Travel to Guernica

On leaving San Sebastian, we headed out to the fishing village of Getaria where the first person to circumnavigate the globe was born. In 1519-1522, Juan Elcano set out with Magellan in 5 ships. Magellan died and only the Victoria with 35 survivors returned. We stopped to appreciate the history of Guernica and the art it inspired. The Spanish Civil War 1936 -1939 started with Franco invading from the South of Spain via Morocco. He won because of support from the other two fascist leaders Hitler and Mussolini. A carpet bombing in the heart of the Basque country assembly house took place on Market Day in 1937; after this, Picasso painted perhaps the most symbolic anti-war painting ever. The painting was in New York until Franco died and then moved to Spain as Picasso wished. We visited the Assembly hall where for centuries Biscay parishes sent its representatives to discussed problems and established laws that governed life, these were abolished in 1876. We had another great Basque lunch in Guernica. Finally, we stopped at a sheep farm to make yogurt (quark) before heading for our stay in Bilbao. Beautiful rugged coastal views and inland mountainous areas with villages nestled between valleys were our views today.Read more