The Calatrava Bridge in Bilbao

Another attraction in Bilbao is the Calatrava Bridge, which is just a short walk along the river from the Guggenheim Museum.  It was designed by the world famous architect, Santiago Calatrava.  The bridge has been designed to be part of the waterfront restoration and connects to two, residential towers on one side of the river.  The towers were designed by another world famous architect, Arata Isozaki, and only one of the towers is pictured here.

The bridge has been constructed to just handle foot or bicycle traffic and is quite striking given its arched beam from which cable wires are attached to support the bridge.  While the bridge has been criticized for its impracticality, it is quite beautiful and seems to fit in well with the surroundings and the overall transformation of the riverfront. Our guide told us that the impracticality was that its glass tiles are prone to break from the foot traffic and get slippery under the local weather conditions; they have caused the local government to add anti-slip bands to its floor.

Nevertheless, it has become a secondary tourist attraction and draws a number of tourists, including ourselves, who enjoy a short stroll from the Guggenheim and across the bridge.  The pictures show the bridge from several vantage points, including looking back toward the Guggenheim Museum.