When we set out to organize our brief spring holiday, our thoughts went north - to Edinburgh Scotland. We wanted to experience a beauty different from the sandstone mountains, Arabic architecture and medieval fortresses that had graced our adventures thus far. We originally settled on Scotland when Google teased us with insanely cheap flights for the time we would be traveling, only to have it ripped from our fantasies hours later with the realization the price was $400 or so off the mark… and for a moment, we were angry, depressed, and in sheer panic that this Easter, we would be trapped in Madrid. We looked for flights to Amsterdam, to Germany, to Paris, to Switzerland. All of these were double their usual cost because of the holiday. Then we realized, there was a whole region in Spain we had yet to set foot on, a place we knew very little about, a place Jonny had been begging to see since before we even left for Spain - Basque Country!
Basque Country - What is this place anyways?
The Basque people are an ethnic group indigenous to the Basque region, whose presence in this area dates back to an estimated 38,000 years ago (talk about feeling like dust in the wind). They were some of the first Europeans to venture forth in the Americas, many settling in Chile. While surrounding regions succumbed to the blending of immigrating heritages, this region held tight to its ancient identities. During the 16th Century, the Basque people became masters at whaling, and masters of the Atlantic in general - until the Spanish King stole and ultimately destroyed their ships while being used in the Spanish Armada against England in 1588.
From a regional perspective, Basque Country is a territory crossing the Pyrenees Mountains, spanning from a northern section of Spain (Southern Basque Country) and a southwestern section of France (French Basque Country), and it is substantially comprised of a distinct group of people who have their own culture and language. French Basque Country covers three provinces in France: Labourd, Lower Navarre, and Soule. Southern Basque Country is made up of two autonomous communities - The Basque Autonomous Community and Navarra. While Navarra is a single-province autonomous community, the Basque Autonomous Community is comprised of three provinces: Álava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa. Our adventure settled in Gipuzkoa and Biscay (Bilbao and Donostia - San Sebastian).
Until the Middle Ages, these regions were comprised of tribes that have been historically distinguished from those of the Iberian south and the French north. They carried out a different heritage, different culture, different ideological system, different religion, and different language. Their unchallenged autonomy could not last forever, however. Their position became increasingly perilous as two expanding empires began to push into the territory and squeeze out its individualism. By the time of the Renaissance, the countries were homogenizing the regions under nationalist ideals and absorbing them as their own.
Until the early 19th Century, Southern Basque Country managed to retain some power as self-governed districts, operating nearly autonomously with their own taxes, customs, and military conscription. Customs and laws of the distinct regions were ultimately absorbed into Spanish centralist rule following the Third Carlist War, and the regions reacted with an attempt to restore their autonomy. Such restoration was achieved through the Basque Statute and approved by the Second Spanish Republic which was embroiled in the start of the Spanish Civil War. Following the fall of the Republic to the Nationalist Party, the statute was quickly abolished, but portions of the regions were permitted some limited self-government as reward for their support of the Nationalists. The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country was signed into law in 1982, following Franco’s death. To this day many Basques fight for recognition of their separateness from the two large empires that grew and squeezed them into general submission over the centuries. The clearest remnants of their distinctive existence are the Basque Language (Euskadi) and the infamous “terrorist” group (ETA).
A Land of Two Languages
As with the Catalan autonomous community in northeastern Spain, and the Valencia autonomous community on the eastern coast, Basque Country has its own unique language - Basque (Euskadi). In some ways, it is a lot like Spanish, but in many ways it is not at all the same. When we read signs, I often felt like I was playing mad gab - with Spanish as my second language. The language has expanded and retracted throughout Spain's tumultuous history. It experienced its most severe decline when, during the times of Franco, in furtherance of his ultra-nationalist ideals, speaking a dialect other than Castilian (the majority dialect spoken in modern Spain) was severely frowned upon, and in many settings, forbidden. Basque was specifically despised as a limited, rural language, unfit for modern discourse. It regained traction near the end of Franco’s rule, but it is again experiencing decline - with half of the younger population not using it. Either way, if you speak Spanish, you will be fine traveling around in this region, but expect to see a lot of “tx” combinations - really anywhere they can fit them in.
“One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” Gerald Seymour (1975) - Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA)
In 1959, during Franco’s military dictatorship opposing the distinctiveness of Basque culture, Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA) - meaning “Basque homeland and freedom" - was formed as a student resistance movement to fight for Basque independence. Following Franco’s death in 1975, the Basque people gained a substantial amount of independence. Indeed it is the most independent autonomous community in Spain, with its own parliament, taxes, police force, and educational system. However many residents of Basque Country felt this was not enough, instead desiring full independence, and the fringe of this group felt violence was the only way to achieve that.
Since 1968, the group has been credited with over 830 deaths brought about through car bombs and shootings. The majority of these killings were carried out in the group's earlier years by the hundred. These murders focused largely on political figures, and the group has ebbed and flowed in violence, having declared two previous cease-fires in an effort to carry out peace and independence negotiations with Spain. Following a few highly publicized and sensitive killings, the group lost substantial community support, and the Spanish and French police have worked together to quash their efforts with the arrest of several key leaders. In 2011, the group declared an end to violence with the general belief that such acts were not bringing about their goals. Given the group’s flippant behavior before with such declarations, many remain wary of the genuineness of this move. Spain, the European Union, and the United States have listed the group as a terrorist organization.
I already knew a decent amount about ETA before coming to Spain, and I would be lying if I said their existence didn’t make me a little apprehensive as I travel to landmarks around the country. But life is meant to be lived, not protected for fear of some small possibility of being caught in a rare crossfire. And more than being afraid, I was curious if I would even notice the separatist presence in the region or if it had been so stemmied that I would feel like I was simply visiting another Spanish region. My Spanish friend warned me not to patronize establishments that hung mugshots on their walls because they were ETA supporters and they fund the terrorist attacks. Him being Spanish, I took his warning with a grain of salt. This situation seems to me more complicated than the violent acts, and as always, it is all about perspective. Good intentions must be carried out with good acts, never violence, but in truth, I think I am too ignorant to make a judgement call on the matters based off of biased presentations of fact.
Ultimately, I saw little evidence of a resistance in my short, touristic time here, but that is not to say it did not exist. The first night we were in Bilbao, engaging in our Cider-Pintxo tour, we stumbled into a bar to check out the food, and found ourselves surrounded by four walls screaming for independence. The bar had been fairly crowded but not chaotic, situated amongst others we had been more than comfortable popping into. But the bustle of the place came to an ominous stop when Jonny and I - clearly tourists - stepped in. And the staring began. Jonny, never keen on tone or mood, bounced around, examining the food the bar had to offer while I began to look around. Behind us, font over the image of the Basque Flag read “remember tourists, you are not in Spain anymore, you are in Basque country.” Behind a woman who had been eyeing us warily, the mugshots of a few men hung, and my suspicions were confirmed. We were not welcome here. I turned casually to my gleeful husband about to stuff his mouth with artfully crafted snacks, and told him none of them looked good I wanted to go somewhere else.
The People
People warned me not only about ETA supporters, but also about the general demeanor of locals we would encounter. I was told, they were harsher, colder people, likely to stare, and unlikely to smile back. Hearing this from Madrid locals worried me - if people from this city thought people from Basque Country are cold and unwelcoming I was prepared for a nightmarish experience. Being pushed around and scowled at here was already too much to take, and I spent a decent amount of time fretting and bracing myself for the impact.
Perhaps we caught everyone on a good day? Perhaps it was the marijuana scent drifting through the streets as people openly smoked on terraces? Whatever it was, despite the stereotype people were pleasant here! Sure there were your grumbly individuals every now and again, but by and large, people seemed to embrace us. Bartenders all around were animated, and even poked fun at my efforts to speak Spanish. I even joked with a local when I thought I had witnessed him put Tabasco sauce in tea! Sorry, no secret recipes to reveal - it was broth.
Logistics
We decided to stay in Bilbao because it was cheaper than the luxurious Donostia-San Sebastian, and travel to other parts of the area would be easiest from here. To get there, we took an ALSA bus from Madrid and it took about four and a half hours (the train is not any faster, is more expensive, and has fewer time slots). This dropped us at the Termibus Station - really just a covered plaza.
One element of Bilbao that I instantly fell in love with was how easy it was to find everything. Our friendly Airbnb host gave us a map - and an abundance of brochures and guides - and he was situated in the perfect spot to take us out onto the balcony and orient us. The city has a historic center (Casco Viejo/Siete Calles) that leads to the river, which the city bends around, making navigation a breeze. After our first walk through the central part of the city, we knew where we were and how to get where we wanted. Wasting no time, we headed to the most obvious tourist stop, the Guggenheim...
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