Barcelona and Bilbao came to life through Dan Brown's latest novel, Origin!

Take a journey through Bilbao and Barcelona when you read Dan Brown's latest novel, Origin, then join me in person for my  

Jewels of Northern Spain tour,

September 9 - 22, 2019. 

Origin is a very interesting read, that is hard to put down, that takes you to many of the places where I will be taking you.  It starts at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Brown's main character in the book, Robert Langdon, describes the Guggenheim as "an alien hallucination." 
Designed by architect, Frank Gehry, the museum opened in the fall of 1997.  It was a rare feat, for it was constructed on time and on budget.  Covered in glass, titanium and limestone, the building's curves seem to be almost random. 

The main entrance to the museum, where we will not have to wait in line, for I will have purchased our tickets way in advance.

The Fog Sculpture by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya.  Unique in that the "sculpture" is never the same, the fog materializing and dissipating and continuously changing due to the daily weather patterns. 

It is a wild effect,

creating an almost eerie atmosphere.

 The interior is awe inspiring

 with the white pillars flaring up 200 feet towards the sky into a sea of glass and metal grids

 all connected by walkways and balconies.

In the atrium area, off to one side, is the phenomenal installation by Jenny Holzer titled Installation For Bilbao.

There are nine, forty foot tall linear panels eliminated by LED lights transmitting quotes scrolling upwards in Basque, English and Spanish about the tragedy of AIDS and the turmoil and agony of those left behind.

It's a very powerful installation and those that were interacting around the installation were totally mesmerized. 

Entering the large catacomb of a room, you encounter eight weathered steel sculptures by American artist, Richard Serra.  You can really get an idea of the massive scale these sculptures are by the scale of the people and the room.

The sculptures vary in height from 12 to 14 feet tall and weigh 44 to 276 tons!  They are all self supported.  I love how these sculptures are described in Brown's book, "If you imagine a dollar bill that you curl around a pencil, once you remove the pencil, your coiled bill can stand quite happily on its own edge, supported by it own geometry."  Oh, so true.

Torqued Spiral draws Langdon into its interior where the mysteries to why he is here start to unravel, a beginning of a journey to Barcelona in search of answers...

Entering these sculptures is a moving experience.  But not if your claustrophobic.  The above, titled The Snake, consists of two curving tunnels, side by side, over a hundred feet long.  If one whispers at one end, it can be heard at the other end.

Commonly known as La Salve Bridge, its official name is the ‘Prince and Princess of Spain Bridge’.   Salve comes from folk lore legends of sailors returning home on the river from the sea saying prayers of thanks for their safe return to their families and home.
Constructed of green concrete, it was the first cable-stayed system bridge built in Spain and one of the few with a steel deck.  Built in the early 1970's, it now has become part of the Guggenheim.

On the tenth anniversary of the Museum, a great red gate shaped like the letter "H" called the Red Arc was installed by the French artist Daniel Buren.   As Langdon departs Bilbao via the Nervion River, this is where we will enter the city, over the bridge to check into our hotel.  And only a half block away is where we will have a delightful gourmet lunch after spending the morning at the museum.

Red Bull sponsors annual diving competitions all over the world at various water sights and in 2015, they were held in Bilbao where the divers dove into the Nervion River!  Len and I missed it by just a few days!

Like Langdon, we will spend time in Barcelona.  But our visit will certainly be much more enjoyable.  A morning at Antonio Gaudi's Parc Guell with its randomly curving 
mosaic-lined benches.

This area was originally designed to be a market with its hefty columns that supports the benches and walkways above.

Langdon takes us to Casa Mitla, one of Gaudi's beautiful creations.  Nicknamed La Pedrera, this nine story building certainly is like a "stone quarry" with its sculptured, tiered balconies.
Pere Mila and his wife lived in the large main apartment and rented out the other twenty flats.  Just across from our hotel, at Passeig de Gracia 92, it is one of the most desired addresses in all of Barcelona, if not Spain.

The chimney tops look like aliens.  The organic forms are like they are alive.  
Gaudi once wrote: "Nothing is invented, for it's written in nature first.  Originality consists of returning to the origin."  Hence, the name of Brown's book...

We will be right in the center of L'Eixample (meaning enlargement) district.  The large scale improvements were made to the city by extending the city limits into the surrounding neighborhoods to the north.  The planned neighborhoods were never designed to the pave the way for some of Barcelona’s distinctive 20th century architecture, wide streets with shaved corners.  An exquisite area with lovely shops, gourmet dining and luxurious hotels.

Casa Batllo, one of my favorite houses of Gaudi, is really phenomenal and only a block from our hotel!  It was an existing building that textile industrialist, Josep Batllo', commissioned Gaudi to remodel. Construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1906.  The facade refers to Catalonia's Middle Ages.  The scaly roof line represents the Dragon of Evil impaled on St. George's cross. 

Batllo's residence was the largest apartment in the building that had an impressive "noble floor."  It was a large gallery with balconies that extended beyond the facade of the building with stone columns in shapes of skulls and bones representing the dragon's victims.  This was an area to see and be seen!

You must watch the incredible video of how his house comes to life, La Casa Batlo de Gaudi en Barcelona:   https://youtu.be/QQnWTzkbEKA
I never tire of watching this!

Where Langdon spends an harrowing evening at Gaudi's, Sagrada Familia (the Basilica of the Holy Family), we will enjoy a very informative guided tour one morning.  Sitting on an entire city block, construction started in 1882 and the work continues today with hopes of completion in 2026, making it the tallest church in the world at 560 feet.  Funds for the construction have all been from private donations!
The church consists of three completely different facades; the Nativity , the Passion and the Glory.

But it is the interior that is beyond breathtaking. 

The stone columns inspired by the Santa Maria del Mar church (which we will visit) climb 200 hundred feet up into the air to the geometric vaulted ceiling.  Gaudi referred to the columns and ceiling as the "vaulted forest."

Landgon was in awe of the church's main entrance, a Wall of Codes.  A door of burnished metal, the three-dimensional text covers the entire door with no spaces between the words in which reads a description of Christ's Passion in Catalan.

So dramatic!

Reflection of part of the Sagrada Familia on the mirrored facade of the gift shop.

Langdon finds clues to the mysteries through Miro's drawings.

One afternoon we will tour the Miro Foundacion.

Langdon did fly over the Palace of Pedrables in a helicopter which led him to other clues.  A gorgeous palace (now closed) that once housed a phenomenal ceramic and textile collection.  Now those two collections have joined the design and graphic arts collection in the new Museu del Disseny in Barcelona.  A Museum that is also on my itinerary (and read about it on my Blog - Post dated September 14, 2018)

Origin is an exciting read and I highly recommend it, especially if you plan on joining me on my Jewels of Northern Spain tour in September of 2019.

Jewels of Northern Spain tour for 2019

Please join me for my Jewels of Northern Spain tour from September 9th to the 22th of 2019 when we will visit Barcelona, San Sebastian and Bilbao. 

Good things come in small packages!  And that is exactly what this tour is, a group of only eight of us.  Fewer guests means easier travel, more room to move about, more flexibility to spend time exploring and the opportunity to dine in some of Spain’s best restaurants.

I recently led a group very similar to this itinerary and it was my sixth visit to Barcelona in the last ten years.  My “to do” and “dining favorites” lists have been fine-tuned over the years.  All three cities are pedestrian friendly so walking to many of the sites is a great way to see the architecture, museums, shops, galleries, restaurants and get caught up in the culture.

 

The first part of the trip will be spent in Barcelona where we will be staying at a 5-star hotel right in the middle of the Eixample district.  

And nothing is better than a dip in the rooftop pool with its incredible view of the city at the end of the day before heading out for an evening of tapas, wine and cava.

The Eixample is noted for its boutique shops, extraordinary Modernista architecture and excellent restaurants and tapas bars.  Modernista is the 19th century Art Noveau movement that emphasized natural forms, bright colors and curvilinear lines that were carried over into the architecture, design and furniture.

You will see many buildings adorned with "scraffito", a wall decoration of the 18th century which is a technique of scratching thru a top layer of the plaster to reveal a different layer of color below.

One of many of the Modernista foyers that you just can not resist taking a peek at.

While in Barcelona, we will visit many of Antonio Gaudi's sites such as the Casa Batlo shown above, where the facade refers to Catalonia's Middle Ages and the scaly roof line represents the Dragon of Evil impaled on St. George's cross.

We will have a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's final project that is still under construction

and spend one morning up at his Parc Guell, Barcelona's most celebrated park that sprawls across the hillside with views of the city and out to sea.

The tile mosaic benches at the Parc are spectacular.   

One of my all time favorite church's in Spain is the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar.  
Antonio Gaudi was so inspired by the tall columns in the Santa Maria, he modeled his columns after these when he designed La Sagrada Familia.

We will have a special treat when we take a guided tour which takes us to the church's rooftop.  You can not believe the view!  The bullet shaped building is the Akbar Tower which we will go by when we visit the Dessney Museum.

The stained-glass is so diverse, from traditional scenes, to very abstract.

Another morning will be spent at the Mueso Nacional d'Art de Catalyna with its diverse collection of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art.  My particular favorite department is the Catalan Modernisme featuring such artists as Ramon Casas, Joaquim Sunyer, Salvador Dali, Julio Gonzales, just to name a few.

We will have a relaxing lunch in the museum's restaurant while we take in the breathtaking panoramic view of the city.

A visit to the Joan Miro Foundation, home to many of his graphics, paintings, sculptures and tapestries.  Another morning at the Picasso Museum, where five medieval palaces were converted into a museum, which contains a vast collection of Picasso's paintings, from when he was a young boy to his later years. 

 A stop at the Disseny Museu, the new home for ceramics, textiles, graphic arts and design.

We will explore the Barceloneta area down by the water front where you will find many outdoor sculptures such as the Barcelona Head by Roy Lichtenstein.  This is an area that was revitalized in 1992 in preparation for the summer Olympics.

The next two sites designed by architect Domenech i Montaner are prime examples of Modernism!  We will have a guided tour of the world's most flamboyant concert hall with its rainbow-colored light streaming into the auditorium through the ornate stained-glass skylight. 

Montaner's other magnificent project is the large complex, the Hospital de Sant Pau.  A great civic work, this "garden city" consists of 17 pavillions,

each with its own collection of expressive sculptures, murals and mosaics.

The Spanish cuisine in my opinion is the best in the world, using the freshest ingredients.  One morning we will head out early to make sure we get a seat at the bar for an unforgettable breakfast at the famous Bar Pinotxa located in Barcelona's outstanding food court, La Boqueria.  

I have had the Garbanos con Chipirones (chickpeas with baby squid) at quite a few places around Barcelona and Pinotxo's hands down makes the best!   And of course a glass of cava and a cortado (Catalan drink of half espresso and half warm milk) and the yummy pastry up on the left called a chucho. What a way to start the day off!

Tapas at one of my all time favorites places, Paco Meralgo.  Paco Meralgo is a play on words, para comer algo, to eat something.   And that is certainly not a problem when you come here!

The jamon Ibercio is the best jamon in the whole world, it just melts in your mouth served with pa amb tomaquet (a toasted bread rubbed with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil).

The perfect season for the pan fried Padron Peppers!  

Off to San Sebastian on the first class train. On the way we will have a picnic dinner from items bought at La Boqueria: wine, cheese, Jamon Iberico, fresh figs, Marcona almonds... all the good stuff.  San Sebastian is one of the old time lovely seaside resort towns and a place to kick back and relax after a full week in Barcelona.

 Our hotel with its old world charm and grace

 

overlooks one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, La Playa de Concha, where we will be able to enjoy some swim time in its crystal clear waters.

A view from the hotel balcony, we are right in the middle of the historic district with its 16th century buildings, boutiques and countless tapas bars. 

A walk around Monte Urgall brings us to this magnificent iron sculpture, Empty Construction, by Jorge Oteiza.

Gourmet tapas are plentiful in San Sebastian.

 

A walk along La Concha Bay to take the funicular up to Monte Igeldo to enjoy the incredible views back into town and take in the amusement rides that are a blast to the past.

Later a stroll further down the bay to the massive sculptures by Eduardo Chillida.

Our next stop, Bilbao, where we will stay in an ultra-modern hotel overlooking the Guggenheim Museum.

A view of the Guggenheim Museum and the Puppy from the hotel's rooftop patio.  
The Puppy created by Jeff Koons, is a huge sculpture of a West Highland terrier topiary covered in bedding plants. 

We will take in a series of eight massive sculptures by Richard Serra.  Interactive sculptures that allows you to walk through and around them.  They dwarf you when standing next to them. On the other floors we will view the special exhibitions on display. 

We will dine at the ultra-chic restaurant down the street from the hotel, La Porrue.  Phenomenal cuisine!

Breakfast up on the hotel's top floor with gorgeous views of the museum, river and countryside, where we will enjoy one of the most extensive buffets in Europe, before heading to the airport to fly back to Barcelona.  You will have the rest of the day free before heading back to the states the next day. 

I have just hit on some of the highlights of my Jewels of Northern Spain tour.  I am limiting the tour to only eight.  There are a few spaces left.  It's going to be a trip you will never forget.  An opportunity to experience one of the world's most captivating areas with exceptional architecture and culture, cutting edge boutiques and shops, delicious cuisine, a comfortable climate and elegant accommodations.

If you are interested in joining me, please contact me at your earliest convenience and I will send you a detailed itinerary along with pricing and flight information.

Email:  robindsg@aol.com