Portugal and Spain

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After leaving Porto Venere and the Five Villages, we spent three days cruising through the Mediterranean until we popped out into the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Gibraltar. It's a strange experience to stand on the deck of a ship and look at Europe on the right and Africa on the left. They are only 15 miles apart at the Straits. What a way to learn geography! The Rock of Gibraltar is on the southern tip of Spain, on two square miles (pop. 30,000) owned by the UK. There is a NATO base there now. Across the Straits is Morocco on the African continent. There is talk these days of building a bridge between the two, which would indeed be an impressive sight -- as well as an impressive feat of diplomacy no doubt.

Once out of the Straits and into the Atlantic, we turned right and went up the coast of Portugal, which is across the Atlantic from Pennsylvania. Our destination in Portugal was Lisbon, a sprawling metropolis still nostalgic for the good old days of the New World explorers when Portugal and Spain agreed to divide the world between them, and their ships came home laden with silk and spices from the far east and gold from South America.

Lisbon fell on hard times after the glory days of trade and expansion. The low point came in 1755 when an enormous earthquake, tsunami and fire destroyed the port, which had been one of the finest in the world. Recovery was slow. Eventually Lisbon was known as one of the most run-down cities in Europe. Renewal has come only in the last 20 years or so, helped by an infusion of capital from the EU.

All in all, we found Lisbon a bit boring, full of utilitarian 18th century public buildings, modern shopping malls and horrendous traffic. But it's plainly on its way to prosperity again.

After another day at sea, we docked up the coast at Bilbao in Spain, not far from the French border. In our ignorance, we had never heard of the place, but it's another unusual city. It is one of the major cities of the Basque provinces of Spain, which are said to be quite different from the rest of Spain.

No one is sure where the Basques came from, though their ancestry is different from that of Spaniards. They are bigger, fairer, often high-foreheaded, and have curious blood group characteristics which distinguish them from the rest of Europe. The Basque language is also different, said to predate in origin the Indo-European languages of the rest of Europe. The Basques maintain that they are the original, aboriginal Europeans, living Cro-Magnons.

Not surprisingly, the Basques like to do things a little differently from the rest of Spain. One of their most successful efforts has been the spectacular Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in Bilbao, a collaborative effort between the local Basque government and the American Guggenheim Foundation. The result is the most famous new building of the 1990s, the forerunner of many imitations since. The Guggenheim Museum has sparked extensive urban renewal and an influx of cruise ships and tourists to Bilbao, which was once a city based on shipyards and iron and steel mills.

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Photos

Lisbon, Portugal
The staff in this restaurant near Lisbon was justly proud of its pastry covered fish, which fed the busload of world cruisers who ate there. The food was the best part of our visit to Lisbon.

Bilboa, Spain
The Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art can be seen in the center of the photo, surrounded by traffic arteries and expensive high-rise condos and apartment buildings. The picture was taken on a beautiful clear day. Nearly every city we visited was choked with heavy smog, a problem the citizens are just now addressing.

Bilboa, Spain
A close up view of one wing of the Guggenheim Museum. Designed by Frank Gehry, the museum is said to be "at once avant-garde and true to Bilbao's past, incorporating the anatomy of a fish and the upturned hull of a boat (fishing has always been a mainstay of the Bilbao and wider Basque economy). Rising up from the riverbank that it overlooks, the Guggenheim's rippling titanium shields evoke the scales of a fish."

Street Scene in Lisbon
This street scene reminded us of our hometown of Greenville in South Carolina. Downtown Greenville has turned its once-drab main street into a tree-lined district of outdoor cafes and small shops very much like this scene.

"The Puppy" in Bilbao
Behind the Guggenheim Museum is the huge "Puppy," a dog flower sculpture by Jeff Koons. The Puppy is completely covered by living flowering plants set into its mesh-covered sod. It was due to be moved after its initial showing, but petitions by local school children made Bilbao its permanent home.

Bridge in Lisbon
This photo was taken at sunset from our ship on the Lisbon side of the Tagus River, which is about a mile wide. There was no bridge in this area until the 1960s, but now there are two spanning the river. Needless to say, they are a great source of pride to local citizens.

Monument of Discoveries, Lisbon
This impressive monument on the bank of the Tagus River shows the Portuguese explorers of the New World, including Vasco da Gama and Magellan. The leading figure is Prince Henry the Navigator, who was a great patron of navigators and voyages of discovery, and spurred the discoveries by setting up a Portuguese School for Navigators.

Bilbao, Spain Harbor
This dredging ship symbolized for us the bustling new spirit of Balbao, enlarging the harbor for the access of more and larger ships. This picture was taken from the tail of our ship as we approached the Bilbao docks.

Comments

[Keith davidson]

Heading Bilboa,but article is on Bilbao!,

[Keith davidson]

Heading Bilboa,but article is on Bilbao!,

[Keith davidson]

Heading Bilboa,but article is on Bilbao!,