I've noticed that the Basque country seems to have outstanding venues built for their community…read morecenters. San Sebastian has the Kursaal and Bilbao has the Euskalduna Jauredia. Primarily a conference center and concert hall, it also houses restaurants, and various performing arts. Near the old Euskaldana shipyard, it's an ever evolving structure (a la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona). Being next to the water it provides great views of Bilbao and it's pushing of modernity.

One of the big reasons for me to travel through Spain was some of the architecture. Now Calatrava…read moreand Gaudi aside, there were a number of things I saw that I knew nothing about. The Kursaal by Rafael Moneo was one of those. Sitting at the center of the city's "La Concha" where the river ends at the ocean near Gros. Auditoriums, conventions, dining, music, film festivals all make their way through this intriguing space. Built of two prism cubes, it stands out somewhat futuristically against all of the old Basque surroundings.