It's official: Europe's oldest people have been reborn, and everywhere the visitor looks there's some celebration or affirmation thatit's good to be Basque again. Euskadi is back with a bang, andthe old feeling that Bilbao is the centre of the world has rapidly returned. It's difficult to exaggerate the flowering that has taken place since the return to democracy here. The Basque language, banned during Franco's dictatorship and in danger of a lingering death, has been pounced on by the young and is now spoken widely and ever- increasingly in the streets. There's a touching and understandable feeling that everything Basque is good: to walk into a bookshop to see Tintin and Captain Haddock foiling villains in streams of Euskara gives an idea of how things have changed in quarter of a century. It seems that everything has been imbued with this ‘new Basque’ spirit, part of which strives to make the differences between Euskadi and Spain as evident as possible. In this way, the Guggenheim Museum was the perfect project: a daring building that would put Bilbao on the map, attract tourism, add to Basque pride, and blow a raspberry to conservative Madrid. The ruling Basque nationalists gambled that the massive investment would pay off; they were right. Public architecture here has changed for good; the eerily beautiful Kursaal in San Sebastián has been followed by the gleaming Artium in Vitoria. Ghostly Calatrava bridges grace the region’s rivers, while even the wineries of baked Rioja have followed suit and commissioned extraordinary lodges to receive grapes and visitors in. Side by side with architectural inventiveness has marched the revival in Basque art. You can't go half an hour without coming across the works of the two pre-eminent Basque sculptors: the fluid emotion of Oteiza or the late Chillida’s twisting explorations of space. These two very different personalities are rightly considered as ambassadors that carry Basque culture far outside Euskadi. The appreciation of Basque artists, and the promotion of young writers, painters and actors is all part of the wave: readings of new Euskara poetry are frequent and popular (many listeners are still learning the language). If one thing apart from the Guggenheim is guaranteed to delight first-time visitors, it's the food, or more accurately food culture. From about half-seven in the evening until midnight or so, everyone lives in the street, walking, talking, drinking and eating pintxos. Walk into a bar in any Basque city or village and the counter will be laden with snacks, from a traditional slice of tortilla to a sleek designer creation. Basque restaurants are, and always have been, superb, but this way of snacking has an irresistible appeal. “Why don't we do this back home?” is everyone’s thought. While traditional Basque activities such as pelota, stone-lifting and log-chopping are far from being anachronisms – popular with young and old – the two things that make Euskadi tick are politics and football, which are often indistinguishable. Athletic Bilbao and to a lesser extent Real Sociedad and Alavés regularly carry the Basque flag into battle against the Spanish enemy. Athletico only employ Basque players, playing every game with a nation behind them. During the Franco years supporting Los Leones was one of the few ways to show Basqueness, and they remain a massive symbol. Politically the three Basque provinces are “semi-autonomous”; their parliament has the right to generate their own taxes, among other things. Although most Basques see this constitutional arrangement as the best way to pursue either nationalist or federalist goals, the minority that supports a more radical route to freedom is significant. ETA, responsible for over 800 deaths in the last forty years, are alive and currently still locked in a spiral of recriminations with the rightist Spanish government of José María Aznar. For every ETA atrocity, the torture of a prisoner or an “accident” levels the score and prolongs the cycle. In August 2002, after a purpose-built bill was resoundingly passed in parliament, the courts banned Batasuna, the political party frequently seen as being linked to ETA; it remains to be seen how this provocative and undemocratic gesture will aid the peace process. Frequently overlooked are the large Spanish population of the Basque provinces, who are caught in a situation that is not of their making and from which they have precious little to gain. Most travellers arrive in Bilbao by plane. The cheapest direct flights from the UK tend to be with the budget operators, although scheduled flights with international airlines often end up cheaper if you are flying at a weekend with less than a month’s notice. The only international airport in Basque Spain is in Sondika, Bilbao. It’s a beautiful brand new building designed by Santiago Calatrava, seemingly in homage to the whale, located 10 kilometres north east of the centre. Bilbao and the Basque Country can also be reached by bus and train from the UK. They are unlikely to save you time or money, but it can be more pleasurable, and you do have the added advantage of being able to stop along the way.
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Bilbao - £7.99
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