Bilbao, Spain's sixth-largest city and biggest port, has been described as an "ugly, gray, decaying, smokestack city," and so it is -- in part. But it has a number of interesting secrets to reveal, as well as good food, and as a rail hub it serves as a center for exploring some of the best attractions in the Basque country. Most of the city's sights can be viewed in a day or two. Many visitors flock here only to see the controversial new $100-million Guggenheim Museum, designed by American architect Frank Gehry and called "the beast" by some locals because of its bizarre shape. From afar, it resembles a gargantuan sculpture, with a tumbling boxes profile and a 131m (430-ft.) long ship gallery.
Bilbao is the industrial hub of the north and the political capital for the Basques. Shipping, shipbuilding, and steel-making have made it prosperous, so there's no shortage of bankers or industrialists. Its commercial heart, bursting with skyscrapers and sky cranes, hums with activity. Among cities of the Basque region, it has the highest population (around 450,000); the metropolitan area, including the suburbs and many surrounding towns, is home to over a million inhabitants.
|
