Bilbao is the VW Beetle of cities. Proof that hip, unexpected design can transform even a grim, rusting industrial town into something pleasant and exciting. In the last ten years this city in northern Spain has been completely reborn. It should be what every city councilor points to when justifying their latest pet project. Everything they've attempted seems to have been a raging success.

From mass transit to museums to bridges, Bilbao either built or re-built huge swaths of its infrastructure with the help of world-renowned architects. The result: streetcars that look like spaceships, subway entrances that resemble the entrance to the Louvre and a bridge that looks like an iMac. Trolley drivers sit in cockpits with huge touch-screen control panels and, since the things are nearly perfectly quiet, pedestrians are alerted by the computer-generated sound of a quaint old streetcar bell.

"There the museum sits on the banks of Bilbao's river."
But the stunner is the museum. Or should I say The Mueseum. Who knows how they did it, but somehow these guys convinced the Guggenheim Foundation to build a 100 million dollar museum here. The others I think are in New York, Berlin, Venice and, sadly, Las Vegas. Putting the fifth here strikes be as akin to some famous chef opening restaurants in L.A., New York and Topeka. But there the museum sits on the banks of Bilbao's river.

And you gotta see this thing to understand it. First, it's made completely of titanium… or at least every external square inch is covered in it. And it's said to resemble a fish, though it reminds me of rich people's kitchens when it was cool to have all shiny metal industrial appliances. I'm not a huge fan of architecture that's this far gone… I'm more a fan of designers who can make things both functional and aesthetically pleasing… but Guggenheim Bilbao is amazing to look at.

This'll probably be my home for a week or so. I'm still in bad need of rest after Africa and as I said before, this'll be a good place for it. It's rained every day since I got here, but I love it. I'm still trying to find a decent and cheap hotel room to settle into. I think I'm now in the right pension but not quite in the right room. Supposedly a single room will open up tomorrow and I can move. Perhaps that one will have a bit more than a foot-wide window looking into a light well.