Basques & Biking

Oh dear, I have just been far too busy doing fun things to keep you all updated! It's almost overwhelming, every day I don't write something in this blog it's more I have to squeeze into the next.

Last weekend I visited Bilbao. Thanks to the wonders of Couchsurfing, I had instant friends, free accommodation, and the most generous and knowledgeable tour guides one could ask for.

I went up to the top of the mountain in a funicular with the Ukrainian couchsurfer, Liliya, who was staying with the same host as me. We then decided to walk down the mountain to the city.

The Guggenheim Museum, by Frank Gehry

The museum entrance, with the giant puppy made of flowers.

As you can see, the museum is one of the lovelier sides of Bilbao (hence all the photos). Most of the city is very industrial . . .


Bilbao has extremely narrow streets, and much smaller plazas than other cities. Here's the best pic of the cathedral I could get, as I just couldn't get any farther away.

The river is quite lovely. On the right is the town hall. I stayed just behind there, but a few hundred feet up in the steep hills. There was even a moving sidewalk to help you climb the hill!

On Sunday, I decided to get out of the city. I had met Txabi on Friday at the couchsurfing social, and he offered to show me around his part of the Basque Country. I gladly took him up on it, and along with his girlfriend, Ester, we managed to see loads of Vizcaya. Here is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a small chapel built out on a little island. It was SO cold. I'll have to return someday in summer.

The town of Bermeo. Here I ate some delicious pintxos (elaborate little snacks) and the most incredible fried calamari I have EVER tasted.

Mundaka, said to have some of the best surfing in Europe.

He also took me to the town of Guernica, made famous by Picasso's painting, itself a response to the Blitzkrieg "testing" the Nazis performed on the small town during World War II. This is a recreation, the original painting (of that same size!) is in the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid.

Guernica is also important among Basque people as a sort of cultural capital. The president of the region is sworn in there, under the Gernikako Arbola, a tree symbolizing the Basque country.

At the end of this great tour, Txabi took me back to his parents' house for Sunday lunch. His last name, Gaztelu, means castle and, as you can see in that small curvy mirror, he lives in front of a castle!

Spending the day with Txabi and Ester, I really learned a lot about Basque people and culture. Similar to Cataluña, there is a fair amount of anti-Spanish sentiment. As you are maybe aware, the terrorist group ETA is from Basque country and continues to murder in the name of Basque independence. I saw quite a bit of graffiti saying "Viva ETA". Of course, this kind of extremism is deplorable and unjustified, but now that I know some Basques, their history and language a bit, I can see where they're coming from.

I was amazed as I sat at Sunday lunch with the Gaztelus that, only a few hours from home, I truly felt the sensation of being in different country. Everyone around the table was speaking Basque, which if you've never heard, you need only listen to this narrative to understand how unique a language it is. The food was different from anything I've eaten in Asturias, Salamanca, Madrid, or Barcelona (I can't really describe it, but it was all tasty. I tried snail for the first time!). Talking with other Spaniards, they all act like, "What's the big deal? Basque country is just like any other part of Spain," but I'd wager they've never had Sunday lunch with a real Basque family like I did.

I don't intend to understand Spanish politics, but the concerns Txabi's family mentioned seem reasonable. Now that a Spanish political party is in power in the Basque country, they worry that less money will go to preserving and encouraging their language. And it frustrates them that people from other parts of Spain move to the Basque country and make no attempt to learn Basque or understand their culture.

Did you know that . . . ?

• Jai-alai comes from the Basques? Every city there has a jai-alai court, and it's almost as popular as fútbol (which is saying something.) Here's an adorable early 90's documentary on it haha.
• Boise, Idaho, has the largest Basque population in the United States? Every year they have a Basque festival and the president of the Basque country flies out to participate.
• The Basque language and people are the last descendants of prehistoric cultures in Europe? They were there before the Germanic tribes, before the Romans, even before the Celts.
  
• Some of the most common Hispanic surnames are Basque? Names like Echevarria, Mendoza, Bolívar, Ortiz and Ibarra are of Basque origin. The Spanish word for "left", izquierda, is also from Basque.
  

Aside from strong political beliefs, the Basques I met were very generous and very into food, insisting I try such and such pintxo and happily picking up the tab. At dinner they were lighthearted, laughing and joking as their dad explained to them how easy it is to make lasagna, when he was actually describing some completely unrelated ham dish. Basques also have one of the highest qualities of life in Spain, and seemed very well traveled. Ester was eager to speak with me about Utah, saying what a big fan of water skiing she is after visiting Utah three times as part of a language exchange program. She talked about Jordanelle Reservoir and the beautiful lakes in the mountains, and still keeps in touch with her host-family (and all 7 host-siblings) in Salt Lake.

In the end I was sad to leave. Couchsurfing is such an amazing community of travelers and above all else, completely restores my faith in humanity. I have met nothing but great people so far. I can only hope someday the people I've met will visit me in the U.S. so I can repay their generosity and make their travels incredible too.

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This week it was back to reality, my days even more filled up as I have now begun training in earnest (aka for realzz). I am officially, seriously, doing the Camino de Santiago ("Way of St. James"). After the Holy Land and Rome, it is one of the most important (Catholic) pilgrimages. Its terminus is the town of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, the northwestern corner of the country, just above Portugal. There are routes all across Spain and from every corner of Europe. The truly hard-core (and/or devout) start from the French border and make the 800 km (500 mile) journey on foot. or knees. While I am not so zealous or ambitious, I still have a fair challenge ahead of me. My friends Dave and Cecilia and I have decided we will tackle the Camino on bicycle, starting from the city of León. From there it is a measly 350 km (220 miles).

My reason for doing the pilgrimage is mostly for the personal challenge of it. I really haven't done anything physically challenging since Boy Scouts, and probably never done anything quite this ambitious. We have a whole week of vacation during Holy Week, before Easter. Counting weekends that is at least 10 days off of school, so I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to do, where to go. It's a long holiday, but everyone warned me against traveling then, as it'd be expensive, crowded, and impossible to find a room. When Cecilia told me about her plan, it was perfect. Travel is free (I'll mostly be borrowing the gear), and the inns along the Camino let pilgrims pay whatever they like. Even more importantly, the sights and experiences will be unforgettable. We'll start in León which, in the dry central plateau, offers a more typical Don Quixote kind of scenery. Then it's over the mountains into green Galicia, which is supposed to be quaint villages, rolling green hills, and a few quirky characters strewn along the way as well.

Last Wednesday we went on a ride in the Quirós Valley, 25 minutes south of Oviedo. The region and its villages are so breathtaking. As we rode the bike path, along the river, among the trees, inside mountain tunnels, I couldn't help wondering why on earth I had never been here before. I can't believe I have lived here for 5 months and had no idea such a place existed. I kid you not, it is just as beautiful as any of the canyon trails in the Wasatch mountains back home.

Proaza, where we began.

Peñas juntas

Entragu, where we ended.

Yes, it is less pristine than Utah, as there are people living all along the way (and things like power-lines as a result), but it has its own charm as well; such as the local people, seemingly frozen in time. There was a man tilling his garden who could have been from 1880 or something. He wore typical Asturian clogs, called madreñes, and had a weathered face and grisly demeanor. I didn't have my camera with me, but I don't know that I would have had the nerve to take a photo anyway.

(All of these photos are taken from a google search)

Asturias is so lovely. Now that winter is over, I will be making many more trips out of the city to appreciate the countryside. Yesterday Cecilia and I went on another training ride, from here in Oviedo to the coast of Gijón, 28 km (17 miles). We probably couldn't have picked a worst day to go, honestly. About halfway there we were slammed with the most hideous rainstorm I've seen in a while. Zooming down the side roads, wearing nothing but thermal underwear and a waterproof jacket, the rain blinding my eyes, I began to doubt the wisdom of our training and the pilgrimage plan in general. We camped out in a bus shelter for a spell and poured the water out of our shoes. After eating a little turrón and laughing at our bad luck, the worst of it passed and I felt much more positive. The last leg flew by and we soon arrived in Gijón, very disheveled, but alive and kicking. It really wasn't that hard of a ride, and the sense of accomplishment was very gratifying. I can only imagine how I'll feel when we pull into Santiago! I'm going to invest in some more waterproof and quick drying gear, but then I think the 50 km a day we had planned will be no sweat.

I am really excited for the Camino. Wish me luck in the coming weeks that all continues according to plan. Santiago or bust!