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15 Nov 2016

BBC Radio and Txoko – Basque Dining Clubs

By basque

Txoko – Cooking Clubs in Basqueland – BBC Radio 4

The Txoko – A truly fantastic programme transmitted by BBC Radio 4 ‘The Food Programme ‘ on Sunday 13 November.

https://player.fm/series/food-programme/cooking-clubs-in-basqueland

or try this…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0829dcq#play

This made my day when I heard it earlier, a perfect, well written and researched programme by the BBC none the less on one of the things that I love so much about my Basque Country. A real insight into what a Txoko is, and what happens in them. Some great history and context from some real experts such as Heston Blumenthal (I didnt realise he felt so at home here!!) and the author Mark Kurlansky.

Basque Experiences

Sometimes I wish more of the world knew about what we are like here and what it means to be Basque. Mark Kurlansky makes a couple of good points when he says there is ‘a desire to have their own special way of doing things’ –  ‘they need to be allowed to be who they are’….that is so Basque!!

This goes a little bit of the way, although they didn’t mention the reason why they started. In many cases they were similar to trade guilds seen in the City of London. Centuries ago, men who worked in a similar trade would come together to meet, discuss business in the towns on market days. These men would cook and dine together and more often than not stay the night! So the txoko or dining society was born!!

For me its one of the best plans we can show you here in the Basque Country. If you want to see it in the flesh, well, you know who to get in touch with!! http://basqueexperiences.com/be-delicious/ Basque Tour.

  • Private Basque Tours Txoko
  • txoko basque
  • txoko basque
  • Txoko Evening
  • Txoko Evenings

 

14 Nov 2016

Basque Experiences at WTM 2016

By basque

WTM 2016 – World Travel Market London

For the second year running now, Basque Experiences has participated in the WTM World Travel Market held in London. It is the leading global event for the travel industry to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Invited by Basque Tour, the Basque government’s department of tourism, it gave Basque Experiences the chance to increase market presence. Working on the stand with other agencies, operators and DMCs from here as well as Basque Tour is a real boost. With the experience of last year, I made sure we had a lot of meeting lined up with buyers and operators from our target markets.

Good contacts

In total I made good contacts with around 50 other companies from the US, UK, Spain, and Canada. Of these contacts I would love to see us being able to collaborate with all of them!! But thats not realistic, but with 5-10 I would be delighted, and a mixture of Agencies and Tour operators from the US and UK would be perfect! Hopefully 2017/18 will see Basque Experiences offering more made-to-measure tours to new visitors, and being the Basque Country DMC for specialist private tour companies.

Its not all about just meeting new clients though. It gives you the chance to learn about new trends in the industry and new offers in your own market. I came away with  some good ideas on how to move forward and promote our project.

Here are a couple of pics….. Basque Experiences working hard offering private small group tours to the Basque Country, Bilbao, San Sebastián, La Rioja, Vitoria.  🙂

See you at next year’s WTM.

  • WTM London 2016
30 Oct 2016

Private Group Tours in the Basque Country

By basque

Private Group Tours

We at Basque Experiences love creating Private Group Tours. Be it a small family group for a week’s holiday, a business looking to incentivise its staff or partners, or a wine shop looking to bring a group on holiday, it’s something we do with a passion…

Our enthusiasm to make things just right for you means that you will be in touch with us from the first enquiry until you leave. Attention to detail and the personal touch are fundamental for your trip. We will reply to your mails, talk to you on the phone and together design your visit to the Basque Country. More often than not it will also be one of us guiding you too, so you have continuity from start to finish. Who wants to be passed from person to person when organising something as important as a Private Group Tour?

La Rioja Private Tour

Just recently we completed a super four-day visit in collaboration with a group of 40 visitors from Luxembourg. Some had been before so had encouraged their friend to make a group. We arranged the guides, the transport, the hotels, the visits and the obstacles that come as par for the course for this type of visit. We were on hand at all times to ensure everyone enjoyed themselves and that everyone had the best time they could! Looking at the photos from the wine and bodega tour in La Rioja Tour we organised, I think you will agree!!

So, if its a personalised Private Group Tour you are looking for, drop us a line and lets have a chat!

  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
  • Private Group Tours Basque Country
24 Oct 2016

Bacalao Pil-Pil and Basque Food Competitions…

By basque

What is Bacalao Pil-Pil? This emblematic Basque dish…

For a coastal city, Bilbao eats an awful lot of Bacalao or saltcod. There are rumours as to the reason behind this of course, as is always the case with a Bilbao legend, but here isn’t the place to let you know them.

8 days of cooking competions!

Bacalao, in its ‘raw’ state is a smelly, somewhat oily hunk of grey-white fish, covered as you can imagine, in salt. Not the most appetising I can assure you. There are several shops in Bilbao itself dedicated to its sale, with many more across the villages, towns and provinces of Euskalherria, the Basque Country. Its extremely popular and its elevated status in the culinary pantheon of Basque goodies, which is pretty well regarded throughout the world, is down to this one, uniquely Basque dish.

Bacalao al pil-pil

As with many tasty dishes, the ingredients are not complex, bacalao, olive oil, garlic… yes thats it. So the fascination here is with the preparation. I am not sure if you know how seriously the Basques take their food, but believe me, I cant think of many cultures or folk who can compare. As a serious people Basques can sometimes become obsessed with certain things and cooking is certainly one. So much so that it is the national sport (not really of course but it does seem like it at times!)

I am not going to give you a recipe here, or indeed describe the silky, smooth sauce that results from the gentle, sensuous ‘shaking’ that is necessary to create this iconic and mysterious meal. Instead I have a several videos you can watch to see one of the fascinating techniques used to create this wonderfully tasty, fishy, garlicky and oily dish. You will have to imagine how its made and why these competitors, seen here in 2016 Bilbao fiestas’ Bacalao cooking competition, ‘move’ their dishes so. The Bacalao day is one of 8 days of competition…. 🙂

The alternative is to come and visit one of the fiestas across our fantastic corner of the world from Easter to October with us on your own private guided Basque Tour…. 🙂

Roll the camera!! Which is your favourite??

 

28 Sep 2016

Elorrio and it’s magnificent history!!

By basque

Coats of Arms of Elorrio, Bizkaia

Elorrio in Biscay is an enchanting small town hidden away in the hills in the east of the province, protected by the Intxorta, Oiz, Anboto and Udalaitz mountains.

Meaning ‘Hawthorn’ in Basque,  Elorrio grew due to its strategic location close to the borders of Gipuzkoa to the east and Alava to the south, and to the hills themselves, which were full of iron ore…. Founded as a town, with all the privileges that entails, in 1356 many of its ‘nobles’ were closely involved with the King and the House of Austria, whose ‘Office of Indian Affairs’ was based in Seville.

The trade in arms, and iron to the Americas via Seville, created great wealth for many of the towns folk, who constructed great palaces on their family lands in the town. Many of these noble families erected Coats of Arms on these beautiful Baroque palaces and mansions, indeed today there are 20 palaces and 68 coats of arms, the highest number in all the Basque Country. Here is just a small selection…

  • Elorrio
    Arabio
  • Elorrio
    Arespakotxaga
  • Elorrio
    Arriola
  • Elorrio
    Zearsolo
  • Elorrio
    Zearsolo

In addition to the fantastic collection of 16th and 17th Century Palaces, there are many other historic monuments which stand as testament to this golden age for the town. One can find the largest temple in the Biscay, the Basilica de la Purísima Concepción sat alongside the palaces, town walls, convents, houses and crosses of this magnificent ‘villa’.

More ancient history is also represented here, at just one mile away we can find the Chapel of San Adrián, where the ancient Necropolis of Argiñeta is the resting place for 21 sarcophagus, some of which date to pre-christian times in the 9th Century….

A charming town, full of history, atmosphere, stories, legends and a stone’s throw from Bilbao. A great place for a day-trip perhaps combined with a hike in the Urkiola Park….. Get those boots on and join us!!

 

 

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