Bilboa

Julius Caesar said Gaul was divided into three parts.  Good thing he didn't opt for Spain as it seems to be divided into at least seventeen separate regions and cultures.  We are in Bilboa which is in the Basque region and it couldn't be more different from Aragon which we just came from if they were two different countries.  The Basque's, of course, have their own language which doesn't seem to be related to anything else linguistically (although most people speak Spanish.)  The food, which is wonderful, also seems quite different.  But the main thing that impressed me, as it does many others is the architecture, exemplified by the Guggenheim Museum pictured above.  It really is stunning, and unlike many iconic places I've visited, seeing this in person is a totally different experience from viewing it in pictures.  It's pretty awesome to walk around it watch the play of light on the various flying wings.  The sky was like pewter and seemed to press down on the structure in a way that made the planes seem mysterious and hallucinatory.