The new branch of the V&A Museum in Dundee, a museum of Scottish design and its impact on and from the world, opened to visitors today.

As we quite often visit or pass through Dundee this is a building I have seen growing from the waterfront over the past few years and it is a splendid piece of architecture.

It lies beside Discovery Point, latest (and last?) home of Scott’s and Shackleton’s research ship the RRS Discovery. There are hopes the V&A will do for Dundee in terms of tourism and raising the city’s profile what the Guggenheim did for Bilbao.

It’s exciting to think I’ll be able to visit it soon. We’re not going straight away as we expect it will be fairly busy. I believe entrance has to be booked for the first few weeks.

These photos were taken in February when the building was pretty well completed on the outside. We had been round the Discovery – itself well worth a visit – and the opportunity to take the photographs couldn’t be missed.

RRS Discovery and V&A Dundee:-

Part of the V&A looks like the prow of a ship. V&A from the stern of RSS Discovery (Tay Road Bridge in background):-

Stern sprit of RSS Discovery, V&A in background:-

In other aspects it resembles a cliff, the architect Kengo Kuma‘s inspiration. V&A from RRS Discovery:-

From plaza:-

From east northeast:-

The inside exhibits promise to be as distinctive as the outside.

From the ridge at Aretxbaleta Bidea looking in the opposite direction to Bilbao you can see right over to the city’s airport – off to the left of this photo of a distant bridge:-

In the park area at the top of the ridge is this sculpture. For obvious reasons it’s called “The Fingerprint” whether officially or informally I don’t know:-

Looking towards south Bilbao:-

Looking towards north Bilbao:-

Even further north:-

We didn’t see much Art Deco in Bilbao and the only buildings we did see were through the coach’s windows.

This one had a magnificent tiger-shaped finial. click on photo to get to my flickr and zoom in on the detail:-

La Equitania is more moderne than deco. Good clock though:-

This one looked decoish from a distance:-

The close-up is blurry and with reflections as it was snatched rather than composed:-

Telefonica/Movistar. Art Deco rule of three in corner windows:-

Home of Athletic Club, commonly known as Athletic Bilbao.

Through coach windows hence blurry:-

Stadium with crane in foreground:-

Ría del Nervión O de Bilbao, Telefonica tower to left, San Mamés Stadium behind it:-

San Mamés Stadium:-

Edited to add:- I meant to say the stadium looks a bit like a spaceship has plonked itself down in the middle of the city.

You can find images of the San Mamés here.

Bilbao sits in a bowl of hills with the Ría del Nervión O de Bilbao running through it.

View towards South Bilbao from Aretxbaleta Bidea:-

Panorama from Aretxbaleta Bidea (stitch of three photos):-

Bilbao is a stunning city but due to its surrounding hills is very compact.

Buildings across Ría del Nervión O de Bilbao from Guggenheim Museum:-

University Buildings from fountains outside Guggenheim Museum:-

Bilboa Opera House:-

Mural Under Salbeko Zubia Bridge over Ría del Nervión O de Bilbao:-

River view:-

The river loops through the city. Another bridge view:-

Telefonica tower throuugh trees:-

Telefonica tower:-

“Umbrella” feature on the exterior:-

Internal structures:-

We were told these iron spirals were built in before the roof and walls were put up. As you walk round them the walls bend in and the space around you is changed:-

Fountains at the edge of the external plaza:-

There are external and internal exhibits at the Guggenheim.

The steel spheres are Tall Tree and The Eye by Anish Kapoor. They are surrounded here by FOG, an installation by Fujiko Nakaya. The mist switches on every so often:-

The giant spider (Maman) protecting her clutch of eggs is by Louise Bourgeois:-

Salbeko Zubia Bridge, Bilbao, FOG and Spider:-

Tulips by Jeff Koons:-

Tulips, Salbeko Zubia Bridge in background:-

Puppy by Jeff Koons. A giant West Highland Terrier covered in flowers. The flowers bloom at different times of the year so the exhibit is always changing. From Museum:-

Puppy, museum in background:-

Puppy and museum:-

The attraction, for me, of the cruise we decided to take was the opportunity to visit the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, whose url I note has a Basque Country (Euskadi) stem.

Designed by Frank Gehry, the museum building is distinctive and idiosyncratic. It has no straight lines in its construction.
This view is from Aretxbaleta Bidea in the hills above the city. The Salbeko Zubia bridge over Ría del Nervión O de Bilbao is in the middleground here in front of the museum:-

This model, in the museum shop, bears a resemblance to a ship:-

The musuem from road and tramway:-

Closer view:-

Moving towards entrance:-

Part of exterior:-

Exterior (other side):-

There was a man in the waterway with a fishing net!:-

Europa League (sic) Semi-final, first leg. Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, 19/4/12.

Not paint drying.

(Again, though, I only watched the second half.)

This was an object lesson on how a near miss can spur a team on and how an equalising goal changes a game. At 0-1 down Sporting looked out of it. At 1-1 they dominated, and scored another.

Should be interesting in Bilbao next week.

I see the other Europa League(sic) semi-final finished 2-4. That can’t have been boring either.