1. Vacation destination

Bermeo

Yay, first vacation destination! Bermeo is located on the coast of Biscay and is situated on the slopes of Mount Sollube. Its coastline has numerous cliffs and rocks, such as San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and the islands of Aketx and Izaro. Along its coast, there are small sea arms like Cape Matxitxako. Bermeo is home to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, one of the most visited areas in the entire historical territory of Biscay, located 8 km from the city center. The sea still shapes the history of Bermeo. The city has the largest fishing port on the Cantabrian coast. Tourism plays a secondary role... great for us 😊 We are on the diverse coast with fine sandy beaches, and in the hinterland, the gentle hills of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve invite us to go hiking...

After about 5 hours of driving and a total of 2100 km, we have finally arrived. As we pass through, we can already see that unlike France, the coronavirus rules are strictly followed here. Even in 30 degree heat, everyone wears masks without exception, it's driving me crazy... We head towards the sea as we still have some time before picking up the keys and eat whatever is left in the cooler box... beautiful view, finally a week of relaxation... We go to the apartment, where a lady with keys and a lecture on wearing masks in the region is waiting for us... I control myself 😜... Marvin is the language guide, now he can shine with his language skills (I must say that Spanish is also spoken here, but more Basque and it is apparently very muffled, increased difficulty level...)

Our vacation apartment is on the top floor with a great view for breakfast... everyone takes a shower... I quickly cook some pasta and then relaxxxxxxxx...

Just to mention briefly: we constantly have to pay tolls here... Current toll fees paid: France €100 and Spain currently €30... 🙊

Halfway rested and refreshed, we want to visit the filming location of Game of Thrones, which is only 9 km away from us... Gaztelugatxe is connected to the mainland by an artificial bridge and 241 stairs. This is probably the staircase with one of the best views of the Cantabrian Sea of all time. On top of the island, there is a hermitage called Gaztelugatxeko Doniene in Basque (San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Spanish). It is dedicated to John the Baptist and dates back to the 9th or 10th century.... So let's go... after a winding 20 minutes, we are there, everything is crowded, the parking lot is full... we are excited, but not for long... at the entrance, a nice lady wants to know if we have an online ticket, which we deny, so she says that it is only possible to get access through internet pre-booked time slots, the next available one would probably be on August 16... we are a bit disappointed as we will already be on our way. We go to the photo point, which is not particularly spectacular... on the way back to the car, I notice a road that is forbidden for cars, why can't we walk there, I thought, and so we did, but we also took a ball, water, and swimming equipment with us, and off we go... and on this side, we get much more beautiful photos without people and also a mini hike to a very nice wide and wavy sandy beach. 😀 Finally, swimming and playing volleyball... eventually, we start to feel hungry, so we go to a small restaurant... when we ask, as we were somewhat surprised that all the guests were only having drinks, if there is also something to eat, they say yes, but only from 8 pm... so we have to wait for a little over 30 minutes... even after the waiting time has elapsed, we were the only ones to order something 😅, we joked that the Spanish are known for eating very late, apparently the Spaniards on vacation even eat later 🤣... On the way back home, we quickly take a photo of the sun before it disappears...

Today's high temperature is over 30 degrees... we explore the next beach on foot, which is 3 km away from our vacation spot... the sun is scorching, and we reach the next town Mundaka with many people, we make our way to the sea (haha, everyone wears masks everywhere, but at the beach, everyone forgets their masks, even the minimum distance is ignored 🙊)

The coastline in front of Mundaka, with waves up to 400 meters wide, is considered one of the best surfing spots in the world. Definitely the best on the Basque coast. Surfers from near and far come here to pursue their water sports activities.

When we arrive, the sea is just returning (yes, there is ebb and flow here) and we have to move our spot five times to avoid getting wet, it's funny... you have to constantly keep an eye out and eventually the people who were once spread out end up close together... we decide to leave, as it's getting too crowded and we're a little hungry, so we head back at 7 pm, still at 29 degrees... we discover a small pub... a beer, water, and Rosado wine, as well as small snacks called Pintxos, delicious and all together very affordable for €10...

Today: Visit to the "Bosque animado de Oma," the 'animated forest,' also known as 'Bosque Pintado' (painted forest).
The Basque artist Agustin Ibbarola has created a special artwork here. He painted groups of trees in various colors, a total of around 500 trunks.

In order to view the individual compositions from an ideal perspective, you have to take a precisely marked position. This way, you can discover outlines of figures in motion, geometric shapes, or colorful patterns that come together as a whole from individual parts.... unfortunately, it's closed, great... we walk a bit, but due to the heat, we turn back after 1 km and go to the tavern located at the parking lot... a break! and relax with beautiful music, delicious, affordable drinks, Pintxos, and ice cream.... yes, vacation is great 🙃

On the way back, we visit Gernika, the Holy City of the Basques...

The town of Gernika symbolizes Basque independence. A striking painting by Picasso made the place world-famous.

The town of Gernika-Lumo (Spanish: Guernica y Luno) is located on the Oca River in the hinterland of the Basque coast. Outside of the Basque Country, the town is mainly known for the painting Guernica . This painting was painted by Pablo Picasso as a reminder of the bombing of Gernika by German bombers in 1937 for the World Exhibition in Paris.

Gernika has an almost mythical significance for the Basques and the Basque Country. Since the 10th century, the Basque Council of Elders met here under an oak tree, the Gernikako Arbola. This tradition lasted until the 19th century. In addition, under the 1000-year-old oak tree, the Castilian and later the Spanish kings swore to the fueros (special rights), which granted the Basque Country a high degree of autonomy. In return, the rulers received the allegiance of the Basques.

Gernika became known worldwide when it was attacked by aircraft from the German Legion Condor and the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Gernika was part of the so-called "iron belt" around Bilbao and was bombed during the Nationalist offensive. After two more days, Nationalist troops under General Aranda entered Gernika. Once again accompanied by German history.... it looks like a thunderstorm is coming, so we drive back to our accommodation, the guys want to watch football 😜 and it's raining too, a bit of cooling down 😅

Today, we are going to the beach again... tadaaaa. The Laida Beach belongs to the town of Ibarrangelu in Biscay and is located within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve.

This almost 1-kilometer-long beach is the largest at the mouth of the Ria Mundaka. Its sand is fine and golden, and you can engage in many sports activities there, including windsurfing, canoeing, sailing, etc. Or you can simply relax, read a book 😜 or play volleyball until the beach security comes and explains that playing volleyball is not allowed. 🙈😢😳 It's a huge beautiful beach, and you're not allowed to play football, volleyball, or any other ball sports... mhhh.... then let's go get some ice cream...

On the way back, we admire the estuary of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve from above... and here are some information about this wonderful natural site, including a few pictures:

The Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve: In 1984, UNESCO declared the area around the deep incision of the Ria Mundaka, which covers an area of about 23,000 hectares, as the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Here, fresh and saltwater mix, creating the most important wetland in the Basque Country. In addition to the typical marsh landscape, the cliffs, and the beaches, the ecosystems of Urdaibai also include extensive oak forests. For migratory birds, the region is a welcome stop on their journey to Africa, and some of them even establish their winter quarters here. Bird enthusiasts can observe herons, storks, curlews, and cormorants. In the oak forests, wild boars, stone martens, genet cats, and jays find shelter.

It looks like a thunderstorm again... so we drive towards our accommodation around 9 pm, amazing sky, lightning in the background, and a play of colors 🤩...

Today we are going to Lekeitio to swim and walk to the small island Isla de Garraitz, which can be reached on foot from the beach during low tide. The dreamy fishing village became a popular seaside resort in the 19th century. This development was mainly driven by the decision of Queen Isabella II to spend her summers in Lekeitio. Thus, the small town even competed with San Sebastian as a royal seaside resort for a while. Among the illustrious guests of the town is the last Habsburg Empress, the beautiful Zita, who spent several years in exile here with her children. The times when the high society frequented the town are a thing of the past, but it didn't diminish the popularity of Lekeitio as a vacation spot. The most important sight in Lekeitio is the late Gothic Basilica de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora, whose construction began in the second half of the 15th century. Particularly noteworthy are the west portal and the magnificent main altar in the Spanish-Flemish style, the largest of its kind in the whole Basque Country... there will be no bathing on the beach as dogs are not allowed here... so off to the island... Angelina sacrifices herself by waiting for us on the promenade with Hoshi. We promise her to wave to her from above... and off we go on a slippery path to the island, almost without coronavirus restrictions (except for masks)... it looks beautiful... many little crabs on the way... we climb up the "mountain" and wave as promised... We treat ourselves to cool drinks and stroll through the small town, which is very pretty with its paved streets, tranquil squares, and beautiful houses... We get some ham baguettes 😋 with Iberian ham that we discovered and found delicious 😋.... and then we take the winding road back to our accommodation, tomorrow we will continue to Bilbao.... yay 🤩

I just have to point out that there is nothing touristy here, there are no shops or maybe one that offers bathing accessories and tourist stuff, nothing, an ice cream stand if you're lucky at the beach... you have to look closely to find a grocery store.... and actual food is only available after 8 pm... The Basques are very reserved but friendly... sociable, relaxed, and they like to have a glass of wine or beer in the afternoon, sometimes in a standing position, in company... they never seem stressed and are sociable when they are out in the evening. On weekends, they grill and meet with their families in meadows and parks... Let's see what happens next 🙃