An Old Transporter Bridge and a Strikingly Modern Art Museum

Bilbao, Spain, Sunday May 11

There were two reasons Michael wanted to see Bilbao, Spain: to see one of only three remaining transporter bridges in use is near the city and to visit the Guggenheim museum about which we had heard wonderful reports.  I was definitely interested in the modern art museum and I'm geeky enough to want to see the transporter bridge too.

Transporter bridges date from the late nineteenth century age of iron construction.  The Vizcaya bridge as it is called,  just downriver from Bilbao was the first one built.  It was built in 1893 and is still in use.  Transporter bridges are also called ferry bridges; the bridge has an elevated structure from which a gondola hangs.  The gondola, or ferry platform, moves back and forth across the river just above the water.  Transporter bridges were built in locations requiring a large height above the water to allow river traffic to pass under but where it was considered impractical to build long approach ramps for vehicles . They went out of favor as the automobile became the preferred mode of transportation.  It takes too long to move vehicles across rivers using gondolas and many of them are passenger only.  Michael has visited the other two bridges, both in the U.K., and has wanted for years to see this one.

View of the Transporter Bridge, the Gondola is Positioned at the Right End Just Above Water Level

Telephoto Picture of Gondola "Docked" at the Edge of the River 

We were in luck.  Silver Whisper docked at the port of Getxo (pronounced get-cho) at the mouth of the Nervion River.  We could see the transporter bridge from our suite on the ship.  Both Michael and I spent some time on our veranda taking pictures of the bridge before and after our excursion into Bilbao proper.  The day was rainy so our pictures show a lot of shadow and mist.

The ship was in port only a little more than half a day. There was not time enough to see more of Bilbao than we viewed from the shuttle bus to downtown. The highlight of our visit to Bilbao was the several hours we spent at the Guggenheim museum.  Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country of Spain.  Nearly half the Basque Country inhabitants live in this city of more than one million people and Bilbao is the fourth largest city in Spain.  The street signs are in both Spanish and Euskera, the Basque language.  Euskera bears little resemblance to Spanish or any other Romance language. 

Street Sign in Spanish and Euskera (Basque)

Michael and I visited some unique parts of Spain on this trip.  Depending on the city, we heard all four of the official Spanish dialects: Castillian Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque. In the future I won't think of Spain as a single monolithic culture. It is a country made up of seventeen "autonomous communities" that govern themselves within the overall "Kingdom of Spain." I'm not sure how well it works but it mostly suits the Spanish with the possible exception of Catalonia which keeps threatening to secede.  A few years ago some of the Basques were revolting but all seems quiet now.  Having an internationally famous museum and a revived economy helps.

Downtown Bilbao on a Sleepy Sunday Morning

We walked along a number of interesting streets between the large plaza where the shuttle bus let us off and the museum.  Michael and I arrived at the museum just before it opened and left shortly before the last shuttle bus back to Silver Whisper.  Four hours was not enough time to see everything but I don't think we could have absorbed any more in a single visit.

Plaza in Front of the Guggenheim, Scaffolding Surrounds a Huge Topiary Sculpture, "Puppy" by Jeff Koons

Ground Level Interior

Third Level Looking Across the Atrium

Third Level Looking Down

The Guggenheim Museum is a visual stunner.  Sheets of titanium form a free flowing “organic” fish-like structure that is as interesting inside as outside.  Michael and I enjoyed the exhibits but the real artistry is the building itself.  Frank Gehry’s masterpiece put Bilbao on the art world map and sparked an economic as well as a cultural renaissance in this part of northern Spain. 

Exhibit of Curved Metal Plates, Richard Serra "The Matter of Time"

Ernesto Neto Exhibit Occupied Gallery Space on Two Floors

View of the Museum From the Bridge Over the Ria  de Bilbao

There is certainly much more to see and do in Bilbao than we the time to persue. We will have to make a return visit since we spent our time in and around the museum and did not get to other interesting parts of the city..  It was time well spent.

As we Left the Port of Getxo the Sun Finally Came Out