Linda Fox's report on the Basque Country
Posted On
20.03.07
If you leave the Basque country and you haven’t eaten well you’ve missed the point. Local culture revolves around eating and drinking which makes for relaxed and sociable holidays. The Basque country stretches from around Bayonne in South West France over the border to Bilbao in Northern Spain and across to Pamplona. The area has held onto its unique culture and identity and you’ll find green, mountainous landscape and stretches of long sandy beaches. This is not the Spain or France of fast food and overdeveloped tourism. On the Spanish side, the Basques have their own version of tapas, known as ‘pinchos’ and how you order and eat them sums up the relaxed way of life. Locals help themselves from the cold selection on the bar or order from a menu of hot pinchos (See Need To Know for best times). Pinchos cost from 1.15 euros, while a portion-una racion is enough for two or three people to nibble and costs from 3 euros.
The idea is to stroll from bar to bar having a glass of wine or beer and a pincho such as fish or ham croquettes (croquetas), a slice of the juiciest tortilla de patata (potato omelette) or chorizo cooked in cider. There is no ceremony involved and often no cutlery just cocktail sticks and paper napkins which you throw on the floor when you’re finished. There is also an unspoken trust not to pay until the end. People keep a tally and let the bartender know what they’ve had.
Eating is a way of life in the Basque region but there is more to do and see. San Sebastian, the former summer residence of the kings, combines beach, shopping in the streets off the main tree-lined Hiribidea, good nightlife and culture with the refurbished theatre about to reopen. On the French side, life is more about surfing, shopping and chocolate. Biarritz offers all three with its surfing championships, shops like Galeries Lafayette and a chocolate museum with tours, tastings, a special programme for children and the all-important shop. Former fishing port St Jean de Luz is also a must even if it’s just to soak up the atmosphere of affluence over a coffee in one of the bars, La Baleine, Le Majestique or La Marine around the main square.
Linda Fox is a freelance journalist who has worked on several leading business to business titles. Specialising in travel, technology and hospitality she likes to think she knows her onions. Linda's husband was born and raised in the Basque country hence her frequent trips and love of the region. When not frantically meeting deadlines Linda looks after her two small children Freddy and Elena.
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