“Bai,” replied Ainhoa. “Zer nahi duzue?” Maite looked at Kepa with uncertain eyes before returning her gaze to Ainhoa. “Ummm,” she began. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to Marina.” “Nor?” asked Ainhoa when suddenly her eyes flashed, changing from Ainhoa’s dark brown to the green they recognized from their earlier encounter with Marina. “Marina?” […]
Men and women who are exceptionally tall, who stand out in a crowd, who literally tower over the rest of us, certainly draw our attention. They fascinate us. Often, they become entertainers — André the Giant parlayed his size first in professional wrestling and then acting. Today, people of unusual height, particularly in basketball, use […]
It was late at night. Kepa and Maite sat together on a bench in the town’s plaza. Koldo, Itxaso, Xanti, and Ainhoa had pulled up chairs from the tables at the Herriko Taberna. Kepa took a sip of his kalimotxo. “When do you leave for the States?” asked Itxaso. While Kepa and Maite saw Koldo […]
I hate peppers. They smell nasty when they are cooking and they taste vile. My dad had literally hundreds of pepper plants in his garden. He would always give me a hard time when I ate his homemade chorizo, which I loved, saying how could I like those when they had peppers in them? When […]
“Ok, Marina,” said Maite as she and Kepa walked back to their mysterious new friend, hand in hand. “What now?” “Are you going to help me?” asked Marina warily. “Bai, noski!” answered Kepa, the excitement clear in his voice. “Tell us what we need to do.” “Eskerrik asko!” replied Marina, a smile dancing on her […]
This article originally appeared in Spanish at El Diario. You can find all of the English versions of the Fighting Basques series here. From the small Baltic province of present-day Estonia, located in northern Europe, the Kivimägi/Kewe family came to Tarhan — in the western part of the Crimean Peninsula bathed by the Black Sea. […]
It’s perhaps the most iconic Basque symbol. The lauburu — literally four-heads. This curvilinear swastika is ubiquitous in the Basque Country, appearing on store fronts, tombstones, the doorways to baserri, and, now, masks protecting us from COVID-19. If someone wants a Basque-themed tattoo, they often turn to the lauburu for inspiration. But, where does this […]
Percent of GDP invested in research and development. All of Iparralde is lumped together. Source: http://atlasa.net/en/economy/provinces
“Wow,” whispered Kepa as he reached his hand out, his finger extended, moving to touch one of the zatiak. “Hold on!” exclaimed Maite as she grabbed Kepa’s hand and pulled him away. “We’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere,” she said to Marina as she pulled Kepa down the path to talk in private. “What […]
One of the very distinctive elements of any Basque festival is the dancing and, in particular, the costumes the dancers wear — the white shirt and pants, adorned with a bright sash and txapela for the men and the white blouse and black vest atop a bright red skirt and black apron with leather shoes […]
