Retrospective - More about Bilbao

Most people go to Bilbao for the Guggenheim and the tapas. This I must said is a damn good reason to go but there is more to this city, even if you feel 'museumed' out after a trip round Gehry's masterpiece the old and new town are perfect for wondering about, having a coffee and just watching the day go by.

I feel slightly ashamed that I didn't make it into any of the other galleries or museums in the city, information is scant but still available, instead I walked round, trying not to lose Tori (my patient companion) taking photographs of anything that took my eye. You do not want to know how many shots I took, let's just say a slide show would cure even the worst insomniac.

What did catch my eye? This sculpture by Eduardo ChIllida, he was a basque sculptor responsible for some fantastic structures, some of them are mounted into cliff faces to appear like they are literally sprouting out of the rock.

There is actually only one big loop, I shot this pic on panarama to create this montage type shot.

A little walk along into the Casco Viejo(old town) you come across a huge tribute to the days of concrete and the testing of new inventions a public lift. Tunnels and vehicular railways I can understand but public lifts? Bilbao has about 10 of them dotted around the place, on the sides of bridges and like here to get up the mountain. It seems logical when you think about it but quite alien to me who comes from a predominantly flat country.

Before you ask, no I didn't venture in. Rumours are that's it's not very well maintained and there was no way Tori was going to go in there in a month of Sundays!

I felt and still feel a little bit protective of Bilbao and defensive when I read reviews that talk about the Bilbao Effect and the idea that the city was dying before the Guggenheim arrived to save it. Bilbao is not an easy city to find and I think for a while the Baques liked it that way. There is evidence of a great past during the industrial ages and many of the old building are wonderful pieces of architecture.

One of my favourites is the skyscraper next to the river. It has a feel of Chicago about it and was the tallest building in Bilbao from 1946 to 1968.

Then of course looking down you see one of the most distinctive symbols of Bilbao the La Baldosa tile. There is some doubt about their origins but it's believed they were designed by Eduardo Saenz Venturni between the 1920s and 1930s. Appearing on the streets in the mid 1930s. They are designed to channel water off the pavements and it was clear to see why during our stay.