The language of the Basque people, "Euskera" is certainly an interesting change from the usual latin based languages that surround this little area of the world... Take the name of today's Four O'Clock destination- San Juan de Gaztelugatxe!!!
Our friend Ana attempted to explain to me the difference between the many sounds they have in Euskera; i.e. the difference between tx, tz, ts and tt... All very subtle differences but very important!! If I attempt to pronounce the name Gaztelugatxe it would sound like Gus-te-loo-gar-che (with a short 'e' sound at the end)... I'm quite proud of myself!!
For more info on El Pais Vasco:
http://www.spanish-living.com/regional/indexR_Pais_Vasco.php
Today's venture was another example of how unique, contrasting and suprising 'El Pais Vasco' (the Basque country) can be!! From the industrial city of Bilbao to Portugalete, which also has an industrial vibe to it (granted, the 'old town' is quite quaint and around the river is also nice), you will find a distinct difference once you start heading towards the coast... We drove not so far out (3/4 of an hour) and we find ourselves winding through beautiful lush country landscapes (some parts almost rain forest) out to the coast north east of Bilbao!!
First we checked out a few of the local surfing spots on Wayde's behalf (understandable for a boy from Newport, Australia to have slightly itchy surfing feet!!)... Bakio, Bermeo and Mundaka (an interesting fusion of the Basque culture and a semi- cult surfing culture for the younger generation!). We had another amazing lunch consisting of local "Pintxos" (tapas) and then we headed back on the coastal road, around to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe!!
We had to walk down the access road as no foreigners have the right to drive down... Fair enough, I'd want to keep this spot as traffic free as possible... It was gorgeous!!
Apart from the obviously stunning situation, there were many little details that strike you as you are approaching this church sitting high on top of a little rocky island... The walkway looked like a miny version of the Great Wall of China!! There were little details on the stairs as you climbed up; every 100 stairs there was a marking etched in the stone; they also had the traditional Basque tiles (a specific pattern)layed all along the walkway; and at the top, there were hundreds of little rock lizzards darting in and out of view which kind of gave the place even more of a mysterious aura!!
The view from the top was fairly spectacular, looking out to the Atlantic Ocean or alternatively, back to the rocky coastline, or out to the other small rocky islands that surrounded this spot!
Check it out on google maps, just copy and paste the name in!!
http://maps.google.com/
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