ying in the top corner of Spain you will discover three very distinct regions that would make a wonderful touring combination packed with history, gastronomy, culture, landscapes and of course, some of the finest wines in the world. Like much of northern Spain, these are regions that have witnessed the passage of pilgrims taking the long path of St James to Santiago de Compostela so the land is peppered with dazzling churches and ancient monasteries. From the mountains of the Pyrenees, across fertile valleys producing the best vegetables to the bountiful waters of the Bay of Biscay, there awaits a great journey. Since it is most likely that any visit to this region will begin with a flight into Bilbao (or a ferry to San Sebastian) where better to begin but at the coast in the Atlantic’s answer to Catalunya; the equally autonomous Basque Country, where their sense of historic identity runs hand in hand with their own language, Euskara. Little is known of its origins, but it is likely that an early form of the Basque language was present in and around the area of modern Basque Country before the arrival of the Indo-European languages in western Europe. So, unlike Catalan, which is known as ‘ugly latin’, it is an ‘isolate’ language, shrouded in mystery with no similarities to either Latin-based or Gerrmanic tongues - it is just unique and very old! Between some of the finest beaches in natural surroundings, the coastal cities and towns of Basque Country like San Sebastián, Zarautz and Getxo as well as the inland cities of Vitoria and Bilbao are all noteworthy destinations worth a stopover. This last location is home to such innovative buildings as its Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art. Wherever you might visit, be sure to try the famous “pintxos”, the basque country La Rioja & Navarra l Since its opening in 1997, the Guggenheim Bilbao and Puppy, a floral sculpture of a dog by Jeff Koons, located outside the museum, have become the most internationally-known symbols of Bilbao. Frank Gehry’s architectural style is considered deconstructivist, a movement in postmodern architecture where elements of the design appear to be fragmented. His architecture is typically characterised by flowing lines, and surfaces that vary from titanium cladding to metal Blobitectural modular parts. Frank GEHRY’s masterpiece 16
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