Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Things We'll See, The Places We'll Walk

So, the first thing you have to understand about Spain is that you can't understand Spain. We've gotten lots of emails asking if we are doing this because we "love Spain." And, in a way, that is absolutely correct. We do love Spain. And that is a large part of what draws us to the Camino de Santiago. Brittany studied abroad there, and traveled around, in college, Mary Ann and Todd visited San Sebastián twice, Brittany and Todd spent most of their honeymoon touring the northern half of Spain, and a good chunk of Todd and Brittany's French trip actually began by exploring Asturias and the Basque coast. See Brittany in front of the symbol of Madrid on our honeymoon:


But part of what we love most about "Spain" is that there really isn't a single "Spain."

The area that constitutes the majority of the Iberian peninsula, which we now think of as "Spain," wasn't really thought of as a single "nation" until the Moors were driven from the peninsula in the late 15th century (you know, Ferdinand & Isabella, Columbus sailing the ocean blue, and all that jazz). And even then, the unification was via monarchy not culture, and even that unification by kingdom was not complete. The Basque provence of Navarra continued as a semi-autonomous Kingdom for several centuries, the "Spanish" monarchs were mostly French, the south of Spain remained heavily influenced by Moorish culture, and northern Spain included--and still includes to this day--multiple cultures all of which speak their own language, such as Castillian (which is the "Spanish" your 9th grade teacher taught you), Euskara (Basque), Catalan (the language of Catalunya, think Barcelona), and Gallego (Galician). Throw in a civil war in the 1930s that was at least as divisive as ours, followed by a dictatorship that insisted on pushing a unified notion of "Spain" down everyone's throats (see Berlanga's classic film Bienvenido Mr. Marshall), and it shouldn't be surprising that you aren't dealing with a single culture, a single idea of identity. In fact, one rarely ever saw Spanish flags flown outside of Madrid until the unifying moments of the March 11 bombings in 2004 and Spain's victory in World Cup 2010. Even now, given a straight up or down vote, it is highly likely that at least the Basque Country, Galicia, and Catalunya would opt for independence from Spain if given the choice. And I haven't even yet mentioned the Romas (or gypsies) that dot the southern landscape. In short, there are many Spains. By walking across the north, we'll be walking across a fair share of them.

Here is a helpful side by side map of the Camino de Santiago and the regions of Spain:


The Basque Country  The first two regions we walk through make up part of the Basque country, and this blog mentions the Basques to an obnoxious degree, so I thought it was worth taking a moment to actually explain what "Basque" is. The Basques are an ancient people who live in the Pyrenees on both sides of the modern French/Spanish border. Their language is a "language isolate," sometimes called "original language." In other words, a language with no known origins and no known similar languages. In my holler speak: It ain't got nothing in common with no other languages. It is that old, and that unique. Think lots of x's and q's. For instance, kaixo is how you say hello. The Basques managed to maintain their cultural independence for centuries, using pacts with the Romans and then the Castillians, as well as their geographic isolation, to maintain a unique language, culture, and cuisine. They are food obsessed. The cultural capital, Donostia (or San Sebastián), has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than anywhere in the world, including Paris. Bilbo (or Bilbao), their commercial center, is home to the most controversial and famous example of postmodern architecture, the Guggenheim museum. Famously nationalistic, the Basques on the Spanish side of the border had their own nation (with a consulate in D.C.) in the 1930s and 40s, and Basques were present at D-Day. But the Basques wound up on the losing side of the Spanish Civil War (see Picasso's Guernica), and independence came to an end. Basque independence movements have remained central to Basque political life ever since, and at times, have led to terrorism (see the great Basque film director Julio Medem's The Basque Ball). The Basques invented pelota (jai alai in North America), which is the national sport. If you ever want to gain 50 pounds, you should probably do it in the Basque region, maybe, partially, by dropping more money than you ever should on a meal at Arzak (or like us, salivate over the online menu weekly). More than anything, they are a fascinating, unique culture. And there aren't enough of those left in the world. San Sebastián is one of the few places we might prefer to live than New Orleans:



Now, finally, onto our specific route on the Camino de Santiago.

The Basque country is actually divided into seven provinces:


We'll be walking through two of them. Plus three more regions of traditional Spain (see map at top of this post):

Zuberoa  We begin in St. Jean Pied de Port, which is the capital of the French Basque region of Zuberoa, called "Lower Navarra" by the French government. The primary language is French, but many people do speak Basque, although not as many as in Spanish Basqueland--because the French government was more successful in taking it out of schools. The area is known for its red pepper spice, piment d'Espelette, and fresh goat cheeses. They like to drink the Basque white wine, txakoli, mostly imported from the coastal Basque regions. Basque cuisine is unique in most ways, and they may well be most famous for their pintxos. Pintxos are similar to what we think of when we think of Spanish tapas, but a pintxo is usually a more complete, composed dish, only tiny in size, rather than the bites of bar food usually associated with tapas. The region is mountainous, green, and pretty. As in the rest of the Basque country, many old men wear a Basque beret, often misidentified as a symbol of France.

Navarra The very first day of the Camino we cross into Navarra, which has Pamplona as its capital.  Navarra is famous both for being its own kingdom for centuries (not part of Spain for a very long time), and for being the largest provence of the Basque country. The people in this region are are almost entirely of Basque heritage, and that can be seen in their culture/food/facial features/customs. But the people of Navarra are less politically and nationalistically Basque than elsewhere in the Basque region. Even if the Basque country got independence, Navarra would likely vote to either rejoin Spain or go it on their own. This is, in part, because while always tied culturally to the Basques they had their own kingdom for a very long time.  Spanish is the dominant language, but many people speak Basque----moreso than in French Basqueland, but not nearly as much as in the other Spanish Basque provinces where Basque is often the dominant language. Navarra is known both for its red wine, second only to La Rioja (and maybe Catalunya), and for its cured meats, such as chorizo. The terrain levels out from the foothills of the mountains to a major, semi arrid plateau, to a semi-arid plain. Much greener than we'll see later in the trip, but not as green as Zuberoa.

La Rioja  One of Spain's smallest regions, with Logroño as its capital. The region was originally inhabited by Basques and nomads before the Romans came, but the population is more Castillian now--though Basque influences on architecture, food, and social customs remain, but far less so than in the actual Basque regions. The region centers around the famous Ebro river which keeps this region more moist than much of Spain, about on par with Navarra, though slightly more fertile.  This is, far and away, the most famous wine region in Spain, rivaling the best regions of France or Italy. Known most for red wine. The terrain is similar to Navarra but add on more and more vineyards. At the Catedral de Santo Domingo de la Calzada we'll see the church that miraculously houses live chickens. I'm not kidding.

Castilla y León In many ways the most "Spanish" region of Spain.  The language we call Spanish is actually "Castillian." Along with Castilla la Mancha, this region came to dominate the culture of the peninsula, and when you think of things that you think of as "Spanish" you are likely thinking of Castilla y León. This is the home of King Ferdinand (of Isabella and Ferdinand). It is mostly a dry/arid mesa, incredibly flat and incredibly repetitive. Therefore, many claim that this is thus the most mundane and boring stretch of the Camino, though many others claim it as their favorite because you get to see the most rural, most medieval of Spain, often sans tourists (other than other peregrinos). The capital is, essentially, Valladolid, but culturally the region is really divided between Valladolid, Burgos, León, Salamanca, Ávila, and Segovia. It is Spain's largest region, and the largest region we will be walking through. It is known for its cured meats (think chorizo), lamb, and beef. In Astorga we will see the palacio Gaudi, one of several buildings along the Camino designed by famous modernist architect Antonio Guadí, himself a Catalan. At the Basilica de San Isidiro, in León, we'll see incredibly famous 12th century murals and a 9th century mosaic Bible. Yeah. That's old.

Galicia Semi-mountainous, wet, green, ancient, lush, and did I say wet?  Settled by the Celts, the primary language is Gallego, which is a cross between Celtic, Portuguese, and Castillian. The region's second language is split between Castillian and Portuguese. The capital is Santiago de Compostella, our destination. This is an ancient region that, until recently, had limited contact with the rest of Europe.  Hence very traditional, etc.  They are known for their young, "green" wines, cheeses, and seafood. Unlike the Basque country and Catalunya, each of which are known for their distinctive style of preparing seafood, Galicia prefers to prepare their seafood incredibly simply, emphasizing its freshness. There are bagpipes everywhere. The first influence is clearly Celtic, and next comes Portuguese.  Castillian influence is third.

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