Following a full day of exploring Bilbao, we set out the following morning for a side trip to Guernica (or Gernika, in Basque), a small town in the Basque Country.  1937, during Spain’s civil war, was a devastating year for the town.  Bombed by the Germans for three hours nonstop, the town was destroyed.  Spain’s dictator, Francisco Franco, tried to deny what had happened to Gernika, but some journalists happened to be in town at the time and survived the bombing to record it and reveal the truth.

This devastation was immortalized by Pablo Picasso, a resident of Gernicka, in the famous painting that bears the town’s name.  Picasso had lived there until Franco came into power, and then fled to Paris.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

We learned about the history behind the mural while visiting the Guernica Peace Museum, located in one of the only buildings that survived the Nazi bombing.

Next, we headed off into the Basque Countryside and visited a couple at their typical Basque farmhouse and learned about Basque traditions, including the preparation of talo, a local flatbread made from corn flour.  Similar to corn tortillas, it serves as bread in Basque homes.  We all chipped in to help make talo to accompany the traditional Basque lunch we enjoyed together.

During the afternoon, we had free time to explore more of Bilbao.  In the evening, we were divided into smaller groups to enjoy a home-hosted dinner.  Our hosts, Blanca and David, were delightful, and Amaia, their translator, was a hoot!  We had such an enjoyable time with them!

Next up: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #10: STUNNING SAN SEBASTIAN