Spain - Part 3 (Basque Country)

Ah.... Basque Country. This was my very favorite part of the trip. I am in love with Basque Country. The Basque people are very interesting. They have a language different than the rest of Spain - Basque or Euskara. Most people speak Spanish too - but all the signs and menus and everything was written in basque. The language is very interesting, in that it does not have any Latin roots - basically, little is known about its history. Pretty Cool. Also, it kind of just sounded like jibberish.

Anyways, I loved the Basque people - they were so interesting and their culture was fascinating. We used Rick Steve's travel guide to make our way around Spain. In the Basque Country section, he talked about how the Basque people are known for being short, stocky, and for having large noses. Therefore, as we walked through Basque country I examined everyones noses as we passed by - to see if they were Basque. This became a very funny joke with me and James. Also, I decided that because I am short and have a big nose (but hopefully not too stocky) - I am probably Basque.


Here is the main square of Pamplona. James and I are sitting at a restaurant in the square. It is famous because it was one of Hemingway;s very favorites.




Here is another view of the square. All of the houses lining it were incredible.




Here is the City Hall in Pamplona. This is where the running of the bulls commences. Someday, I want to be there for the running.




We stayed in San Sebastian - my ultimate favorite part of our trip. When we got there it was storming. It rained all night long.




When we woke up in the morning, there was no rain at all. This picture does not capture the beauty of this place. It was seriously magical. It was like a smattering of every shade in the Crayola box. I never knew the sky could be so blue, the ocean so clear, the surrounding mountains so beautiful and green, or houses so culturally cool.




At the top of one of the mountains of San Sebastian, there is an old fort. At the top of it stands this huge statue of Christ, overlooking the city. It was excellent.




Here is a picture of later in the day when we stopped at another Basque town along the coast.




Another coastal shot. I am IN LOVE with Basque Country.




Here is the Guggenheim in Bilbao, another Basque town - just more inland. We did not go in the Gug. We saved the cool museums for Madrid and its surrounding areas. (We only had so much time and decided that we would rather drive through the mountains and the coast.)




Yay for Basque Country. Only two posts left; one on Madrid and one on Segovia and Toledo. Get ready!!!!