Travel Review: Luxury Solo Trip to Spain, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Rioja, Guggenheim, Gaudi & Gehry Architecture

In a trip this long and this varied, there are a huge number of truly outstanding experiences. My areas of interest were food, contemporary art and architecture,.

Food: 3 different extraordinary meals in Michelin star restaurants. 

Paired Tasting Menu in San Sebastian was a superb classic culinary experience.

Paired Tasting Menu in Bilbao was different in that although it adhered to the minimalist decor requirements, one was subtly reminded that we were in an art event as well.  The hard wood chairs, designed by Gehry, were the most comfortable I have ever sat in.  The undulating ceiling referred to the exterior Gehry architecture.  These added to the appreciation of the meal.

The restaurant in Aranjuez was different in that here, content superceded form, so that the nature of the actual food itself was more memorable than  the visual impact. I will never forget the incredible asparagus and strawberries.

Contemporary Art: 

The Museu Can Framis in Barcelona was a major discovery where I spent most of a day.  I spent the rest of the day at Espais Volart at the Lita Cabellut Retrospective (another discovery for me).

Architecture:

In Barcelona, I was able to immerse myself in Gaudi.  Outside of Barcelona, I kept finding Gehry.  There's the Guggenheim in Bilbao, of course, and  the Marques de Riscal in Rioja , but then Gehry would pop up unexpectedly, like for example, as the designer of floor lamps in an underground cave winery unconnected to him.