Enjoying the Blues in Bilbao

 

The Bilbao Blues Festival is turning into a favorite annual summer event. It gives us the chance to spend a couple of nights in Bilbao, listen to live music outside for free, stop in at the Guggenheim Museum, and try new restaurants. This year was enjoyable and confirmed we’ll go back again.

Although the music this year was not as good as in the past, the people (and dog) watching is always entertaining. Our favorite artist was D.K. Harrell, an emerging blues singer and guitarist from Louisiana. His high energy and personality were on full display. We always wonder how much the locals understand when American musicians tell stories in English, especially ones that are cultural. But they certainly recognize great music and artistry.

As usual, we ate well. We had an amazing late Spanish lunch at Al Margen. The tasting menu was creative and the wine pairings distinctive. When we read in May that Bilbao had a pizza restaurant named to the Top 50 Pizzas in Europe list (and top 100 in the world), we knew we had to eat at Demaio. They serve two types of pizza: Napoletana Contemporanea and Teglia Romana. Of course, we tried both. Both were fantastic, but the traditional Neapolitan still rules. We were so full and happy we couldn’t go back to listen to the late Blues performance.

Finally, we delighted in the Yoshitomo Nara exhibition at the Guggenheim. Nara is a Japanese artist with a unique style. His works are highly imaginative, and he isn’t shy with his humanistic messaging. Some of the works displayed were done on leftover cardboard boxes, which was oddly appealing. Here are a few of the works we liked the most.

The last photo was part of the museum's Pop Art exhibit -- a giant shuttlecock sculpture. I only take photos of art to share with you, loyal readers. And this year we didn’t feel it necessary to repeat photos of our view of the festival stage from our vantage point across the river, which we find better than standing in the throngs of people in front of the stage.

Happy summer,

Shana & Jeff