Bilbao Thoughts

This was our day of rest. Since we are visiting the International Labor Organization later in the trip and the U.S. And the world has officially endorsed the core labor standards that include a weekly day of rest, we are observing on our travels one day that is primarily for relaxation. This started on Saturday May 14 after we left Guernika on the 1:00 pm. Train for Bilbao.

Bilbao is a remarkable Spanish-Basque city, that reinvented itself in the 1990s, as a world class center of the arts and creativity. From the futuristic and yet naturally integrated Euskotram that follows the river, tying together the old town and the Guggenheim and other centers, to the new skyscrapers, with playful use of color and angles the city has used the Guggenheim as an inspiration for blending the old and the future into a sustainable whole. Much as the famed flower dog, outside the Guggenheim, all seems designed to show the future need not be a bleak world of scarcity, but a time to restore the balance with nature. So the Euskotram tracks aren't the usual railroad tracks, with ugly gravel between the rails. The futuristic trains run on rails embedded in mowed grass. Likewise, modern buildings need not be boring rectangles of glass and steel. In Bilbao they often are colorful and at contrasting angels.

As the old “Pittsburgh of Spain,” Bilbao should be on the itinerary of all who want to redevelop old U.S. Cities.

The Guggenheim in Bilbao

To show the wonders of this place, in the evening, the cathedral of Santiago was packed (unlike so many empty ones in Europe, for a Mass and the choir singing Handle's Alleluia Chorus. As the Mass ended people poured into a square filled with tables for people getting tapas at the many bars surrounding the square. Much as Guernika on Friday night, children filled the square street performers entertained, and people walked through the old town. Bilbao 's apparent success raises fundamental questions for those U.S. Economic and political critics who seem to gloat over the problems of the Eurozone. As in Castellon, Valencia, Madrid and Valladolid, the impression in Bilbao and Guernika is of community optimism, environmental innovation, family solidarity, great local food, and charm.

As we prepared to leave Spain on Sunday for the French border on one of the world-class trains, the general sense was one of gratitude for the opportunity to learn of Spanish leadership in defense of laws of war and human rights. Clearly, this is a culture where many are trying to fathom the lessons from past problems, whether the relations with the indigenous in the 1500s or the tragedies of Fascist rebellion and ruthless bombing in the 1930s. Riding on a high speed train, listening to classical music on the train sound system, and twice passing through the stunning coast mountains – both going out of Bilbao and back to San Sebastian, this has been a great start to our journey to review leadership.