In 1939, Winston Churchill famously said, “It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” He was referring to pre-WWII Russia. But it’s also a pretty good description of what many people think of the Basques today.
We’re in Bilbao, trying to unwrap some of that riddle for ourselves. The unwrapping process so far has involved a lunch of delicious pintxos, washed down with Basque beer. Alas, sometimes one must make sacrifices in the pursuit of knowledge.
What Do You Know about the Basques?
What would the average guy on the street say if you asked him about the Basques?
He might say something like, “Are those the guys who wear red berets?”
Or maybe, “Aren’t they the terrorists who were causing havoc and blowing up cars in Spain?”
If our average guy lives in California’s Central Valley, he might say, “They’re the ones with the awesome restaurants.”
If the Basques are something of an unknown entity to people, it’s partly because throughout history, they’ve tended to fly under the radar. For example, who, (other than those who read last week’s post), knew that Juan Sebastián de Elcano, not Ferdinand Magellan, was the first person to circumnavigate the globe?
Or consider the Basque whaling settlement that became Labrador, Newfoundland. The Basques founded it, established it, used it, and moved on through history.
But when the Portuguese explorer, João Fernandes Lavrador showed up, what did he do? He named it after himself and claimed it for Portugal. Spaniards claimed it, too, but not the Basques. See? Under the radar.
The King of the Basques
Maybe the reason is that the Basques didn’t have a kingdom like Portugal or Spain. Or did they? Was there ever a Basque Kingdom and a king of the Basques?
There was. The King of the Basques was Enneko Arista.
In the 8th century, Basque lands were at the edge of the ever-expanding Frankish realm. In those days, Franks controlled what is now western France. They were on the move, expanding westward.
Frankish westward expansion came to and end in 824, when Enneko Arista led an army that defeated the Franks at the battle of Roncevaux Pass. As a result, the Kingdom of Pamplona was established, and Enneko Arista named its king.
Yes, that’s the same Pamplona where crazed bulls – and those crazy enough to run with them – run through the streets every July. It’s just a hundred miles from where we are, here in Bilbao.
The Kingdom of Pamplona eventually became the Kingdom of Navarre. French and Spanish armies duked it out over this region over the years, each with their share of victories. Today Navarre is a Spanish province.
So there was a Basque King and a Basque Kingdom, but by the time Basques were sailing around the world, the Basque kingdom was long gone.
Let’s get back to today…
After lunch in Plaza Nueva and a stroll around Bilbao’s old city center, it was time to leave. On our way out of town. We drove by the Guggenheim Museum, just to see the great building in person.
I hate to say it, but I was a bit disappointed – at first. Pictures we see of the Guggenheim show its silver, beautifully curving lines gleaming in the sunlight. But this is the real world, and buildings don’t stay as pristine as they were the day they were built.
The Guggenheim’s structure has lost some of its sheen, so it wasn’t exactly as I had imagined it. But it only took a minute or two for me to adjust my senses to reality.
The building is awesome. Maybe even more than awesome, considering how special it still is, 26 years after it’s debut.
We came, we saw, and now it’s time to say good-bye to Bilbao. Next stop: San Sebastián.
To be continued…
Winston Churchill’s photo on a five pound note. Credit: istockphoto/johan10
