxing with sangria & new yorker
window dressings
seaside
soccer on the beach
merry-go-rounds
beach
can you hear me now?
twilight near the beach
La Sagrada Familia is Gaudi’s “masterpiece.” Construction on the temple began in 1882, and has been ongoing ever since. Gaudi died in 1926, and so several different architects have been tapped to flesh out the master’s design.
It was especially interesting seeing the interior of the temple, which had progressed significantly since I was there 4 years ago.
the famous shape of the la sagrada familia
the soldiers were modeled after the shapes on the la pedrera’s roof
parts of the passion facade
sculpture of jesus
ceiling of the temple
an unfinished stairwell
active construction
from the top
arches
rockin’ out with mister turtle
It was the first time that Spain won the Euro Cup 2008 in 22 years. (And the first time in about the same number of years that I watched a soccer match.)
The game was in Austria, so the viewing location was a bar in the Barri Gotti.
The celebration in the street afterwards was particularly memorable… and also where I learned the life skill of operating an SLR with one hand, while have a beer in the other.
folks were lined up on the street to see in…
…and the celebration starts
friendly folks sold beer on the streets for 1 euro
the spanish flag in motion: my first attempt at panning
pouring on to las ramblas
there was no “music”, so noise makers and chants filled the streets
and there were many many people out
Yesterday was my first full day in Barcelona. It was a fabulous.
My friend Chris and I started at Museu Picasso. My favorite part of this museum is Picasso’s Las Meninas study… (He did several interpretations of Vellasquez’s Las Meninas, which I saw in Madrid a few years ago.) The current temporary exhibit displays the work of several other artists who have done Las Meninas interpretations. It was great.
Next, we headed to Gaudi’s Parque Guell, took pictures and had lots of sangria.
At night (and this was the coolest part), we went to Gaudi’s La Pedrera for a rooftop jazz concert. and free cava. The band was awesome, and the ambience - set among Gaudi’s crazy knight-looking sculptures - was perfect.
We ended with dinner Spanish-style (and jetlag-style) around 11:30pm, which included some great cabrales blue cheese and a DOQ spanish red wine.
I think I could live in Barcelona.
ark Guell is Gaudi’s outdoor barcelona park. It’s relaxing, picturesque… and a great place for a pitcher of sangria.
barcelona skyline from the top of the park. (see the large version.)
the main part of the park
dragon
euro smiles
mosaic
there goes the bride
ready for my sangria!
