Day 14- 16:

After the 7-hour train ride, we arrive in Bilbao, located in the Basque Country of northern Spain, between the mountains and the Nervion River. Once we settled into our hotel, we stretched our legs to explore the city that embraces contemporary culture. While exploring the city, I found it adaptable to function and live in because it was modern and had the characteristics of Southern California. The atmosphere of Bilbao seemed cold and gloomy for some reason because of the river, the wind, and the fact that we are far north of Spain.

Some of the sites we visited were contemporary works of architecture; we got to see the Zubizuri Bridge, the Guggenheim Museum, Biblioteca Inglesa, San Mames Pitch, and Bilbao Arena. Santiago Calatrava designed the Zubizuir bridge, and while walking on it, I noticed it was vibrating and bouncing while people were walking on the glass bridge. Discussing with Dr. Youseff and some students, he explained the curved suspension, so there is natural movement so that it can combat any weather conditions.

Overall, from this contemporary day of architecture, I prefer a lot of architecture with detail and meaning, with a story filled with beauty. I didn’t feel inspired while sketching the Arena Bilbao or the library. From this day, I have observed the structural attachments and how most of these types of architecture were modern but emphasized structural elements. I like the dynamism from Sam Mames' Pitch, with the bent vertical fins helping the design, but when I walked around for a different perspective, it showed a different angle. We had a free day in Bilbao; some girls and I went to the beach and played beach volleyball with the locals! It was a very relaxing and eventful Sunday.