Endless Construction and a Few Surprises
The first order of business was to leave the hostel and walk to my new hotel. The hostel was completely booked for the night so alternative accommodations needed to be made. I don’t know what is going on in Zaragoza but every reasonably priced hotel is booked, so it was time to splurge on sleeping in a room that actually comes with its own bathroom.
Looking out the tenth floor window, there is nothing but open dry land to be seen and that is doing precious little to break up the wind currents that keep buffeting the building.
The new train station looks like an architectural winner from many different angles.
So, it was now time to explore the city and find out why people in Bilbao said this was a good city to visit. This would be counter to the German man, whom I had breakfast with in the hostel, who asked with the snidest of tones, “Why did you come to Zaragoza?" The truth is that my College Spanish teacher would say the name perpetually in class so I figured it must have some value.
Zaragoza was actually home to four different cultures over the centuries, Roman, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Unfortunately, predisposed to the futility of my day, the first building visited made little impact. It was a Moorish castle, Palacio de la Aljaferia, and was listed as a royal palace.
Next, the Plaza de Europa was centered by a monolith, which barely cleared the height of its lighting towers.
Actually, just kidding, I was playing with perspective and the monument is respectable.
Crossing the river, I looked right to view the city’s cathedral. Trying hard not to be the ultimate skeptic, with “European Cathedral” burnout, I consciously decided to save judgment until after seeing the inside.
Zaragoza is under major reconstruction. Every square food of waterfront is under renovation. If you need a total body exfoliation, simply come to Zaragoza, because with the gusting winds and all the sand in the air everything and everyone is getting a thorough blasting.
The flags along the riverbanks are plastered straight out, with a little lift, straining their flag masts. The wind hasn’t been this consistently strong since Mykonos.
Entering the main square, it is becoming more obvious why Zaragoza could be a host city for a European Exposition.
The size and dominance of the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar (actually not a cathedral) was not so apparent until viewing it from the visual framing of the main square or Plaza del Pilar.
After the shear joy of seeing the Guggenheim, in Bilbao, it would have taken the sudden discovery of ancient pyramids to keep me from riding the post partum slide, but the inside of the Cathedral provided a definite soft landing of interest.
Its massive halls were almost stately, as if a capital building were mixed with a religious context. Behind the flags, under the internal dome, that is as big as a normal church, is the main alter. The works inside the Regina Martirdum dome were created by the painter Francisco de Goya.
Outside, on the plaza, the painter Goya stood watch over the crowds.
Zaragoza is historically significant as a Roman outpost. These lions guard the entrance to the remaining bridge spanning the river, simply known as Puenta de Piedra or stone bridge.
Like everything else in town, the bridge is getting a “stabilization face lift” as well.
To prove the Roman’s were once rulers of this part of Spain, a statue strikes a taxi hailing pose near an aqueduct reproduction.
There is so much construction, throughout the city, that one gets the feeling that if the Roman’s were still around, they would be rebuilding their monuments as well, like the Puerta del Carmen. (Note the sign.)
I have found that the local hardware tells a story of a city’s former life. Cities like Brugge, with their cast dragon benches point to a more prominent time. The same is true of Zaragoza and its street lamps. This ornate lamppost was found in the middle of a run down part of town, on the Conde Aranda, and had the appearances of former prominence.
Another symbol of former greatness is the presence of a large-scale bullfighting ring or in this case the Plaza de Toros de la Misericordia. These rings usually took more than a hundred years to complete, so cities that could build and maintain them must have had stature.
I have been frequenting a local ice cream shop near the university, where for the price of a soda you can use the WIFI internet for hours. The piped-in Spanish music is great and my manager friend is happy enough to share the CD.
November 9th, 2007 - Zaragoza
November 8th, 2007 - To Zaragoza
An Antiquated Rail Trip
I have saved five days of my Eurail Pass for trips within Spain. The Eurail idea has proven to be an antiquated waste of money. Only once on the trip thus far has the pass been a savings vs. buying the ticket outright. Now, within Spain the tickets are so inexpensive that I am in essence paying twice the normal ticket price by using the pass… bummer. Just ten years ago the Eurail pass was as essential as a passport.
Security is a serious issue in the train stations of Spain since their “9-11” in 2004, when al-Qaeda backed Moroccans blew up commuter trains, killing 191 people and injuring 1,700 others.
The regional trains in Spain look like a fall back to the 1950’s “Air Stream” design. Antiquated would be a generous description.
Everything inside is functional, but constructed of heavy gage steel, hard foam, and heavy fibers that capture the essence of seeming eons of travel.
If the “rain in Spain falls mostly on the plain” then this must not be the plain. The surrounding landscape outside of Bilbao is arid and becoming increasingly so the closer we come to Zaragoza.
There are miles of sandy earth vineyards that must be sustained by an imperceptible irrigation system, …
… followed by dry dusty acres with hills in the distance.
We stop in the tiny station of Castejon de Ebro to change engines and add more of the stainless steel “bread boxes” to the growing line of rail cars.
In order to breathe, the Spanish people seem to need to do it through a cotton filter. They appear to smoke even more than the Turks. So the passengers take this break to refuel on nicotine. Thank goodness the cars are now non-smoking, but the thick layers still linger, sticking to the walls and upholstery.
The good news of the day was that we weren’t traveling in this train. There’s always upside. :-)
The city of Zaragoza has a brand new train station, as the city prepares for the 2008 Exposition. Basically the EU hi-lights a city, much like a World’s Fair and people from all over Europe travel to see the renovations and exhibits.
The rest of the town is an “urban center” typical of so many European cities, with medium-rise apartments crowding the streets.
This was marked as the “plaza antiguo” on the city map. Uh… does look there is much left of anything old here.
As the sun sets on the church domes, that is my signal to head back to the hostel.
One last image caught my eye. A building was obviously torn down, but what remains of the original is a room-by-room depiction of wallpaper. This was very interesting and fun to guess which room was decorated with which paper.
November 7th, 2007 - Bilbao
Unrequited Architectural Bliss and Some Art Too
Like so many other tourists to the north coast of Spain, the Guggenheim museum is the magnetic pull to visit Bilbao. I have been waiting for this moment for ten years. From the moment it opened, the Guggenheim was put on my immediate list of “lifetime must see” places.
But first, I had to fuel up at the local bar. In Spain, during the day, bars are half restaurant, half coffee shop, and sometimes even then a bar. Actually, more than one customer was having a beer with their breakfast. For me though, tea and this nifty concoction hit the spot.
The town of Bilbao has a strong industrial history, of which the locals remain proud. The downtown could be fitting of many of the middle to northeast industrial cities of the United States.
From what is readily admitted in local tourist information and from people who have visited Bilbao in the past have said, the city has come a long way from its grungier past. The entire community has embraced the Guggenheim ideal and made it a focal point for urban renewal.
An eighth of the downtown waterfront has been razed and dedicated to new construction, that is in harmony with the creative concepts established by the Guggenheim project. Walking along the river bank the first obvious extension of the Guggenheim museum are twisted twin towers. 
The most recent transformation was the Salve Bridge over River Bilbao adjacent to the museum. The bridge was renovated, under the design of French artist Daniel Buren, as a ten-year anniversary celebration piece for the Guggenheim.
All in all, the locals are thrilled with the transformation of their town. It would be the equivalent of a single structure turning Toledo, Ohio into a world destination. With all due deference to the Zips and the Mud Hens, they aren’t likely to draw and incremental million tourists a year to northwest Ohio. The city even planted trees whose colors fade to red in the fall to match the adjacent bridge.
The care of this edifice is monumental in itself. Teams of guards, complete with dogs, continuously sniff and patrol the area.
Under the walkway a guard meets me as he methodically conducts is rounds. The presence is strong but not overburdening and blankets the outside of the complex and within.
This is a day dedicated to structural glory. Frank Gehry may have designed one of the most amazing buildings of the second half of the 20th century. Just as the Sydney Opera House was an icon of technology and design, so is the Guggenheim, Bilbao.
(Front entrance.)
(Back Entrance.)
At the time of design, the technology did not exist to actually create the structure and had to be developed. The titanium skin is about as thick as a piece of paper, with the manufacturing process taking three years in research and development, prior to actual production.
The glass panes are also a product of new technology, an incorporation of microscopic metallic fragments that provide UV and heat protection without loosing transparency. Otherwise the huge atrium would turn into a giant solar oven.
Once the plans were translated into computer CAD images, then the entire manufacturing processes had to be developed to turn idea into reality. For instance, since there are no vertical flat surfaces in the atrium, every piece of stone had to be custom cut by a lazer guided robotic machine to insure a perfect fit.
When Gehry made his initial drawings of the structure he never took the pen off of the page. This connected free flow of design is reflected in the sweeping visual overlapping of the actual structure.
Frank had several sources of inspiration. First and foremost was the time spent with his grand mother shopping for carp. They would buy the fish, live, at the market, bring it home and keep it alive in the bath tube until it was time to cook dinner. Frank would play with the carp during the afternoon. A reflection of this childhood time is the longest chamber of the museum (ground floor level), called the “fish gallery”. The titanium external panels are meant to represent scales.
Of importance to Gehry was to bring the city into the museum and the museum out into the city. That is why there is so much glass, to draw your eye outside the structure. He carries the titanium or blonde stone panels right into the atrium and entryways, blurring the contrast between internal and external areas.
The twisted twin towers on the other side of the Salve Bridge are a continuation of the museums theme and seek to embrace other elements of the city. They may very well be the most “over engineered” pedestrian walkway in the world, but are very effective. (From this angle the two towers appear to mirror the sloping staircase, which in turn complement the long curving shape of the "Fish Gallery".)
The renovation of the neighboring bridge was an architectural stroke of genius. The two structures play off one another and are now in harmony. The Picasso-esque red conjures up images of one of his bulls.
Several other elements seek to bring the outside “in”, two of which work together. There is a shallow reflecting pool that laps right up to the foundations of the museum, on the river side. This is an effort to bring the river and fishing heritage of Bilbao literally right to the museum.
The second design that works with this element is the pedestrian bridge, whose curved shape actually carries walkers over the banks of the Bilbao River, suspending them above the water's edge. So Gehry has brought the water to the museum and extended the visitors to the water.
There are many permanent exhibits at the Bilbao Guggenheim. One is the obvious giant spider, lurking on the riverbank. This is a work by Louise Bourgeois, named "Maman", cast in 2001. It was created in memory of her mother, who like a spider, was nurturing, strong, and yet physically frail.
Also outside on the patio, there is this cluster of metallic flowers that seem just a little too close to milar balloons for my taste and would be better suited over in the playground. (Yep, didn’t like ‘em.)
Inside the massive “Fish Gallery” is an exhibit by Richard Serra that was weighty to say the least. He is the artist who’s media is shaping massive sheets of steel. His twisted parabolas and curving shapes are hard to appreciate without actually walking through them.
Spatial perception is challenged as sound and light bend around the behemoth ferrous forms. This was another case where having the audio guide “made the experience.”
Outside, the exhibits continue, with the beloved “Puppy”, which is literally “tons of fun.” He is kept in bloom for most of the year.
Waiting for the sun to set, to take more pictures of the Guggenheim with the shadows of night, I wandered back towards the center of town. Everywhere there are examples of recent construction challenging the shape of design. A simple pedestrian bridge curves against its suspended spine.
The two new high rise buildings, built to compliment the bridge and the city, combine lower floors designed to match the mid-rise existing buildings, with growing blue towers that extend above, as if to blend into the sky.
A few blocks away is an “old-school” mission style church reminder that we are actually in Spain.
Another reminder is that hunger can be satisfied with variety. Bilbao Tapas are a perfect exploration of seafood and flavor.
