We planned to travel along the coast today avoiding the toll roads as we headed for Bilbao but in the event, the route really was a lot slower than the main motorways so we did not make it that far. However we explored many of the little Basque coastal towns and villages which were fascinating.
Setting off around the coastal road (avoiding the small landslides along the way!), we passed through Zumaia and Deba and our first stop was in Mutriku. Unfortunately the SatNav did not want to take us to the centre of the little town so I thought I’d attempt to navigate using my phone. It was going well until the streets got narrower and narrower and we finally arrived at a little car park where the road stopped altogether. It was at this point we decided that a strong cortado coffee was required and found a nice little cafe almost next to the car park and also next to a handy tobacconist where I bought some more stamps (in Spanish). It was more of a challenge getting back out of the town via the one way narrow streets but eventually we were back on the coast road heading towards Ondarroa.
There was a strong sense of the Basque feeling in this little town with various bits of graffiti reiterating the paint. It is a proper port with teams of women working together mending the nets using intricate stitchwort. Definitely not a job for me but they were really friendly and showed us exactly what they were doing. Todays shot is of the old bridge over the tidal river. Parking seems to be a challenge everywhere, especially when the car parks do not have direction arrows and you attempt to park at an angle.
We continued on through spectacular countryside with coastal views to the sleepy town of Lekeitio for lunch. As usual we seem to always arrive around siesta time so everywhere is closed and looks deserted. The beach here is fantastic, broad, shallow and pure golden sand. There were even a few brave people paddling. We found a pinxtos bar on the front and a few seafood ones with a cold beer really hit the spot. We realised around now that Bilbao would not be achievable the same day so we headed inland to the infamous Guernica. The town is chiefly known for the fact that it is the name that Picasso gave to his painting of the Civil War as this little town was the second bombed by the Luftwaffe on Franco’s orders. Bilbao had been bombed a little earlier but with little publicity and as this was a warning to Basque supporters Franco decided to make more of a point and almost flattened the town killing over 1,600 people. Today the town is pretty and has been rebuilt but many pictures remain of what it used to look like. We saw a hand painted tile version of Picasso’s painting and also found the original stump of the oak tree that symbolised freedom and has since had another tree planted to replace it. It was a bit of a somber end to the day.
It was also quite a long drive back but this time on the motorway to speed up our journey. Another excellent meal at the The Mayflower this evening - we have not found a better restaurant and the view is so good over the harbour we have decided to stick to this one.
