“We should go,” said Kepa, breaking Maite’s somber reverie. “The last boat will be leaving soon.” Maite nodded and, taking Kepa’s hand, walked down the path back toward the dock. “What was it like?” she asked. “What was what like?” “Being dead.” “I died before…” began Kepa. “Bai,” Maite cut him off. “But last time, […]
A few weeks ago, after a few days in Barcelona, we went to the Basque Country. Traveling with a childhood friend and his family, we found an awesome Airbnb in Bermeo, a delightful port city on the coast of Bizkaia. I’d been there before – my dad’s brother Jose and his wife Eli used to […]
Maite opened her eyes. It was dark and for a moment she wondered if, somehow, she had messed up and this time she had truly died. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she started to make out a face hovering over her. It was Kepa, looking down at her and smiling. “You did […]
As a scientist of Basque heritage, it is truly inspirational to see the success of people like Professor Pedro Etxenike. Not only is he a world class scientist, but over his career he has advocated for the role of science in society, helping the Basque government form educational and scientific policy as well as advocating […]
“What the hell?” hissed Maite. “Yeah, dude,” added Kepa. “What the hell?” Maite just shook her head. “Whenever you want a break, that’s fine. You can leave us here, leave the plot hanging. But we barely get five words before you throw us back into the fire. How is that fair?” Kepa shrugged. “He has […]
There are over 16,000 species of bees in the world and humans have had a long association with them. Of course, humans have exploited bees to produce honey and wax, but they have had a more intimate relationship with bees as well, telling them of important events in their lives. The Basques have their own […]
The military conflicts that surrounded the Basque Country in the early 1800s changed the fortunes of many. Comrades in one war fought against each other in the next. Heroes were exiled only to be called upon again when the politics of Spain shifted. Gaspar de Jauregui saw it all. Starting as a guerrilla fighter, he […]
There was a time when salt was the most cherished commodity. Wars were fought over control for salt and economies depended on the production of salt. Salt was so important to economic activity that the word salary comes from the Latin word for salt. The oldest city in Europe, Solnitsata in Bulgaria, means salt works […]
Maite slowly pulled herself toward the door, her fingers clawing at the dirt underneath her. While she couldn’t feel any pain, she could still feel the weight of her mangled leg dragging behind her. It felt like forever bfeore she finally reached the door, a larger iron ring tauntingly out of reach. She couldn’t prop […]
There are times when someone does something so singular that their name becomes associated with the act, that their name becomes an eponym. In the United States, we sign our John Hancock. A Benedict Arnold is a traitor. And McCarthyism has taken on meaning beyond McCarthy’s original campaign against communists. Eponyms exist in other languages […]
