The Basque Country – Bermeo

Bermeo is the first of the many charming little Basque seaside towns we visited on that long weekend. This is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country therefore the main industry here is fishing. We got our first glimpse of it from a well positioned viewpoint on the coast.

We spent an evening strolling around the port of Bermeo. The colourful houses and the small ships bobbing on the water gave it a cheerful atmosphere.

The festivities were in full swing here as well, but while in Guernica the ‘uniform’ was a white top with blue trousers/skirts, here it was dark blue. Many groups of people were having a drink and enjoying each other’s company on the seaside, wearing the uniform chequered white-blue scarf.

While the sun went down we noticed that it lit up the cliff opposite the town and gave it a golden glow. It was only there for about 20 minutes so I felt very lucky to have witnessed it. 

We decided to have a quick bite in one of the many bars facing the harbour. The sun was going down slowly, families and groups were strolling on the seafront, and children ran around happily. It was a lovely, relaxing time.

We stayed in a hotel a bit away from the town. On the map I spotted a hilltop in the vicinity that promised great views and the next morning we sat off by car to have a look.

We saw a few people walking up to the top and on any other day we would´ve done the same but Paul´s ankle has been hurting for a few days so this time we opted to drive up. Luckily the road was good all the way to the top.

It certainly has a different feeling compared to when you climb to a summit, there´s a great sense of reward and achievement. This time it was completely missing however the view over the Basque Country and its coastline from Sollube was nonetheless breath-taking.