Urdaibai
Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1984, it's one of the most interesting landscapes of the Basque Country. Urdaibai is a large natural area at the mouth of the river Oka, located in the region of Busturialdea. From the cliffs and beaches to the inland forests and rivers, through wetlands and watercourses in Urdaibai concurs probably the most diverse scenery and ecology of the Basque Country. This area enjoys a mild and wet maritime climate, characterized by slight temperature fluctuations and lack of frost. It is, in turn, a protected bird sanctuary and plant species unique to our geography. Urdaibai Reserve has become in recent years an excellent area for leisure, sport and tourism. Urdaibai extends over 220 km2 and hosts on its territory 45,000 inhabitants. It includes 22 villages within them (11 of them in full), among which include Gernika, Mundaka and Bermeo.
The first two villages we visited were Bermeo and Mundaka. We didn't stay long at Bermeo, which is a fishing village. However, the visit to Mundaka was wonderful! Below are pictures from Bermeo.
Mundaka
It's situated at the mouth of the estuary of Mundaka. This is a small fishing village with a unique charm. It has a beautiful natural harbor, which resembles a large swimming pool, around which lie the typical fishermen's houses of the village with winding streets. It also has the cozy little beach Laidatxu. Mundaka today is known worldwide, especially among surfers, for the many good qualities of its waves, which makes this small town one of the headquarters of the World Surfing Championship.
The town of Gernika is situated in a privileged setting in the heart of the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai. It is the historic capital of the Basque Country for its ancient tree (Tree of Gernika), symbol of Basque freedoms and the old protagonist of the past Vizcaya and under whose shade the nations of Biscay made their decisions. Gernika is also a symbol antifrancoist since suffered a tragic bombing on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), a fact that Pablo Picasso immortalized in his famous painting "Guernica." Today is a modern town, markedly Basque (the population is mostly bilingual), which hosts a major market, a meeting of farmers in the area, every Monday and Saturday during October shows.
Gernika is also home to the Museum of Peace-Gernikako Bakearen Museoa. His exhibitions offer a glimpse of what Gernika represents through its history for all Basques (Democracy, Jurisdictions, Freedom), and what today symbolizes world (Human Rights, Peace).
In April 1937, Guernica was the first city to be deliberately targeted for aerial bombing. Guernica was the ancient capital of the Basques - a group who had withstood the advances of the army since the Spanish Civil War begun in 1936. The region's resilient stand was punished by Franco when he allowed the unprotected city to be bombed by Hitler's air force. 1,654 people were killed and 889 wounded. The world was horrified but Franco denied that the raid ever took place. He blamed the destruction of Guernica on those who defended it. The whole town was detroyed except for one bridge and the Tree of Gernika.
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