Bilbao - Bilbo
 Time
in Bilbao may soon need to be identified as BG or AG (Before
Guggenheim, After Guggenheim). Never has a single monument of
art and architecture so radically changed a city -- or, for
that matter, a nation, and in this case two: Spain and the semiautonomous
region of Spain known as the Basque Country or by its official
name, Euskadi. Architect Frank Gehry's stunning Guggenheim Museum,
Norman Foster's sleek subway system, and the glass Santiago
Calatrava footbridge, which allows pedestrians to all but walk
on water, have all helped foment a cultural revolution in Bilbao,
the Basque Country's commercial capital.
Described by Spanish novelist Manuel Vazquez Montalban as a
"meteorite," Bilbao's Museo Guggenheim is an eruption
of light and titanium in the middle of what until very recently
was the ruins of Bilbao's failed shipyards and steel industry.
Its creation has energized and reanimated this city in a dramatic
and unprecedented way. Frank Gehry's gleaming brainchild, hailed
as "the greatest building of our time" (architect
-- Philip Johnson), and "a miracle" (Herbert Muschamp,
New York Times) has sparked a renaissance in the Basque Country
after more than a half century of troubles. The site for the
Museum, at the heart of Bilbao's traditional steel and shipping
port, was the perfect place for a metaphor for Bilbao's macro-change
from steel to titanium, from heavy industry to art, as well
as a nexus between the city's early 14th-century Casco Viejo
(Old Quarter) and its new 19th-century Ensanche ("Widening")
and between the wealthy Right Bank and working class Left Bank
of the river Nervión.
But despite everything Bilbao has always had a special charm
and we can find plenty of traces of former magnificent times,
such as the Teatro Arriaga, the Alhóndiga or the mansions
and palaces of Neguri. In the Parque de Doña Casilda,
if we use our imagination, we might be able to see the faultless
nannies pushing majestic baby carriages, taking their charges
for their daily walk. Then there are the many well-known cultural
societies, such as "la Bilbaína", or the prestigious
Universityand School of Commerce of Deusto. Bilbao has always
been an open, cultured and elegant city, one which has blessed
us with musicians like Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, authors
such as Unamuno, and painters like Zuloaga.
To speak of Bilbao we must speak of its inhabitants. The troubles
of the area have not affected the happy character of the locals.
A favourite past time of the Bilbaínos, as the inhabitants
of the city are called, is to get together in the "txokos,"
private gastronomic societies, to indulge in the typical dishes
of the area, which are very diverse and absolutely exquisite.
Don't be surprised if you hear singing coming from the bars,
or roars of "¡GOOOAALL!" when the pride of Bilbao,
the local football team, scores. Bilbaínos are famous
for their hospitality, and a visitor to their land is made to
feel at home. |
