Navarre. The Wild Northern Spain.
Forget everything you think you know about Spain and what it is like. Instead think mountainous forests, crystal clear blue water streams, wide-open limestone plateaus and deserts the like of which you have only seen in Westerns: because this is where they were filmed; in Europe's only desert. Navarre is diverse, as deep as the earth and gorgeous. It's like walking back through time into all of our past and drinking from that well of rejuvenation.
You can be wandering around the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in the morning and then heading into Basque Country in the afternoon, where agriculture in the mountain forests hasn't changed much and the language dates back to neolithic Europe. Such a gorgeous depth of history and culture to sink oneself into and bask in that rich heritage and stability. Put some effort into speaking some Basque words and phrases; it's well worth it.
This is the land of fairy tales. Walking through vast oak and sweet chestnut forests, finding a cave entrance which disappeared into the earth under the roots of a towering beech tree. Peering up at medieval sculptures around an ancient cathedral castle depicting elephants, paupers and knights and still showing the colour they were originally painted in.
I don't know of anywhere else in Europe that has such diversity of landscape, history and culture in such a small area. I could have stayed here for ages amid the high limestone plateau, filled with horses with such musical bells, with neolithic burial mounds and clean crisp air, I just did not want to ever leave.
You can be wandering around the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in the morning and then heading into Basque Country in the afternoon, where agriculture in the mountain forests hasn't changed much and the language dates back to neolithic Europe. Such a gorgeous depth of history and culture to sink oneself into and bask in that rich heritage and stability. Put some effort into speaking some Basque words and phrases; it's well worth it.
This is the land of fairy tales. Walking through vast oak and sweet chestnut forests, finding a cave entrance which disappeared into the earth under the roots of a towering beech tree. Peering up at medieval sculptures around an ancient cathedral castle depicting elephants, paupers and knights and still showing the colour they were originally painted in.
I don't know of anywhere else in Europe that has such diversity of landscape, history and culture in such a small area. I could have stayed here for ages amid the high limestone plateau, filled with horses with such musical bells, with neolithic burial mounds and clean crisp air, I just did not want to ever leave.
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Colourful buildings. Bilbao.
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Street ARt. Bilbao.
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Museum, Bilbao.
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Bilbao.
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Onati. Navarre, Spain.
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Onati. Navarre, Spain.
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Golderatz. Navarre, Spain.
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Santuario de San Iguel de Aralar. Navarre, Spain.
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Santuario de San Iguel de Aralar. Navarre, Spain.
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Bordales Reales National Park. Navarre, Spain.
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Bordales Reales National Park. Navarre, Spain.
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Olite Cathedral. Navarre, Spain.
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Olite Cathedral. Navarre, Spain.
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Olite Cathedral. Navarre, Spain.
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Uredella River. Navarre, Spain.
