The Basque Heartland

Instead of the motorway route from Pamplona to Bilbao, we cut inland on the minor roads to see the interior of the Basque country and some of its many villages that lie in the valleys between the mountains. Because of the high rainfall here the  vegetation is lush and green and more reminiscent of northern Europe.

The village architecture is very different to southern Spain and resembles more the chalets of the Alps. Traditional life continues in these farming communities but things have had to change in the biggest city, Bilbao where, like northern England, shipbuilding and heavy industry have faded into the past. But like a phoenix from the ashes (and even more like the Tate Modern in London) the Guggenheim art museum has given the city a new identity to be proud of. Our hotel room had the unexpected bonus of a large balcony overlooking the museum and the river and after relaxing there in the sunshine we visited a few tapas bars in the earthy old town.

The Guggenheim Museum...

...and its famous spider

Being city dwellers by nature we liked Bilbao. The urban renewal based on the new art museum is reminiscent of the riverfront redevelopment of both our home cities, London and Newcastle, especially the latter.

We took the scenic route next morning to the north coast where the road curves up and down the forested cliffs, making for an exhilarating drive. The highlight of the journey was the remarkably unspoiled fishing village of Mundaka, whose beautiful estuary has long sandy beaches and is a real surfer's paradise in the autumn.

But like many places in Spain the heartland of the Basque Country has a darker side and our route took us to Guernika, the traditional centre of Basque culture, which was virtually obliterated by German bombers in 1937 during the Civil War.  Franco allowed his allies to use the town as target practice and Picasso captured the destruction in his huge mural which we have seen previously in Madrid.

The strong nationalism of the area is understandable given the long history, the very different language, the more recent repression under Franco and the prosperity of the area relative to the rest of Spain. Yet the area seems at peace with itself and a very civilised place to spend a couple of days.