We’re on our way to the Basque city of San Sebastián, Spain. Lunch in Bilbao was great, but it’s San Sebastián that has the reputation of being a food-lover’s destination. Before we get there, though, we still don’t really know much about the Basques. Let’s keep trying to figure this Basque thing out.
Bilbao and San Sebastián
Bilbao and San Sebastián are Basque twin cities on the Bay of Biscay. They could be compared to two brothers who have little in common other than their roots.
Bilbao has always been the hard-working, industrial one. A little rough around the edges maybe, but strong and dependable.
San Sebastián got the good looks in the family. This kid never had to work for anything. The rich and famous are drawn to him like a magnet. Of course he gets all the girls.
The toll road between Bilbao and San Sebastián has one toll station after another. No worries, though – we have the process down now. (Unlike before). Either take a ticket, feed in a ticket, or swipe a credit card.
San Sebastián and Bilbao are located in Spain, within the borders of the “Basque Autonomous Community.” What’s an autonomous community? And why is Basque country an autonomous community instead of a Spanish department or province?
Let’s take a step back…
As noted last time, the Basques once had an independent kingdom of their own, complete with a Basque king. It was called the Kingdom of Pamplona. That was about a 1,000 years ago.
The Kingdom of Pamplona got swallowed up by it’s more powerful neighbor, the Kingdom of Navarre. Navarre’s wealth of natural resources, iron in particular, made it an attractive prize for its two neighboring superpowers, Spain and France.
You can see where this is going. The little fish gets eaten by the big fish. Then the even bigger fish eats that fish. Spain and France were the two biggest fish in the pond.
Spain and France battled over this region on more than one occasion. Navarre and the Basques, sandwiched between these two superpowers, were ruled by whoever had won the most recent battle.
The Basques never regained national independence, but depending on which government they answered to, they usually managed to maintain some degree of autonomy.
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Early in the 19th century, San Sebastián, under Spanish rule at the time, was a thriving seaport. But in 1808 Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Army showed up. San Sebastián became French territory for the next five years.
As far as the local Basque population was concerned, being part of France wasn’t terrible. When French folks from nearby Gascony relocated to San Sebastián, they brought along great cheese and Bordeaux wine. What wasn’t to like?
In 1813, in order to stop France’s, (or Napoleon’s), aggressive appetite for expansion, British and Portuguese troops laid siege to French-occupied San Sebastián. They kicked the French out, then ransacked the city and burned it to the ground.
One might wonder where the Spanish army was in this melee? (I know I did). It turns out that at the time, the King of Spain was Napoleon’s brother! I think that should be answer enough.
Poor San Sebastián.
To be continued…
