After Seville, in Spain, I ventured to the Basque Country in northern Spain for what would be a truly unique experience and great cap to my journey. To start, the Basques are wonderfully enigmatic, and the region is very difficult to describe. One thing I noticed traveling through Spain was that it's challenging trying to describe this country and its people. Each region has an incomparable landscape, cuisine, style of architecture, history, and most strikingly, breed of people. The Basque area is perhaps the best example of these ideas.
The Basques have long felt separate from the rest of Spain, certainly due to their language, but also culturally. As a result, the Basque cities of Bilbao, San Sebastian, and Pamplona offer a feeling of community you don't experience in too many places. There's a party every night, festival revelers sing carols deep into the late hours, and feast on the most delectable of local specialities
In a way, the Basque Country incorporated all of my favorite aspects of travel, and provided the perfect capstone
HIGHLIGHTS:
1) The Bilbao Guggenheim--Apart from holding an impressive modern art collection, the Gehry designed building is one of the greatest architectural moments of the late 20th century.
2) Sanfermines "The Running of the Bulls"--While I didn't actually get much bull action, it was great to see the city that Hemingway cherished and experience one of the world's biggest and certainly longest parties.
3) San Sebastian--This city is like Spain and Rio De Janeiro combined. Two of the most beautiful beaches in western Europe, are bisected by gentle hills and masses of smiling faces. The greatest city beaches I've experienced.
THE BEST OF EUROPE: All together now
1) Everything in Andalusia, Spain. Being some time now since returning, the images of endless sunflower fields, chiseled cliff sides, white washed towns, and bustling cafes resonate with me everyday.
2) Alhambra, Granada, Spain. Just to further reinforce number 1.
3) Venice to Rome, and Everything in Between. Two weeks traveling between these two very different gems reveals why people travel to this continent.
4) Berlin, Germany. No city defines a century like Berlin defines the 20th. The history is more tangible here than in any other city I've been. The culture and people are quite infectious, as well.
5) Beer in Prague. $1 for a liter--give me a break. 1$ for a liter made from the most expensive hops on the world market.
6) The Diversity of the Basque Country. A trip highlighted by the Basque cities of Pamplona, San Sebastian, and Bilbao would be the perfect introduction to Europe.
7) Eating in Spain. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm pretty big on Spain. After visiting this country, I don't ever think I will eat in the same form or style again.
8) The Scenery of Central Europe. The hills are very much alive, and my road trips to the Rhine Valley, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest very much proved it. Highlighted by my two days in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, this part of the continent is seriously more beautiful than advertised.
9) The Art. Coming home and being able to say I've strolled the Prado, sat beneath the Last Judgment, circumnavigated Michaelangelo's David, and perused the personal collections of the Austrian Habsburgs is truly a privilege.
10) Churches in Italy. First, I love churches for the architecture. However, I also believe churches are emblematic of how a city and community feel at a certain time. That being said, after experiencing the duomos in Italy, churches like St. Vitus in Prague, St. Stephen's in Vienna, St. Patrick's in Dublin, and even the Seville Cathedral are minor blips on my memory's radar.
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LISTENING:
1) The Beatles--Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's
2) Neil Young--After the Gold Rush
3) The Robert Cray Band
4) Seu Jorge
5) Miles Davis--Birth of the Cool
6) Fleet Foxes
7) Stevie Ray Vaughan
8) Wilco--Sky Blue Sky
9) The Allman Brothers Band--At Fillmore East
10) Paco De Lucia
READING:
1) Frederich Nietzsche
2) Ayn Rand
3) John Dewey
4) Henry David Thoreau
5) Ernest Hemingway
I'd put more, but I don't think anyone gives a shit about this.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Anyone can do this. It doesn't matter where you're from, if you speak the language, or if you've done anything like it before. It may be expensive financially, but the value of experience is nearly priceless.
You can travel anywhere, for that matter; in an abandoned hillside, your hometown, or some place you've been to a hundred times. Travel is merely movement through a place that alters perspective.
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