Adventures of Mark and Stu: I Before E Except after Gipuzkoa

I Before E Except after Gipuzkoa

Guggenheim Bilbao

San Sebastian, or Donastia if you are speaking Euskara or Euskera, is a city located in the north-east region of the Basque region in Spain. It sits on the Bay of Biscay and is a popular tourist destination. It is known for its laid-back lifestyle and tapas called Pintxos. I failed to mention that the view of the water from the beach is breathtaking. In between what appears to be two islands (one is connected to the mainland) there is a gateway to the sea. At each hour of the day I would comment on the current color of blue such as: Prussian blue (my favorite), ultramarine, baby blue, navy, cobalt, cerulean, azure, Phthalocyanine Blue BN, and PANTONE 281 C. OK, I may have exaggerated a bit. For most of our visit it was rainy, cold and sometimes very very windy. Ironically, this can be the best time to capture blue.

One thing about the beach is that it is stunning--but not very photogenic. Maybe if you had a special lens? I see two lumps in most of my images. You can't see or feel the immense drama of the crescent beach with two giant land masses, together with hues of water, sand, and sky. Did I mention the old town in the distance? I sat on a bench with Stu in crummy weather and said, "Can we come back to the bench and grow old together?" He said, "Deal". We sat quietly and smiled while holding hands. Time sucks--sometimes you want it to stand still--or at least until you need the loo (I hate GOMBS, getting older man-bladder syndrome).

Food. A very special friend of ours who I can't wait to see, told us that San Sebastian has more Michelin Star restaurants than anywhere else. We smiled and I thought, I'm not going to any Michelin Star restaurants. Lord that would be expensive. We missed the communication. What she really meant was that there was amazing food everywhere (at least I think that's what she meant)? The Basque are known for their food--especially this form of tapas called pintxos if you were not paying attention. More than a few restaurants had at least a dozen themed snacks on display from sardines to blood sausages served on French bread! We opted for things like artichokes battered and deep-fried with cheese and ham and local seafood. If you could handle the ingredients, you would enjoy the meal. Every meal was less than 30$ for two people and you had a few things on your plate. It wasn't a ton of food but you always felt quite content. You could actually go on a diet here and eat like a king. I can hear my surprised self, Is it Lent again---already? Imagine twirling while chomping down on something delicious. You might knock a wine glass or two off an unlucky couple's table but hell, no one knows you here. After all, we did take shameless photos of the displays like Japanese tourists (but without the tell-tale big brimmed hats and short statures).

OOhh I guess it's art. I should be impressed.

The next day we went to Bilbao. We heard things from "God yes!" to something Trump would say, "Overrated, terrible, unfair to <something>". The city is the industrial powerhouse of the Basque region and is somewhat dull compared to fancier locations like San Sebastian, the resort town. In the center lies the world-renouned Guggenheim museum. The famous large sculpture of a dog outside the museum was in full bloom. Walking up to the museum, the shiny tiles were a bit dirty and dingy. I was expecting shine and shimmer--like the photos. You generally see the museum from a distance on a bright and sunny day. Up close I realized, how do you clean this thing?

We paid and went inside. I found a piece in an entire wing, to quote Nan from Catherine Tate, What a load of old shit! It was curved rusted steel exploring space blah blah blah more art babble steel. The permanent collection for the museum was also quite small. Where the museum shined was in its temporary exhibits. There was one on Chinese art from '88 to the present and another...Chagall exhibit!

(Illegal photo, thus the bad angle) ...She was floating above us and she was...--Talking Heads

Fortunately, I had my personal audio tour for taking unauthorized photos. The sound was horrible but the images were amazing. The Chinese art was reflective and brilliant to total crap. I can glue toys to a bathtub. I can take pictures of whipping a woman. I can invent.....crap. And then there was the wonderful art. A hole in Manhattan with a TV showing a hole to China as the joke goes. A dragon made of bicycle tires with the wild growth of automobile. There were also touching exhibits. The Chinese government ~~played down~~ lied about the destruction from an earthquake. The poor construction killed thousands. One artist created a "Vietnam-wall-style" memorial/exhibit naming the victims. it roused conversation. The artist was arrested for "crimes", beaten, and imprisoned. Another display was pictures and suitcases of random people selected from different parts of society to travel to Germany. The artist extensively journaled each person's experience. It was moving as well as told a story. Overall the exhibit was wonderful and thought provoking.

Chinese Shit.

El Greco, Mary Gets the Word

Another El Greco

The Chagall exhibit filled in some gaps about the artist. He moved to Paris and blossomed. He had no money nor language but was in love with the city. Overtime he established himself enough to ask for his love's hand in marriage. Being just a man from a poor family, he had to win her parents over. While visiting home, war broke out and he was trapped for eight years. Bummer.

Endless choices

For only a few dollars more we also got a ticket to the traditional city museum. There were a few surprises including what I consider to be a El Greco masterpiece of an Annunciation or as our friend Brian and his kids call it, "Mary gets the word". On the top floor was a Halloween exhibit of Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights . It is thought that perhaps Bosch had hallucinations from something in the wheat. Was it a bad LSD trip? Look at the painting. If I've learned on thing about a triptych (three panel piece of art) its that you don't want to end up on the right side. Nice things happen to people of the left. The right side, not so much. Demons, fire, and torture awaits people on the right. It's messy. The exhibit was a room where each wall had a moving spooky image of the painting. In the center of the room has a 5th panel moving. The room was disorienting with the creepy music and spinning art. Any children around to scare?...