Maite grabbed the hand offered her as she climbed up the ladder back into the sacristy. As she stepped over the fake trunk’s side, she noticed the bruise beginning to form on Josean’s cheek. “What happened?” she asked in alarm. Kepa was making his way out as Josean replied. “The French soldiers. They had seen […]
One of my favorite myths from the Basque Country involves two brothers and their teacher Etsai. Teaching from the depths of his cave, Etsai was a renowned teacher and many students came to learn from him, including the brothers Axular/Atarrabi and Mikelats. Axular essentially sacrifices himself for Mikelats’s freedom, but Mikelats becomes the bad brother. […]
By Blake Allmendinger From the 1920s through the 1950s, Hollywood studios converted ordinary young men and women into “stars.” Teaching them to sing and dance, giving them deportment and elocution lessons, and altering the manner in which they dressed, studios changed the names and identities of such aspiring actors as Marion Morrison (John Wayne) and Lucille […]
Aita Josean led Maite and Kepa back to the sacristy, to some trunks in one of the corners. He opened the first one. “You never know who is going to come needing what,” he said almost absentmindedly as he rummaged through stacks of clothes. “The people – many of us – are in desparate need […]
The baserri, or Basque farm house, is a defining feature of the Basque Country. A self-sufficient family enclave, it did more than give the family a place to sleep and eat. For example, it held the animals, their body heat warming the rooms upstairs. The baserriak that dot the Basque mountains provide a distinctive charm […]
“Ahem.” Kepa looked up, his eyes taking a moment to focus before he saw a bent over old man looking down at them. The man’s wrinkled face was framed by whispy white hair, at least on the sides. He was completely bald. His large nose, pocked with scars, betrayed his Basque blood. He glared down […]
Every year in April, bicycling dominates the Basque Country as the Euskal Herriko Itzulia – the Tour of the Basque Country – brings riders from all over the world to compete for the txapela. The 2023 edition just concluded, taking riders through six stages that started in Vitoria-Gasteiz and passed through Labastidia, Leitza, Santurtzi, Amorebieta-Etxano […]
After what seemed like forever, they finally made it to shore. Even in the daylight, even in modern Donostia, they wouldn’t have known the layout of the coastline, but in the dark and in the past, they had no clue where they were going. They just wanted to get away from the island and the […]
One of my more memorable experiences during my first trip to Euskal Herria was a visit to the Aitor knife factory. My dad’s brother-in-law worked there and took me to see the multitude of machines they used to make these storied blades. I got to meet the designers and the people on the floor actually […]
By Lisa Van De Graaff Burnt Basque cheesecake has become a family favorite for us, especially for Blas who has requested it for his birthday cake three years in a row. It is an unusual and oh-so-rewarding experience to smell the burnt top and savor the texture combination of paper thin crunchy char and thick […]