Sunday, April 06, 2008

BUILDINGS AND SKIES...

...WITH THREE EXCEPTIONS - BILBAO - OCTOBER 2006

***

THESE ARE THE BUILDINGS AND THE SKIES...


"UNIVERSIDAD DE DEUSTO, opened in 1886, has campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastian. The main Bilbao building (the largest of its time) was designed by the architect Marquis of Cubas. For fifty years since 1916, its Business College was the only of its kind, becoming the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in 1973"


"CONCORDIA STATION was built in 1898 by Severino de Achúcarro and Valentín Gorbeña. It has a spectacular façade facing the river, which is a good example of the Modernist influence in Achúcaro's creations. The remodelled and refurbished station is the departure point of FEVE trains to Balmaseda and Santander"



"ARRIAGA THEATRE - Built in Neoclassical style by Joaquín Rucoba and Octavio de Toledo, it opened its doors on May 31, 1890 and was named after the Bilbao-born composer Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga. The building resembles the Paris Opera and has a sumptuous interior. It was completely refurbished in 1986 after the severe flooding destructions of August 1983"


"SAN NICOLAS - This is a morning picture of the church also featured on my last post"


"RIBERA MARKET - Further to the building and the sky, some birds decided to join us for your enjoyment..."




"BEGOÑA - The Basilica is dedicated to Virgin Begoña, «Amatxo», the patron saint of Bizkaia. Built in Gothic style by Sancho Martínez de Arego in the place of the alleged Virgin's apparition in the early 16th century, it took more than one hundred years (1511 though 1621) to complete. The bell tower dates from the early 20th century"


"STEPS - From Begoña Hill to Plaza Unamuno"


"DOÑA CASILDA PARK - The one hundred year old park (its construction started in 1907, though some sources mention 1912 through 1920) is Bilbao's main park. Designed in Romantic style by Ricardo Bastida and Juan de Eguiraun, inspired by French parks, it offers some sculptures dedicated to different figures. This one is dedicated to the musician Aureliano Valle. At the right hand side, the Sheraton may be seen"


"AYUNTAMIENTO - Located across the City Hall bridge that links it to the central Abando district, the City Hall was built in Baroque style in 1892 at the former site of a convent. It seems that one of the highlights of the building is the Arab hall, a richly decorated hall that follows the Neo-Mudéjar style and resembles the decorations found in the Alhambra of Granada"


"CRANES & EVENING LIGHTS"


"CONCORDIA STATION BY NIGHT"

***

...AND THESE ARE THE EXCEPTIONS:


"BEGOÑA INTERIOR - The three naves Basilica has a neoclassical main altar, presided by the Virgin's niche"


"PARK SCENE"


"LIGHTS SCULPTURE, near the Fine Arts Museum"

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

For all those who were intrigued with the pintxos at Victor Montes in the last post, let me just say that there is a traditional sport in Spain: bar hopping before dinner! Bar counters in the Basque country display many pintxos, the equivalent to tapas in other areas of Spain, and making the rounds consists of popping in and out of several bars, grabbing a pintxo and drinking a txikito (a small glass of wine) in each one of them… This post has neither pintxos nor txikitos, as people are already in the skies… ;)
Hope you enjoy, and love to read your comments!

Nikon said...

Another great series, Gil.
I especially liked the Concordia Station, Ribera Market & all of the night shots :-)

alicesg said...

You are still in 2006, hehehe. You are so lucky to travel to so many countries. Very beautiful photos and thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend.

joey said...

Amazing architecture and tour, Gil ... count me in for 'making the rounds' (French tradition on New Year Eve in my hometown) and grabbing a pintxo and drinking a txikito in each one ;) Jolly wishes for a lovely weekend.

Unknown said...

wonderful shots, always like to see buildings in other countries:)

SusuPetal said...

The blue skies feel so good after a long winter, thanks Gil, the tour was delighful as always.

chanpheng said...

Very nice tour. It looks so different from where I live know with this wonderful old architecture!

Miss Kim said...

Oh how I'd love to have pintxos and txikitos with you one day!! What a beautiful city!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Beau travail.
Après mon retour de la montagne, beau temps et très bonne neige, je suis très occupé par la réception d'un appartement sur Troyes et son aménagement. Tout en conservant notre maison de Radonvilliers.
Je prolonge donc mon sevrage bloggistique.
Cordialement
Daniel

Dawning One said...

hi gmg, have been busy, sorry I have not visited your site for some time, or mine for that matter!
I love the "lights sculpture" it has quite a lovely dimension to it.

indicaspecies said...

Gil,

I read about the Basque Tapas and am suddenly hungry (and I am at work!).

Every picture in this series is a beauty! Thank you.

- celine

 gmirage said...

What can I say, all your photos are some, digital (or not?) I especially like the CRANES and EVENING LIGHTS plus the first foto, blue!!!

I'd try to check on this template, most templates with designs like this get messed up when the html is changed, so you need to mess with it more =D

Then remove the other header that was previously there, if it doesnt get better, use the minima template then resize again the layout then change the background colors...that's first for now, I'd be back...

 gmirage said...

I meant in my previous comment 'AWESOME' not some...

For the header first, look for:

/* ---( header and site name )--- */

#header-wrapper {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
font: $pagetitlefont;
background: #e0e0e0 url(http://www.blogblog.com/tictac_blue/top_div_blue_$startSide.gif) no-repeat $startSide top;
}

remove the part from url until the semicolon, it will be like this:

/* ---( header and site name )--- */

#header-wrapper {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
font: $pagetitlefont;
background: #e0e0e0 }


----------be back!

Tinsie said...

OMG! You're killing me!

All these photos are WOW but I particularly like the one of the steps down from Begoña Hill.

Anonymous said...

Trotter.
I'am all for all your trips !!!
I do have a leaning toward your photos : I used to look at those every day albeit I'am very busy.
Thanks for sharing. Thanks for giving us and bringing out the best. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely. J.

virtual nexus said...

What stunning buildings and a stunning way of presenting them in the shots. Curious light sculpture, as well!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos! Wonderful scenery! Wonderful buildings! I love it. I think I'm going to start a list of places I'd like to visit after visiting your blog. Have a good week. ;-)

Paz

Rune Eide said...

It is as always a pleasure to watch your reports. As I said of Bilbao last week - it is on my short list. I must say I really liked the first picture with the blue canal giving perspective and the blue sky.

I am glad that you can document all this for us "stay at homes".

S-V-H said...

I liked the first picture of the Basilica series, very nice framed with all that wonderful clouds and the trees in the foreground! Actually I liked all the others too because of your interesting report, as always.

Thanks for your kind comment on my blog. Have a good time, Gil!

Lynette said...

What a beautiful series of photos. I especially like the view from the steps, the fountain, and the lights sculpture. Oh, and I also thought the opera house reminded me of the one in Paris. Nice job.

Tawnya Shields said...

Those were all good. the first pic grabbed my attention with the blue water. I am assuming that water would be quite cold?

I have always enjoyed night shots of cities. It lends a magical feeling. For me anyway. :o)


Those little European cars are darling. I bet they are good with petrol. There is a BBC America program called Top Gear with which I am fascinated with. There are so many new and inventive ideas that we Americans need to incoroprate.


Thank you for the great virtual tour.

Noushy Syah said...

Gr8 captured of photos! They're all nice.The architectural building of Concordia station look so classic! Those blue sky with clouds and details just perfect.

"This post has neither pintxos nor txikitos, as people are already in the skies… ;)"...hahahhahha, amazingly you have steady gait and focussing well!!

Azer Mantessa said...

hi

i'm commenting regarding on the previous entry where i saw some buldings with verandah (hope i spell this correctly).

i'm a bit confuse, is verandah actually portuguese or spanish?

julia said...

Well, its so so...no,its grand sights all round, why ever would I get a funny idea to walk (or possibly ride a red cycle) on a low key pilgrimage when it's possible to be 'blown away' by no end of beauty instead? Is Santiago de Compostela worth showing us?

Anonymous said...

Now I would like to see those buildings photos as bigger as possible, they are so beautiful and your photos "make justice" to them.
Fantastic city, thank you for the trip!
Have a good week, Gil!

Indrani said...

Beautiful shots of the beautiful city and a good report accompanying it. Thanks Gil.

Cergie said...

Le titre de ce message est très bien choisi, en effet les ciels sont tous différents et cela confère une âme particulière aux immeubles. Mention spéciale pour l'image du dessus extraordinaire de contraste entre le granité bleu sombre de l'eau et la limpidité azur de l'éther (allez je parle "poète", pourquoi pas ?)
Et cet escalier (j'aime les escaliers) avec les immeubles implantés en cascade, et vue sur les collines pastels environnantes.

Peter said...

The tapas / txikitos tradition is one which I like very much - slightly disappearing?

Some fantastic buildings!! Especially impressed by the Concordia station, the Arriaga theatre and the Ribera market!

JO said...

Fasinating archetecture! I am afraid if I visted here - I would go home with a stiff neck :)

Lovely pics! I really like the light sculpture - there is one similar to this in LA.

lyliane six said...

Je me réconcilie avec les monuments anciens espagnols, ils sont vraiment beaux.La gare ressemble un peu à celle d'Orsay, musée parisien aujourd'hui.
Ah les tapas j'adore, il y avait un celèbre bar à tapas près de la cathédrale à San Sébastien et aussi à Grenade fréquenté que par des espagnols qu'elle ambiance!Il y a aussi des vélos taxis comme à Berlin à Bilbao.

MedaM said...

This is another impressive series of photos. As usual, I really enjoyed in beautiful sceneries and wonderful buildings of various architectural styles. Bilbao is really beautiful city both the new and the old path of it. It is the town full of history. I noticed those mountains or hills around the town and I like it; that reminds me of my city. By my opinion that give the town some special feeling. Each photo is great and I cannot say which one I like more.
Thank you for dropped by on my blog and left your very kind comment. I am sorry that I am late with my comment but I’ve been busy lately.

NormanTheDoxie said...

Lovin' your photos. Bilbao looks gorgeous....hope to get there one day.

di.di said...

I have no idea how beautiful Bilbao is until i read your blog. will definitely go there one day...

Oman said...

Wow. Amazing structures. I am awed by the grand features of these buildings/castles.

Nihal said...

Hi Gil,
Your new page arrangement with xxxtra-large photos seems quite
good, such a delight for our eyes but hope you do not go for another re-sizing;) You know we also need some space over the net, Sir;)))
Besides kidding, a bunch of THANKS for this great article. I loved especially 'blue skies', what a perfect timing and chance to capture them so lovely as you did, bravo! Believe me I just wanted to a bird flying over those clouds when viewing yr photos...
Plus, Ribera Market... would like to be there for a morning coffee rite now. A little bit similarity with Firenze, remember old bridge.
Have a fruitful week and can't wait for your upcomming tour. A bientot.

~ Nihal in sunny Istanbul

Anonymous said...

Paul,
The station is beautiful and I also like the Ribera with all those birds flying by; at night I wished I could get some kind of «virtual» tripod… ;)

Alice sg,
October 2006 is not that bad… ;) One day I will go through April 2008, but I don’t have anything to show (up to now, at least)… ;((

Joey,
OK, then we’ll meet for the Paris-Dakar in Santiago! It may take some months, however, till I get there… ;))

M.Kate,
Thanks! No wonder; also love to see the Petronas… ;)

Susupetal,
I admire the way you deal with your winters! I don’t think I would…

Chanpheng,
Seeing your blog, I think it would be interesting to spend some time in Vientiane and in Laos!

Kim,
Didn’t manage to meet you when I was in Tirana, but won’t miss the chance if you come to Lisbon! For some codfish cakes, glass of wonderful Portuguese wine and «pastéis de Belém» to close… ;))

Daniel,
Bon séjour à la montagne, ski et, ensuite, nouvelle maison: ça semble le meilleur des mondes… ;)) On attendra ton retour à la blogosphère!

Dawning One,
Thanks! Hope you manage the busy schedule!

Celine,
Oh dear, I always forget that your weekend finishes when our starts… Sorry! ;)

Mirage2g
Thanks a lot! The header is not such a problem; what I find more annoying is the degraded grey that is left behind the picture, between them and the sidebar… ;((

Tinsie,
No killing… didn’t order any «txiquitos»… ;))
Thanks!

J,
Thanks a lot; it’s a pleasure to read you here!

Julie,
Thanks! The light sculpture was a big surprise as during the day it looks rather weird!

Paz,
Please take any advice for free… ;) Thanks!

Runee,
Bilbao was put in the map by Gehry’s Guggenheim and it actually deserves to be on your short list! That blue River Nervion is also one favourite!

Sue,
Thanks! Must confess that it took me some time to catch those three Begoña pictures, but in the end it seems they came out pretty well…

Lynette,
I hesitated whether to post the steps or not (mainly because the sky looks rather white!), but it seems the roofs made the picture…

Titania,
Thanks! Didn’t try the swim on the Nervion, so won’t be able to confirm your ideas on the temperature of the water; but deep blue doesn’t necessarily mean cold…
The small car in the park (maybe publicity for some English/Basque language school) is most probably electric; no petrol pollution in the green… ;)

Noushy Syah,
The blues are always the best here (don’t you mention Schalke 04…). Did you notice: F.C.Porto is champion again (third time in a row; 10th in the last 14 years)… and José was gone in 2004!
It should justify some Port…

Azer Mantessa,
Verandah is surely Portuguese; how could it be otherwise… ;))

Julia,
Thanks! For Santiago, you’ll judge by yourself, but it will take probably some three months to get there… ;)

Leena,
Thanks. Also had great fun taking some of those pictures and posting them…

Indrani,
Thanks!

Cergie,
La poésie est toujours très bien venue dans ce blog et tu as toujours un grand talent pour nous faire rêver… Les bleus, je les aime; l’escalier j’avais des doutes sur la publication à cause du ciel blanc, mais il semble que beaucoup de gens ont aimé la photo…

Peter,
It’s true that the globalization is defeating many old traditions; but is also generating some new ones. I had never seen a tapas bar in Portugal and now we can find some…
Thanks for the tips on the template, but this one seems to be a bit tricky!

Jo,
Thanks! That light sculpture is amazing!

Lyliane,
J’espère que ça va mieux! Orsay c’est très joli, mais bar a tapas, il faut vraiment aller en Espagne…

Medam,
It’s true that those hills around Bilbao make it look familiar to people leaving in Sarajevo. Would love to go back and see how is your city almost thirty years later!

Citygirl,
Di.Di.
Nice choice to be on your list!

Norman,
Thanks! Not many castles around but lots of churches!

Nihal,
See that you’re back from Malaysia. Amazing that time seems no longer to be an issue to get to and from a distant place… ;)
Firenze, Ponte Vecchio … that’s unbeatable…
Have a great week!

Azer Mantessa said...

thanks for the answer. me and my wife were arguing on this. told her it's portuguese.

have faxed her the answer. we made you the judge on this.

Anonymous said...

Azer,
The answer is probably arguable, but when it comes to discussions between Portugal and Spain, I have no doubts on whose side is right... ;))

Ash said...

Fantastic images. Love all of them!

Anonymous said...

Ash,
Thanks!

freefalling said...

Beautiful, beautiful old buildings and I love that they are not restored to within an inch of their life!
A bit of decrepitude adds wonderful atmosphere.

Joy said...

Fantastic photos! I now want to go to Bilbao! :D So much history.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comments. Have a great week ahead!


joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
I, Woman

Anonymous said...

Letitia,
I agree on the old buildings, but present day Bilbao lives from the incredible mix of ancient and future...

Joy,
Thanks! Gehry put Bilbao on the map; I'm glad to put it on your list... ;)

Sigma said...

Wow! some really beautiful pictures here .... specially liked the pictures of the church and the lake ... they look so amazing .... grand and serene ...

Anonymous said...

Sigma,
Also love those skies over the Begoña; think they came out quite well...
The River Nervion is amazing; it looks so nice and clean;. You can't imagine how it was in the seventies...

Janet Grace Riehl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Janet Grace Riehl said...

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http://buildingsandskies.blogspot.com

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Janet Riehl

Trotter said...

Janet,
Thanks for your comment! Glad you liked, even if you landed here by mistake... ;))