I write tonight from the Basque Country, one of the 17 autonomous communities (sorta like US states) that make up Spain. I don´t know much about the history of how the country came to be made up of these, but I can tell you that it did not happen like in the US. In that sense, US history reads so clear-cut, so sensible. Perhaps because this part of the world has much more history (or at least history that we´re still reading today. Too bad so much Native American history was lost), that history seems a lot more complicated. What we think of as united Spain is actually made up of these autonomous communities that seem to have more differences than similarities. Language. Culture. Industry. The only thing that seems to tie these together is a loose sense of having to respond to the same central government.
It is no surprise that there are separatist movements. In three of the six communities that I have visisted, I have seen propaganda for an independent state. Galicia, Asturias, and Euskadi (as the Basque Country is called in its native language, Euskara), all have groups still clammoring for their independence from Spain. Imagine this happening in modern day US, like pre-Civil War. The separatist movement feels strong here in Vitoria, which from what I can gather is called Gasteiz in Euskara, and road signs into the city have graffiti crossing out the Spanish name and replacing it with the Euskara name. Unlike Galicia and Asturias, the local language seems to have roots in something very, very different from Spanish.
I started today´s ride in Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. La Rioja is probably the community best known for its wine production, and the small secondary roads were lined with vineyards and "bodegas", cellars. It makes for beautiful scenery, although an unusually dry summer leaves everything looking a little more desert-brown than I expected. Logroño, like Burgos, and most other cities, has a historic center that dates back countless centuries, and most of that area has been cordoned off to pedestrian traffic only. It makes the feel of the cities very familiar. Vitoria-Gesteiz, today´s destination, is the same. Seeing the same old set-up makes it easy to do touristy things. You check out the sweet cathedral, most of which date to the 12th or 13th centuries, you see some other old buildings, pick up some local history, then walk around to scout out a market and a restaurant, and maybe an internet cafe.
Logroño had the added bonus of being the site of the finish of yesterday´s Vuelta a España stage, so I got to see a big cycling event. By, "I got to see", I mean I saw the riders cross the finish line at 65kph, so it lasted all of about 5 seconds. But the buzz generated by cycling, little kids trying to get a peek at their favorite riders, or just at the bunch, is very exciting. Sure, it doesn´t have the market appeal to make it compete with other sports, but it´s sure fun.
Vitoria today has the notoriety of being the place where I found an internet cafe that feels like I stepped into a bar in Colombia. Vallenato in the background. A fridge full of Colombian beer with old men frequently reaching in for another. Feels like... well, feels like something familiar, but not quite home.
I´m off to scout for dinner, and then back to my sweet new tent, before heading to Bilbao tomorrow.
1 comment:
JC! It sounds like you're having a blast-- and you are somewhere with a very interesting history. I'm told the Basques were the only region that wasn't conquered by the Moors way back when-- and you're right, the language has nothing to do with Latin; it is supposedly one of the big mysteries of linguistics--where the hell is it from?--and I remember reading years ago that some linguist had found strong connections to some Nordic tongue, I can't remember which. FINALLY, the Basques were the first to travel to the US to work as... sheepherders! I definitely wrote about them in my thesis. Best of luck on your trip-- be safe and give a call when you are back stateside. Un abrazo, Alvaro
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