November marked our first familial visit and our first road trip in Spain. Tyler's parents, Suzy/Bama and Barry/Mac, came to visit during the last week of November, and we all hit the road to travel to
Rioja and País Basco (Basque Country). 15 minutes after picking up our rental car- and before we had even returned to our apartment to load up kids, grandparents and luggage- we got a flat tire. The old narrow streets in our neighborhood are really quaint when you are getting around on foot, but considerably less so when are driving a mini van. Then you take a corner too sharply, run over a curb and pop a tire. |
Replacing the tire delayed our departure time, so we arrived at our hotel at night, and couldn't fully appreciate the tiny town in Rioja that surrounded it. The next morning we got a better view when Isaac, Felix and I climbed to the rooftop terrace to look around. What we could appreciate upon arrival was the interior decor of the hotel, the plush robes provided, the black light in the hallway outside our rooms, and the entertainment the combination of those things provided. We also got to experience an amazing dinner at the hotel. My dessert was part performance piece part delicious chocolate-ness: when the waiter arrived with the dessert, she also brought portable speakers playing AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" and a mallet, which she used to crack open the hard shell that encircled the chocolate decadence in the middle. Delicious and fun. |
The next morning we headed out to a nearby vineyard, Marquis de Risqual. Barry/Mac had enjoyed their wine in the states, and the property also boasted a hotel designed by Frank Gehry. Barry and I went on a tour of the vineyard and facilities while Tyler, Suzy/Bama, and the kids wandered around the hotel and the gift shop. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the new and the old during the tour: the modern hotel amidst the middle of a small town full of old buildings and winding roads, the modern wine-making facilities on top of the immense wine cellar, which had been used since 1858. We even got to peek into a room in the cellar that contained a bottle from every wine they had made, including one from 1858. Next: on to Bilbao, and to another Gehry building, the Guggenheim. |
I knew I was going to enjoy looking at the building, but was impressed by how much we enjoyed all of the art inside and surrounding the building as well. Before even entering the Guggenheim there are many sculptures to enjoy. From our hotel room across the street we could see Jeff Koons' Puppy, which Isaac and Felix named Big Dog Billy. On the back side of the museum there were a variety of sculptures; we particularly enjoyed Louise Bourgeois's Maman, Fujiko Nakaya's Fog Sculpture, Yves Klein's Fire Fountain. Inside the museum we spent at least a half an hour exploring Richard Serra's The Matter of Time. This piece was made especially for the large room in which it is installed, and is a series of 8 massive sculptures, in which sheets of weathering steel curve and spiral and tower above you as you meander through them. Felix's one word description of the sculptures: twisty. There was a detailed kids audio guide to go along with these sculptures. Isaac listened to the whole thing, but Felix grew tired of it. | Tyler likes to ask the boys which items in a museum they like a lot, and to then keep track of it in a notebook. On this trip Isaac started writing down his choices himself. One of the highlights for me was watching him write down the titles of several pieces by Anselm Kiefer. I found these painting quite dark and vaguely disturbing, but Isaac really enjoyed them. The description provided by the museum said the artist drew on themes from German mythology. Isaac is a big fan of mythology, and so I found it interesting that he was drawn to these paintings. |
We had thought we might take a day trip to San Sebastien as well, but rainy weather deterred us. Instead we spent a solid 6 hours (!) at the Guggenheim, and then the boys went for a swim, which you can read more about in Tyler's post (coming soon). Bilbao is known for its Pintxos, little bites of food. Eating out with 2 kids was tricky because many of the restaurants did not open until 8, but on our last night in Bilbao we managed to find a spot for a dinner of pintxos. The restaurant was packed, with people spilling out onto the street with their drinks and food. We managed to find a table for three of us, while the rest of stayed on foot. The table was luckily quite near the bar, where you ordered the pintxos, a few at a time, returning when you wanted more. The waiter kept a running count in her head of how many we had ordered so we could pay up at the end. Lots of them were yummy, but the pinxto that stands out to me contained banana and bacon, a flavor combination I has discovered I liked when they were served in my pancakes in Amsterdam. |
The next morning we has a leisurely breakfast, played at the park next to the Guggenheim, and then headed home.
Other favorite pieces from the Guggenheim:
Bourgeois, Maman (F&Ty)
Giacometti, La Nez (F&Ty)
Calder, Constellation (Te)
LeWitt, Wall Drawing #831 (Ty)
Moholy-Nagy, AXL II (I&Te)
Klee, Neue Harmonie (Ty)
Dubuffet, La Butte aux Visions (I)
Mondrian, Duin in Zeeland (I)
Delaunay, Tour Eiffel (I)
Chagall, Paris par la Fenetre (F&I)
Feninger, Gelmeroda IV (I)
Braque, Piano et Mandore (I)
Kiefer, The Land of the Two Rivers, Sun Ship, Only with Wind, Time, and Sound, The Renowned Orders of the Night (I)
Beuys, Lightning with Stag in its Glare (I)
Iglesias, Untitled (Jealousy II) (F)
Baselitz, Mrs Lenin and the Nightengale (F)
Vo, Das Beste oder Nichts (F&I)
Hatoum, Home (F&I)
Other favorite pieces from the Guggenheim:
Bourgeois, Maman (F&Ty)
Giacometti, La Nez (F&Ty)
Calder, Constellation (Te)
LeWitt, Wall Drawing #831 (Ty)
Moholy-Nagy, AXL II (I&Te)
Klee, Neue Harmonie (Ty)
Dubuffet, La Butte aux Visions (I)
Mondrian, Duin in Zeeland (I)
Delaunay, Tour Eiffel (I)
Chagall, Paris par la Fenetre (F&I)
Feninger, Gelmeroda IV (I)
Braque, Piano et Mandore (I)
Kiefer, The Land of the Two Rivers, Sun Ship, Only with Wind, Time, and Sound, The Renowned Orders of the Night (I)
Beuys, Lightning with Stag in its Glare (I)
Iglesias, Untitled (Jealousy II) (F)
Baselitz, Mrs Lenin and the Nightengale (F)
Vo, Das Beste oder Nichts (F&I)
Hatoum, Home (F&I)