Our bus drove us approximately 25 miles through thick morning fog to the town of Guernica. Today, it's a town of roughly 16,000 people that looks much like any other in this region. In April of 1937 it was the first town on earth to endure the new weapon of arial bombardment, destroying 85% of the structures and killing thousands. Although this weapon was employed repeatedly by all sides in World War II -- climaxing in the nuclear attacks on Japan -- it shocked the world as the first such attack on civilians.
Pablo Picasso's famous painting depicting the destruction of Guernica hangs in a museum in Madrid, but a monochrome reproduction is an outdoor monument here.
Guernica was targeted because it is a traditional center of Basque culture and politics. For centuries, Basque tribal leaders met beneath a sacred oak tree on a hill overlooking the town. Here they would settle disputes and elect their chiefs.
While the original oak is long dead, part of the trunk of an ancient tree is preserved in a monument.
Also, a descendent of the original tree continues to stand near a building where Basque and Spanish politicians still meet from time to time.
Our visit to the Guernica Peace Museum was long and tedious. While the displays about the bombing and its aftermath were well done (though descriptions were only in Spanish and Basque), the sophomoric attempts by the young, 20-something guide to lecture on the philosophy of peace were much, much too long and incredibly dull.
After finally being released from the museum, we visited the Monday Market in a pavilion near the town center. This was poignant because the 1937 attack was timed to hit a Monday market day when Basque people from all around would be in town trying to buy food that had become scarce during the Civil War.
Along the way to our next destination we stopped briefly at an overlook along the coast. A small chapel on a rock in the Bay of Biscay was used as one of the many European locations for the Game of Thrones TV series. We didn't take the hike to see it, but the parking lot was overflowing with the vehicles of those who did.
Narrow, winding roads took us to a Basque village (actually, a number of farm houses scattered widely around a small, very old church). Because the bus could not negotiate the roads any further, we walked from the church to our host home. The church had been tagged with some rather unchristian graffiti.
Lunch was a traditional pintxa of olives and fish, a shot of Basque hard cider, and talos. After corn was brought back from the Americas in the 16th century, it was adopted as one of the few crops that could be cultivated in the Basque hills. Talos are made of corn flour, much like tortillas in Mexico.
Our host demonstrated the technique, then we made our own. We mixed corn flour, water, and a bit of salt to make a dough that was cooked on a gas grill outside the house. For the main course, our talo was topped with our choice of sausages and cheese with a tomato and fish sauce. Dessert talos can be topped with applesauce and chocolate.
This iron "transporter" bridge was the first of its kind in the world and is one of the few remaining in operation today.
It's considered part of the Bilbao region's public transportation system and continues to carry passengers, bicycles, and cars across the river daily. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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