Architectural Tour of Spain - Part 1

Over the weekend I was in a discussion about where in Spain I would recommend for good architecture. I started to make up a list, but then decided it would be nice to put together a map with some of the places I think are worth a visit. Along with the map, I thought it only fair to provide some descriptions of these places to inspire you to check them out for yourself. Today, I have written up descriptions for three of the cities, Astorga, Aviles and Bilbao, all located in the north of the country. 

You can access the map, which no doubt will get some additions at:

Architectural Highlights of Spain

Astorga 

A bit out of the way unless you happen to be hiking the Camino de Santiago which of course is how I found this grand residence. Built as a commission from the bishop to serve as his residence, the bishop died before it was completed. In addition to this museum, I also remember visiting a chocolate museum and one within the church. 

Episcopal Palace

Antonio Gaudi, 1889-1913

Plaza Eduardo de Castro, 15, 24700 Astorga, León, Spain

https://www.palaciodegaudi.es/en/

Aviles

While traveling to Brazil I became a big fan of Oscar Niemeyer So I hope one day to get to Aviles to see this complex. It reminds me of his Teatro Popular in Niteroi, Brazil.

Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center

Oscar Niemeyer, 2008

Av. del Zinc, s/n, 33490 Avilés, Asturias, Spain

https://www.centroniemeyer.es/

Bilbao

Once a great industrial city in the north of Spain, it had begun to fade when it suddenly was propelled onto the world stage with the creation of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, It was the first of the Spanish cities to embark on an ambitious, architect centered revitalization. The Guggenheim is a wonderous creation of curling titanium on the banks of the river that would not have been possible without the advent of computers. The only flat surface is the floor, the rest of the structure wraps around you. With a 120,000 square feet of exhibition space, it takes awhile to get through the museum. My particular favorite is Puppy, a Jeff Koons sculpture that greets you out front. It is a 12.4 meter tall "chia pet" of a puppy planted in flowers.

The Guggenheim Museum is certainly enough reason to head to Bilbao, but it would be a shame to miss some of the other architectural sites scattered around the city. A walk along the river by the museum will take you past bridges that are a delight to the eye and give you a chance to cross over for your photos of the museum. The Azkuna Zentroa is a renovated Corn Exchange building and houses a multiplex cinema, shops, a museum restaurants and other things. The Vizcaya Bridge is worth a trip to check out the operations. The bridge uses two gondolas hanging from the structure to transport road traffic across the river. The health department is worth a visit for the great modern architecture. The same could be said for the airport. My first visit there was a bus trip both directions just to see the architecture.

Azkuna Zentroa

Philippe Starck w/ Thibaut Mathieu 2010

Arriquíbar Plaza, 4, 48010 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain

https://www.azkunazentroa.eus/az/ingl/home

Basque Heath Department Headquarters

Juan Coll-Barreu

Alameda de Recalde, 39, 48008 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

Bilbao Airport

Santiago Calatrava, 2000

48180 Loiu, Biscay, Spain

Guggenheim Museum

Frank Gehry, 1997

Abandoibarra Etorb., 2, 48009 Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain

https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en

Vizcaya Bridge

Alberto Palacio, 1893

Puente de Vizcaya Zubia, Getxo, Bizkaia, Spain

If you are interested in more information on the new architecture in Bilbao, they have developed a good website that has some very good information.

https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/nueva-arquitectura

The Wolfsonian - FIU Miami Beach, FL

     Over the years I've enjoyed many visits to the Wolfsonian since it is very close to the home of the friends that I stay with in South Beach. I originally had walked past it a few times as it doesn't have a fancy new building, instead it is located in a converted storage building. But after my first visit I was hooked. The permanent collection is very good and I have seen some great temporary exhibitions here.

    As a bit of background, the museum was started with the personal collection of Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. who was and continues to be an avid collector with varied interests. I just read a short interview he did and at 80 years old he has collected and donated over 155,000 pieces to his museums. Even if he started buying on the day he was born, it still works out to more than 5 items a day. The reason the museum is in a storage building is that he bought it once he was already renting 90% of the space to store his collection.

    The intent of the collection is to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design. This is accomplished with a collection that includes furniture , industrial-design objects, Glass, ceramics, metal, rare books, textiles, works on paper, paintings and more. If you like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, war time propaganda, tourist posters, or architectural drawings, you will certainly find something of interest.

Wrestler, 1929, Dudley Vaill Talcott, designer. 

For the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics

    My visit this week was a bit different due to the restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus. It began with a large room for an exhibit titled The New Deal: Art Relief. On exhibit are various posters and paining that were produced by the Federal Art Project (FAP), a network or art centers set up across the country  during the Great Depression funded from Washington, but administered locally. Vice President Harry Hopkins made sure that artists were included in the relief efforts  saying, "hell, they've got to eat just like other people." Very relevant today as I heard people complaining that the Kennedy Centerand other arts organizations were allotted Covid relief funds.

The Next exhibit was Art For Justice, a small exhibition on racial justice focused on the Scottsboro Nine, black teenagers falsely accused of rape in 1931, and all but the youngest sentenced to death. The display included a collection of Linoleum Cut prints; issues of the Labor Defender magazine, a a publication of the Communist Party that organized the boy's defense; and a few other items.

Portfolio Plate, Stake in the Commonwealth. from Comrade Gulliver; An Illustrated Account of Travel into that Strange Country, the United States of America, 1936, 

Hugo Gellert (American, b. Hungary, 1892 -1985).  

This bitterly ironic illustration implies that being burned at the stake in a lynching is the only "stake" in America that Black people could expect.

     Walking on there were some rescued architectural elements including a permanent installation of a window grille created in 1929 for the Norris Theater in Norristown, PA. It is a great piece of Art Deco architecture saved from the wrecking ball. 

Window Grille, 1929, From the Norris Theater, Norristown, PA. 

Walter Harold Lee (American, 1884-1971 and Armand Carroll (American, 1898-1971) Architects

Glazed terra cotta tile.

Finally, on the way out there was a large collection entitled, "You, Me, We, Us, Solidarity in AIDS Graphic Design with a number of posters from around the world. Again, another timely display as we are in the midst of another pandemic.

Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities, c. 1996. Moving Images, South Africa, Publisher

Rafiki yangu mwenye UKIMWI bado ni rafiki yangua (my Friend with AIDS is Still my Friend, 1994. 
Marco Simon Tibasima (Tanzanian), designer. 
Kuleana Center for Sexual Health, Mwanza, Tanzania, publisher.

On this visit, museum traffic was tightly controlled in a one way path that conveniently led to an exit through the giftshop. This museum gift shop is quite good with a selection of gifts and books including a great children's section. Even here, the founder's penchant for collecting is evident as the library shelving was reclaimed from the ASPCA Building in New York City.

Helpful Info:

Check the website https://wolfsonian.org for more information.
Weekday visitors can find on-street free parking west of Washington, Ave.
If you are looking for a bite to eat, Puerto Sagua, nearby at 7th and Collins has been open since 1962 serving authentic affordable Cuban food in a simple, no frills setting.

Playa del Ingles, Gran Canaria

For my stay in Grand Canary I chose to stay in Playa deal Ingles, which translates to beach of the English. In a way it is a very fitting name since English was much more widely spoken than Spanish. Of course I could also have gotten by in German, Swedish, Norweigen, Danish and several other languages as well. Playa del Ingles is a bit dated, there are newer resort communities a bit farther along the coast, but they all share an abundance of sun seekers from northern climates. 

Of of the interesting things to note are the shopping centers. Here they usually contain a grocery store or two, some duty free shopping (the Canary Islands are a duty free zone), restaurants and bars. The closest center to me was the Jumbo Centrium and it lived up to its name, it was the biggest center in the area. Two shopping centers, a load of restaurants, lots of duty free shopping (Michael Kors was the big seller, though not sure if it was real or knock-off) and an abundance of bars. 

Playa has over the years gained a reputation as a gay get away spot so it was no surprise that there were more than a few gay bars at the Jumbo. As I walked about one evening I counted 30 gay bars before I stopped counting. Most were casual sit down bars, but at least 4 featured drag shows of varying qualities including one featuring a little person drag queen. There were also a handful of men only clubs with names like Tom's Cruie Bar, the Celler, Bunker and Construction. And bar life starts late, like 10, 11 or even 12.

One of the big draws is the beach which runs for several miles. It has a great quality of sand, vey fine and comfortable. Behind the beach is a large natural reserve with beautiful sand dunes. Makes you think perhaps you are in the Sahara desert, except with an ocean. Speaking of the Sahara, the Canary Islands are located off the coast of Western Sahara, a disputed territory. Unlike the Saharah which I pictured inhabited by Bedoin tribes with the men in flowing robes and the women veiled, the area of the beach farthest from the town is a Playa Natural. There I was, wandering along as I was created, when a ranger drove by with no sign that it was out of the ordinary. 

The first of my day trips was to Telde, a not so interesting city, and the on to Las Palmas, the capital city. Las Palmas was an interesting visit. There is a nice older section near the Cathedral with some good turn of the century modernist inspired architecture. The Cathedral itself was not that interesting in my opinion. On the way back it began to rain, a rarity as I was told they only get 6 days of rain per year. 

The second day trip was along the south shore. I started in Puerto de Mogan, a pretty fishing village. It's described as Gran Canaria's Venice, but two half block canals didn't make me think Venice. Even though I didn't ride the Yellow Submarine, I enjoyed Puerto de Mogan.

From there I took the local bus back along the coast. Since it is a volcani island, this stretch of the coast is mostly steep cliffs, so not a great route if you have a fear of heights. At many points where a canyon came down to the sea there was anew condo development hugging the cliffs. Some nice looking resorts in this area. 

At one point I got off the bus and strolled along a path that had been built between a new developement in one canyon, to Puerto Rico, an older village in the next canyon. It was a nice walk that must have cost a small fortune to build into the cliff. From Puerto Rico I caught the bus down to the lighthouse on the far end of the dunes. Here there was another large new developement with the largest swimming pool I have ever seen. From there I was able to walk back through the dunes to Playa del Ingles.

My final excursion was to Teror, one of the inland cities. Teror has a nice church that contains Our Lady of the Pines, the patron saint of the island. Teror is a cute little town with colonial homes whose balconies overlook the main street. According to the legend, our lady was found in a pine tree here. How the statue got there is anyone's guess.

In Teror I got to sample two Canarian dishes, chorizo from Teror, sort of a spicy paste that I didn't care for, and wrinkly potatoes with mojo, small potatoes boiled in salt water served with mojo sauce. The potatoes were good, but not something worth a detour. 

As you go around the island, much of it looks similar to the American southwest. Arid with some sagebrushy looking vegetation. Then there are massive plastic covered greenhouse structures that you can't see into to see what is growing. 

Sadly my time here was too short to see how the west was won in Sioux City, a recreation of the American western frontier. Sioux City seems out of place, but perhaps it is the Spanish version of Disney World. Likewise, I missed Hanger 37 where I could have played desert war games.  From the promo commercial playing in baggage claim, Hanger 37 seemed to be a Disney World Verizon of the war in Afganistan, a bit weird for me.

Barcelona - Second Museum Day

Two other museums caught my attention for this trip. One of them I saw a on a banner hanging from a light pole near Sagrada Familia. Who knew that Barcelona would be home to the Hash, Hemp and Marijuana Museum?

It was an interesting collection divided into various subject areas. The first area covered the biology of the plant which was very informative. I never realized that there were male and female plants, and it's the female that is grown for smoking. Also, hash is resin collected from the leaves, I thought they were some how cooked down to make hash.

One of my favorite rooms was one with an audio visual presentation of marijuana in songs. Never gave it much thought, but there are a good number of them. There were also rooms on the commercial production of hemp which has had many uses over the years. Columbus would not have discovered The new world without hemp for the ropes on his ships.

The next museum on my list was the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, a really nice design museum. There I saw 

a nice display on the development of graphic arts in Spain with some pretty posters for DDT amount some really 

nice tourism posters. 

The highlight of the museum for me was the floor devoted to fashion. Unlike lots of museums that display clothing without much context, here the collection was broken into various periods of styles. The display focused on how fashion was used to reduce, enlarge and elongate the human figure. Each display case included a manquin that showed the changes. Sometimes the waists were very tiny with huge hips built out to the sides. Each case also included a recent designer dress showing the same effect.  What pain men designers inflicted on women with these corsets.

There were also displays on products that were invented in the area and small collections of pottery, glass, wall paper and textiles. Amazing to see fabric that was dated back to the 4th century. I guess that they didn't have H&M and Zara back then with cheap, but not lasting fabrics.

Por Favor by Nahuel Tajan

It is also worth mentioning that most of the neighborhoods in Barcelona have cultural centers that offer classes and have exhibitions. At my local center I caught a small exhibition by Nahuel Tajan that had some thought provoking paintings. 

Museum day in Barcelona

Casa Mila by Antonio Guadi

Barcelona is a city with a great number of museums so every time I visit Barcelona it seems I find another museum or house to visit and this trip was no exception. Thanks to the Bacelona tourism bureau I discovered a couple of new museums, then saw a banner hanging from a street light that alerted me to another unique niche museum. I had visited Casa Mila pictured above, and at 20.50€ It wasn't on the list this year. But I did pause to take the photo to share with you.

The first museum on my list was the Museu del Modernisme. If contained an excellent collection from the period. If back in the day you had a modernist architect design your home, then chances were he also designed some of the furnishing for it as well. The photo above is just a taste of what I saw. There were some incredible pieces of furniture in the collection including pieces designed by Gaudi for Casa Batllo.

There was one floor that was devoted to art which had some really nice vintage posters. There were also some sculptures and paintings. It was interesting that the paintings were displayed in a slightly darkened space and the paintings were spotlighted with filters that lit just the art, not the frame or surrounding area. I haven't seen this done before and it really directs all of your interest towards the painting.

Casa Punxes by Joseph Puig i Cadafalch

Up next was Casa punxes, another modernist building that I have admired in the past. When I saw that it now had a museum that you could visit, I thought it would be good to see the inside of the building. The good news was that yes I got in, but the bad news was you really didn't get to see the house. It turned out that the museum was an audio visual show that explained the story of St. George (Jordi in Catalan.) the show was interesting with the head set playing as you are led through the museum by doors that automatically open as you go through.

The museum did include entrance to the roof so you could enter the seven towers. Each tower contained a theme related to the building.

From there I headed up to see the first home designed by Gaudi. As I headed up the street toward it it looked interesting. As i got closer I realized that what I was seeing was not the building, but intead I was viewing a cover that had been erected to cover scaffolding as they reconstruct the building. Guess I will have to make another trip to Barcelona to see the finished house.

Welcome to Barcelona - Food, glorious food

Display case at la Pastisseria

My flight arrived late morning yesterday and I discovered that the Barcelona metro now comes all the
way out to the airport. While that might have been the easiest way to get into the city, I opted totakethe shuttle bus to the next terminal where I could catch the train. The metro would have been 4.90€but on the train I can use a T-10 metro ticket, 10 rides for 9.95€. My hotel then was just a short walkfrom the station. After a quick shower and change I was off to the metro.

My first stop was to check the construction progress at Sagrada Familia which put me very close to
my favorite pastry shop, la Pastisseria. All that travel I had been doing needed to be rewarded so I
chose a La Rosa de Sant Jordi from the case and ordered a cappuccino.

Now that I was properly nourished, I could continue on my way. Barcelona is a great city to
explore on foot. It seems that where ever you look there is something new to see. I wandered past Casa Batilo, a modernist building by Gaudi and stopped in to Casa AmAmatller next door to check out the lobby and purchase some chocolate. Casa Amatller is another great modernist design by
Josep Puig i Cadafalch that was built for Antonio Amatller, a chocolate maker. I purchased a nice
box of truffles with a cava (Spanish champagne) filling.

From there I headed down to the visitor center to pick up brochures. As I headed there I made a pit stop at Dino, one of the many ice cream shops. But not just any ice cream shop, this branch of
Dino is one that I can count on to carry Roquefort walnut ice cream. Probably not something for everyone, but definitely for me.



From there I headed thru the Bari Gothic, the old part of Barcelona to the Cathedral. My shorts were apparently of sufficient length and modesty to get me past the door guard who was turning many people away.

After a bit more walking in the Bari Gothic it was time to head back to the hotel. Dinner was a coupon special chicken with peppers sandwich, fries and a soda close to the hotel. Then to bed for a good nights rest since I slept very little on the plane.

Miami Beach - Part 1

Breakwater Hotel, Ocean Drive

The purpose of this trip to Miami Beach was to dog and cat sit for my good friends George and Armando while they were off on an eight day cruise with family. It was fairly easy to talk me in to the trip since their lovely home is only a five block walk to the beach and in the Heart of South Beach. I had a couple of days with them before the cruise, and a week with them after the cruise.

I've spent a fair amount of time in Miami so the trip was more about relaxing and working on details for my next trip. That included taking the time necessary to learn the basics of putting together a blog. So here are some of the highlights of my time in Miami Beach.

Great city for Walking
Miami Beach is fairly compact and my walks ranged From South Point (1st St.) up to about 18th St. Much of the area is the Art Deco historical district. The most famous and easily visible buildings are on the three streets closest to the ocean including a great Art Deco/moderne post office, but there are some fine examples scattered about. I usually try to vary my route to see more of the city.

It is also interesting to see the new buildings and the buildings being renovated. Nice to see that they are trying to preserve the character of the historic district so high rise construction is mostly at South Point or along the bay.

Museums

Wolfsonian Wrestler,
1932 L.A. Olympics

One of my favorite museums is the Wolfsonian which is housed in an old moving and storage warehouse. The museum has a really great way of presenting shows that focus on design or periods of history and then does a great job of explaining and putting things in context. The per ant collection features objects that are as every day as a vintage toaster or as big as an architectural features rescued from demolition. It also has a wonderful gift shop the relates well to the museums mission.

The show this time was Promising Paridise, Cuban Allure/American Seduction, focusing on the growth of Cuban tourism from the early 20th century thru the 1950's and how that tourism was reflected in American music and dance. It was an exhibit that relied on a lot of period photographs and printed materials. It did show a few clips of American musical movies including one clip with Carmen Miranda. In the display about the glitzy, large resort hotels, there was mention of how President Batista hanged some of them over to the mob and American corporations.


The other museum that I usually visit when I am there is the Bass Museum, but unfortunately it is currently closed for renovation. I am looking forward to seeing the changes when it reopens. I have seen a number of good shows there.

The third museum that comes to mind is the WEAM, the World Erotic Art Museum. I went several years ago and it was interesting, but not worth a repeat visit.

Food

It wouldn't be a trip to South Florida without sampling some Cuban food. I enjoyed a nice meal with my hosts and Armando's brother's family at Havana 1957 on Lincoln Road which is a bit of a tourist spot and then a solo lunch at Puerto Sagua, a long time standard. Tried the vaca frita at both and thought it was better (more crispy) at Havana, though the Cuban black beans at Puerto Sagua were much better.

Coquitos acaramelados

I made a couple of trips across the causeway to the mainland from for some other Cuban specialties. I wanted to visit la Rosa bakery for the coquitos since it seems to be the only place that carries them. Coquitos are similar to coconut macaroons, except they are round balls that are then glazed with a caramel coating that adds some crunch, and more than a few calories.

The other stop on the mainland was El Mago de las Fritas. I arrived there just after closing and was about to leave when someone arrived to pickup a phoned in order who suggested that I ask if I could get served. Not only were they happy to serve me, there was no sense of rush to get me out the door. I had a nice chat with the owners daughter while the rest of the family were eating their fritas at the other end of the counter.

Cuban Frita

A frita is a Cuban hamburger that adds chorizo and spices to the meat, then tops the burger with fries shoestring potatoes. Of the Fritas I have tried, I think el Mago (the magician) makes the best.


Better than the frita is the batido de trigo, which translates as a wheat milkshake. Doesn't sound that good, but trust me, you should try one, especially if you enjoyed puffed wheat cereal as a child. They are made with sugar, a few scoops of puffed wheat, and blended with milk and ice. Yummy.