Bilbao - the most avant-garde city in Spain

My husbend just loved this city, it was his favorite. He's really into modern engineering and all that. What really caught his eye was the Guggenheim Museum, the building is just amazing. Apparently, the architect who designed it used special software from the aerospace industry, which is pretty cool. This museum has become a kind of icon, people even talk about the "Bilbao effect" when they see it. It's like, this one building changed the whole city, and now it's a symbol of what modern engineering can do. Our dad was totally impressed, and we can see why, the museum is just incredible.

It's no surprise that this place is all about contemporary art. They have exhibitions that are always there, but they also bring in big shows that look back on an artist's whole career.

Erica was really taken aback by this amazing sculpture of a giant dog, and what made it even more incredible was that it was made entirely out of fresh flowers. The dog stood proudly right in front of the museum's entrance, making a beautiful and striking first impression on all the visitors.

- It's a dog made of flowers and it's really huge, she exclaimed.

Bilbao has something called the "Isozaki Gate" - it's two big towers by the Nervion River that mark the start of the modern part of the city. A famous Japanese architect designed them, and they're named after him. The city wanted to show it's open to the world, so they asked this well-known architect to design something special. It was a bold move, but it shows that Bilbao isn't afraid to try new things. The towers are like a gateway to the city, and they're a symbol of how Bilbao is always looking to the future. By working with a Japanese architect, the city was able to bring in some new ideas and create something really unique. It's just one example of how Bilbao is always trying to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

Across from the towers stands the modern Zubizuri Bridge, which translates to "white bridge" in Basque. This name suits it perfectly, as the bridge is made of white steel, featuring distinctive white arches and tensioned cables. It's no surprise that it's white, given that its architect, Santiago Calatrava Valls, often incorporates white into his designs. For him, white represents purity, lightness, and modernity, and it helps to accentuate the smoothness of the forms. The white color also provides a beautiful contrast to the river and the surrounding buildings. With the dark urban landscape as a backdrop, the white bridge creates a striking accent against the water, making it a real standout feature.

Near Bilbao, in the town of Portugalete, you'll find the Biscay Bridge, a pretty famous spot that's even been recognized by UNESCO. This bridge was designed by Alberto de Palanque Elisagasti, who just so happened to be a student of the legendary Gustave Eiffel.

The Biscay Bridge is really something special - it's the first transporter bridge in the world. What makes it so unique is that it doesn't have a regular road platform, instead, it's got a suspended gondola that travels back and forth between the two banks on cables that are stretched tight. This gondola can carry all sorts of things: people who are walking or on bikes, cars, and even small loads of cargo. The whole trip only takes a minute and a half, and the best part is that the bridge is working all day and all night, helping thousands of people get where they need to go every single day. Our dad was absolutely thrilled when he saw this thing in action.

The text was originally written in Ukrainian translated with the help of Google Translate

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