Basque Country - Full of Heros

Quick quiz:

1). Who are the descendants of the artists who painted the CroMagnum horses in the caves in the Pyrenees?
2). Who were the best whalers ever... even better than the Japanese?
3). Who did Christopher Columbus choose to sail his ships to America?
3). Who were the first people to sail around the world... hint... you may think of Portuguese because Magellan was Portuguese... but remember that Magellan died in the Philippines... so didn't complete the circumnavigation.
4). Who was the major supplier of cast iron to the Roman Empire?

If you answered BASQUE to all of the above... pat yourself on the back... you're a genius.
Today, we are in San Sebastian... in Basque Country. Historically, not looked upon as important in the region... San Sebastian depends on tourism for its wealth... always has... and Basques don't put much store in froth-and-bubble ways of making a living. They have always been leaders in pig iron... first in monopolising the Roman trade... and in the 15th century, supplying 80% of Britain's iron. So these guys are not red necked hill billies... they have been in the wings of international events for a long time... not dominating... but understanding what was going on and looking after their own interests.

Recent history has not been kind to the Basques. France and Spain cut the Basque region in half when they established their border along the Pyrenees. The Castillian state has made promises and broken promises about self government for the Basques with monotonous regularity. (They are not too unhappy with the current arrangements.)
The Basques made themselves look foolish in the civil war. Because of their industrial base, the Basque population was keen to experiment with communism (as were other industrial cities at that time)... and so sided with the Republican Army. But Franco was clever in splitting the Catholic Church between the opposing sides... he was prepared to give the church considerable powers in his dictatorship. This caused fracturing within the Basque area... the locals followed their local church clergy in deciding with whom to fight. Anyway, an Italian regiment surrounded a good part of the depleted Basque Republican troops... it was time to show metal... glory or death. Just when the battle was about to start, the part of the church supporting Franco said to the Republic Basques, "We'll get Franco to promise not to damage your steel plants and give you independent statehood... if you give up and go home." "Alright", said the Republican Basque army... only to have Franco grind them into the dust as soon as his dictatorship was organised.

The civil war is now just beyond living memory... but feelings are still raw... injustices still remembered. You can understand why politicians welcomed the introduction of the European Union... to provide another layer to paper over regional conflicts within national borders that have not been forgotten.

San Sebastian is a great tourist town. Each time the place has been ruined through war or fire, the good citizens of San Sebastian have applied lots of thought and energy into its rebuilding. Its old city is just old enough to offer medieval charm. Its feel is more Victorian... big blocks of stone... straight streets intersecting at 90%... delightful beaches right in the city centre.

Put San Sebastian on your tourist itinerary.