After Guernica we wanted to check out the beach/surfer scene at Lequietio. Having been told about the charm of this uncrowded and relatively unknown beach on the northern coast, we were a bit bummed out about the size of the crowds. The tide was out and as such we had to walk quite aways into the surf and I was not really feeling the love for getting water-logged and sticky for the rest of the day. So I passed, and while the kids were playing in the water Beloved again (he insists he gets bored easily at the beach) took off to find some food. There were no grocery stores, and the one restaurant we found was ridiculously overpriced crowded and loud with thumping techno music. (Have I mentioned the love affair Spain has with rave/techno/Europop? Ech). So we walked back to the car and drove into town. Found a parking lot outside of town and walked in. As we were leaving Eroski (the Spanish equivalent of a King Soopers) we heard the familiar whine of a police car and the honking horn and loudspeaker announcing something important was about to occur.
Another bike race.
This one was a bit smaller but the caliber of racers was much sleeker, faster and serious. And no ambulance sirens so... maybe more experienced.
After we purchased our lunch and at a local square (I have discovered another Spanish delicacy---pear jelly sold in small wedges that you smear onto bread with a bit of cheese--Nommm) we decided to wander around town.
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| Lequeitio is a well-known fishing port. Here we walked down to the docks. |
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| We had to talk Bumpo out of jumping off of the dock in amongst all of the boats. She is crazy.When we informed that the water depth was maybe 30 ft deep and very filthy with boat refuse and oil she changed her mind. |
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| Cathedral. |
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| just a little green boat |
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| Finally a beach not overrun with turistas. |
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| On the other side of the concrete walkway from the beach was the moorings |
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| checking with the kiddos |
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| The lighting was really throwing me off the whole time. What I thought was north was actually south and so the sun which sets in the west looked like it was setting in the east to me. So disconcerting. |
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| while the kids were in the water we walked up to a beachfront cafe and had some espressos |
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| Charley the Unicorn ;) |
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| There is a spit that extends out to an island about 400 yards offshore. Beloved wanted to walk out there but as we watched the tide came up and started taking out the path... |
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| Tired that day |
After we finished the beach we decided to walk around the town a bit more on our way back to the car. We found a fitting reminder for our day. Having been focused on the history we'd been learning about all morning was really getting to me, and I was trying to find a way to close out the day in a meaningful manner. How do we go from one extreme of watching utter slaughter of innocents into a beach full of half-naked bathing beauties and naked babies toddling in the surf. It just seemed sort of---disconnected.
We walked up an alleyway and turned into a doorway that said "Cemeterio" and it made the day complete.The heavy stonewalls surrounding the massive cemetery completely shut off the outside noise and clatter. The only sound were the small chirps of some songbirds nested in the hedges. It was very serene and quiet. And the children who had been joking in the museum earlier were quiet and subdued. I did not need to remind them that this was a cemetery and that loved ones were buried here---they spoke in small voices.
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| The pinwheel symbol is a Basque national symbol of pride |
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| huge family crypt |
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| another one there were so many |
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| Creepy scythe metalwork... |
After about an hour of touring around this huge cemetery (it was built far up into the hills around us, it was burial sites for many yards) Beloved walked back to the wrought iron gate. He said "It's locked." He motioned to a padlock and chain that we had not seen earlier. I just stood there, shaking my head thinking, great. Locked into a Spanish graveyard. And we walked around the perimeter of the cemetery trying to determine how we would boost ourselves over these ancient high thick stonewalls. After about 10 minutes Doe said "Are you sure that we're locked in?" went to check the lock and found that someone had just closed the gate, the lock was not laced through the chain.
Time to go. :)
We drove home to Vitoria tired and a little sad about having to start another week of work and school. While the opportunity to travel has been phenomenal, the school and work weeks are no different than they would be in the States, except that the kids are missing their friends and I am missing the simple things like coffee with my friends or walking my dog or taking a bath (we have no bathtub in our apartment).
Sunday we spent on our laptops planning the remainder of our time in Spain. We have some amazing trips planned to France, Germany and Italy in the next two months, and we have trips to Barcelona and Madrid planned in there as well. Saturday the city of Vitoria has their Renaissance Festival and while Tank refers to it as nothing more than "lame larping" (?) I am looking forward to seeing how this compares. Surely they'e been doing this longer than we have in the good ole US of A ;)
