Refreshed, we were delighted to meet our fellow travelers and Francisco G, our RS tour guide for the Basque country, whom we had met at the Rick Steves open house. We knew we were in for a good trip with such a smart and funny Basque native.
TIP: If you can, attend the RS free open house in January and/or guide talks throughout the year in Edmonds. Get excellent previews of the many tours; you may even meet your future guide.
The fully-guided Basque Country tour enabled us to go places and do things that we couldn’t on our own. Some unique treats: a trip to a cheese-making sheep farm, a sneak peek inside a private bullfighting memorabilia collection and a special dinner in a private Basque men’s cooking club. Our visit coincided with a San Fermin celebration (NOT the bull-running) while we were in Pamplona, with parades, Gigante figures and brass bands. We felt very lucky and privileged.
At the sheep farm we were told to put on some blue hairnet thingies (making cheese after all, not wool) and we took a fun group photo. Hey--wait a minute?! We look like a bunch of Smurfs! These aren’t hairnets at all, they’re booties to keep our shoes clean in the barn. Ha-ha, another little bit of Francisco’s Basque humor!
Starting at St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, we walked a few miles of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the historic pilgrim trail. Peaceful contemplative countryside views, with inns and cafes just when you need them. With Carnets de Pelerin (Pilgrim's Passports) in hand, it was fun to collect stamps at churches, tourist info stops and pilgrim hostels displaying the Santiago scallop shell.
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TIP: Unless you use hiking sticks every day, don't bother to pack them. Buy a walking stick at the trailhead - pilgrim supply shops abound. Donate it at the the end of your walk.
We appreciated the personalized perspective and thoughtful observations on Basque culture and history from our native guide. A special aspect of RS tours: guides are hand-picked for personality and passion. Francisco’s interpretation of Picasso’s “Guernica” mural was very moving after touring the Basque Meeting House and Tree of Gernika (and later enhanced our own viewing of the original painting in Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid).
