22 Dec 2016

Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country

By basque

Hills of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country

Hidden away up the the green and verdant hills in the Basque Province of Gipuzkoa, one finds a thriving and rich society, a world away from the city of San Sebastián only a short drive away…

Goierri

The hinterland of Gipuzkoa is hilly, there are a few mountains but generally its a green land, full of valleys separated by peaks. This area is called Goierri, and it has an ancient history. Basque culture is stronger here than anywhere else one could say. The locals all speak Basque, all the time, the traditions and the history are omnipresent. The charming small villages dotted around the land are only outnumbered by the baserris or large old stone and timber farmhouses perched higher up on these green and lush hillsides. Hidden away it feels like time has stood still here until you scratch the surface!

Local Produce

Our Basque Culture is true to its roots. Tradition, family, respect and language are all fundamental. However, throughout history, we Basques have adapted and embraced change, and in some cases influenced it!

A Basque Country Tour would be incomplete without a visit to this rich area. Take a six-day hike along the ‘Ruta de Queso’ visiting tiny villages, running streams, mountains, cheese-makers and cider producers. A great way to learn about the region from the locals and their customs. A shorter Basque Tour could involve a visit to an Idiazabal cheese-maker in the village of Segura. The Ondarre farmhouse has been making this cheese from raw ‘Latxa’ sheep milk for 7 generations, and their house is over 500 years old! Not only can you milk the sheep and learn the process, you can stay there too as they have 6 rooms and 2, 4-bed apartments!

Cider

Cider makers abound in this area and a day’s visit would be incomplete without learning (and tasting of course) the regions favourite tipple . From here lunch in a Sagardotegi or Cider House is obligatory!!!

For those more interested in a slightly more refined dining experience a visit to one of the areas superb local-produce markets would be indispensible! Wednesdays in Ordizia ia a market where locals have been bringing their produce, all seasonal of course as that’s how we have always done it here, in fact every Wednesday since the 16th century to be exact…. Saturday sees Tolosa show its wares in a two amazing markets in what was the former capital of Gipuzkoa. Even better, make your Basque Country Tour more complete by visiting the market with a local chef. With them, see how they select the best and then accompany them to cook it yourselves!! Not only learning to cook like a Basque, but eating like one too!! We can’t wait to take you around!!!!

06 Dec 2016

Bilbao. River, Industry and Regeneration

By basque

Bilbao and the river…

Bilbao is a city that needs it’s river. Without this small river flowing through the green valley, the city we know would not be what it is today

It all started in 1300 when Bilbao was given ‘town’ status by the Lord of Bizkaia, Don Diego Lopez de Haro. He needed a port to export castilian merino wool to northern Europe and ever since the history of Bilbao and the river has been entwined.

Together they have seen war, trade, shipbuilding, mining, industrialisation, wealth, immigration, decline, and eventually regeneration. An awful lot for what is a pretty nondescript small river that flows for some 50km into the Bay of Biscay.

Walk to Bilbao

All this history can be seen, felt, smelled and absorbed by walking along the riverbank. An open, living book passing mediaeval ruins, steel works, furnaces, working suburbs, shipyards, abandoned lots, bridges and redeveloped barrios.

Starting at the UNESCO listed Bridge of Bizkaia, the only Industrial monument on its list in Spain, we stroll along the riverbank suburbs that form the city. Through Portugalete and into Sestao, a tough town where there is still much deprivation. Onto Barakaldo, a big town in itself with functioning shipyards, abandoned warehouses and huge cranes. Past Lutxana and Burtzeña both almost forgotten about barrios. Past Zorroza and along the bank past Olabeaga before you reach what was the port in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now you stand at the heart of the urban regeneration so successfully undertaken and where the Guggenheim and the Euskalduna Palace stand.

Pintxos and Basque Food

This is a great walk, which with stops for drinks and snacks could take from between 2 -4 hours. On surfaced roads and paths, all you need is your camera and an idea of where to go! Its another of the walks and hikes we at Basque Experiences love. Different, off the beaten track, and a chance to see and learn about the Basque Country on foot. Get your timing right and we will be on time for a few of those famous pintxos!! So get in touch with us regarding your Tour of the Basque Country and combine it with some trips with us to discover our famous Basque Cuisine and Basque Food…..

On a sunny day the pics are great!!

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.

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!

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.

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…. 🙂