I have been intrigued by the Basque Country for some time. The region lies on the border of North Central Spain and South Western France. The Basque speak their own language, with words such as azoko for market and eliza for church. We noticed from the signs that there seemed to be a lot of zs and ks in the language, which made it appear very unique. Most Basque are bilingual and we ran into some who spoke English, Spanish, French and Basque. It is a bit of a mystery where the Basque originated from, since their language doesn't fit with the other European languages. Their culture is markedly different from the rest of Spain. As soon as we drove into the region, we felt as if we could possibly be in Switzerland, but with the beach.
(We were whizzing past gorgeous scenery while on the freeway. I regretted that I was not able to stop for a photo. Thanks to the Google Images for the one above.)
We also found that the people of the Basque region would like their independence from Spain and France. We were not able to spend much time in the Basque country, but we were there long enough to know that we would love to come back. We drove four hours west from Madrid and arrived in San Sebastian in the afternoon. We headed straight to Mirador de los Roques, a hilltop with incredible views of San Sebastian below.
We then walked out to the wind combs, which are modern statues at the end of a seaside path. The kids had fun exploring the area, climbing on the rocks, watching the churning sea and trying to find meaning in the artist's creation.
We went in to the old town for tapas and were so excited by what we found. All through Spain we have been trying to make tapa's work for our family, with minimal success. What we have found has been okay, but we were at the point were we had decided that tapa just might not be for us. After dinner in the most fun eating establishment, with a selection that met the culinary needs of even my two year old, we decided that if all tapa bars were like this one, we could dine here every night. We ate vegetable pies, skewered shrimp, miniature meat sandwiches and baguettes with sliced fruit and goat cheese.
Afterward we made our way to the beautiful bay that overlooks two small islands in the sea with gardens, swiss looking chalets and twinkling lights on the shore.
We were so happy to have been introduced to this magical place.
4 comments:
I agree with you - tapas can be difficult to get right. Those are some of the better looking tapas I've seen. Thanks for introducing us to Basque country. It's an area that has always been appealing to us, but elusive at the same time.
Nobody seems to be getting homesick yet. You still seem to be having a wonderful time. Mom and I have never been to Basque country. The pictures are great
love, Dad
I met a Basque couple once while traveling in Africa, but I've never known much about that region. It looks like you guys are having a great time exploring it!
"Switzerland with a beach"--it doesn't get better than that. I love all the photos, and especially the ones of flowers in front of a beach, and of your little kids hungrily eyeing the tapas. Oh, and of Ezra trying to interpret modern art by putting his eye right down on the ground next to it!
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