As of Sunday, with the Basque Fact of the Week about the beautiful Bizkaian port of Lekeitio, I’ve now posted 250 different Basque Facts of the Week. These facts try to cover a wide range of topics about the Basque Country, from the people and places that make it such a wonderful part of the world to the language and history that make it unique. I know I’ve learned a lot putting all of these together, but there is still a lot to learn. And these facts only touch the surface – I view them as a small peak into the vast and wonderful world of the Basques. For those wanting to know more, I try to provide references that go much deeper.
250 is starting to be a handful, and it is hard to navigate through so many different posts. I’ve found myself starting to write a new fact only to discover I’ve already written on that topic. I can only imagine how it is for someone who just stumbles on the site and doesn’t really have any idea of how to find anything. For all of us, I’ve created an index of sorts, where the facts are arranged by topic. There, you’ll find sections about art, the diaspora, Euskadi, Euskara, fiestas, folklore, food, history, people, and sports, amongst other topics. I hope this helps people find the topics they are most interested in. You can always find the archive in the top menu of the page, under “Features.”
If you have your own topics you would like me to consider exploring for a Basque Fact of the Week, feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to get to it. Sometimes, it takes me a while – I need to proper frame of mind to look into some topics – but I hope to eventually get there.
Ondo ibili!
First, so enjoy your weekly writings on my better half – THE BASQUE! lol Have you ever done a story on the beginning of the Basque or the unique language! Where, how, when…
Kaixo Michelle! Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Trying to write about the origins of the language would be hard, as there is just not really anything known, just some potential connections to ancient Iberian script. But, I’ll look into it and see what I can pull together.
Eskerrik asko!
Ez horregatik! 🙂
My company was in a JV with Fagor in the 1990’s. I learned all about the CoOp based in Mondragón. It was started by a priest to provide employment in the Basque Country. it has been a great success. I have good friend that moved from Fagor to Ikerlan, which is an R&D arm of the Cooperative. There should be plenty of interesting stories there.
Dutch
Thanks Dutch! I have written about Mondragon and the priest before, but you are right, there is a lot more t consider there. I’ll look into it.
There are some caves near Lekeitio that have ancient animal drawings. Could you explore that topic and show some pictures perhaps? Mila esker.
Great idea, Tiby! I’ll look into that.
I would like to hear about myths and legends
Hi Kathryn, I have some in that spirit under “folklore” but will continue to look for more. 🙂
I appreciate your newsletter. If you find that you have repeated a Basque fact, so what? You are helping people like me re-learn and appreciate the heritage of my family. I thank you for what you do.
Be well.
Eskerrik Asko!
Hi Anthony, thanks for that. That’s a good point, and if I did one again without realizing it, it would likely end up quite different. But, for my own interest, I want to try to keep things new. So far, I’ve been able to do that. Glad you enjoy it!