Basque adventures: episode 3.

In the previous posts devoted to our Basque adventures (episode 1, episode 2) I tried to give you an idea about the habitants and their culture, while taking you on a tour across the beautiful Bilbao. Now there is only one episode left, and this time Getxo and Vitoria are in the centre of attention. As travelling to the north of Spain takes time, money and effort, we tried to make the most of our visit to the Basque Country. Yet, there is a lot to be explored in the region, with San Sebastian being the first on my list.

Getxo

Although Bilbao is very close to the sea, the actual northern edge of the peninsula is in another town called Getxo, not more than 14 km from Bilbao. Therefore, we decided to do a visit in one of the afternoons, and it was perfectly enough to see the vast blueness and enjoy the panorama. We set the district Gobela randomly in the GPS, but then we had to find a place to park, so after getting lost a little among the mazy streets, we ended up in another area called Neguri. But it was worth it, because it was simply breathtaking! I couldn’t help but wonder why most people – or at least many people who I know – identify Spain solely with hot beaches, sangria and passionate boys when it can offer so much more than that. I really hope that after reading these posts, you will find the motivation to visit the Basque country as well.

So after leaving our car behind, we walked to the bay in Neguri, and sat down for a while to take in as much of the moment as we could. With the sun shining bright, with the green grass and with the grandiose mansions on the sides, we were lucky to witness the most perfect scenery ever – the only rival could be Scotland. But let the pictures talk:

Vitoria

We visited Vitoria on the way back to Salamanca. It is the official capital of the Basque autonomous community and is located very close to Bilbao. However, I can only talk about its beauty based on pictures I have found online, as we barely had some time left in the city. The only thing that we did was basically having lunch and a very short walk in the area close to our restaurant.

By the time we found a place to eat, we were so hungry that we just quickly went with our usual menu: croquetas, patatas bravas, and we also tried a toast with jamón serrano. Honestly, the place did not make a huge impression on me, so I didn’t even remember its name. After eating, the weather got very cold and windy, so we just headed straight to the car, and that was basically our short visit in Vitoria. It is a shame, because I know that it is also a very nice city, but if we want to discover it a little bit more, we will have to back another time.

All in all, I enjoyed a lot being in the Basque country, despite the fact that we were there only for three days. I would recommend this trip to all those who want to get to know another side of Spain and its culture.

Photo gallery