A Cruise Stop in Bilbao, Spain

One of the stops on our cruise was Bilbao in northern Spain. We were looking forward to seeing a little of the city and to visit the Guggenheim Art Museum. We docked at Getxo, so when we got off the ship, we caught the shuttle bus into Bilbao. Even before we entered the building, there were several interesting sculptures nearby. The Fire Fountain which is a sculpture that combines flames with jets of water, creating a dramatic effect. At certain times, the water produces a mist or smoky appearance on the water. It reminded me of the song by Deep Purple, Smoke on the Water.

The most famous piece of art is the giant puppy covered in colourful flowers.

Just across the river is Maman, the enormous spider by Louise Bourgeois. It reminded me of 'War of the Worlds'.

Inside the Guggenheim Museum, we found a wonderful mix of modern art. One of my favourite exhibits was a room covered in mirrors with hundreds of colourful lights, making it feel as though we were standing in the middle of a galaxy of stars.

We also saw delicate hanging sculptures that looked like giant dandelion seed heads, with their shadows creating patterns on the walls and floor.

Another striking display used tall panels of glowing red and blue lights to create an impressive space filled with colour. There were also paintings and sculptures throughout the galleries, and although I didn't understand every piece, it was fascinating to see so many different styles of contemporary art. I will do a bigger blog of the museum when I return home.

After looking around the museum, we enjoyed a gentle walk along the river. It was a relaxing way to see more of Bilbao. The riverside paths are wide and easy to follow, with plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views.

As we continued our walk, we spotted more sculptures along the way. It was nice to discover different pieces of artwork without even going into a museum.

The river also gave us some lovely views of the bridges and buildings that make Bilbao such an interesting city.

After our walk, we decided to take the tram back towards the shuttle bus stop. It was a nice chance to rest our feet after exploring the riverside. Before long, we were back where the shuttle buses were waiting. The shuttle bus took us back to the cruise port, where we boarded the ship with plenty of time before departure. It had been a relaxed and enjoyable visit, and we were glad we had chosen to explore the city on foot.

When we got back into our room, the room attendant had also created a piece of artwork with the towels!