Lack Of Maturity

This note was published today at EITb:

Peace process

Batasuna leader voices "worry" for socialists' "lack of maturity"

08/17/2006

Likewise, outlawed Batasuna spokesman has regretted the attempts of the Socialist Party to "distort" the contents of a future agreement for political normalisation.

Banned leftwing nationalist spokesman, Arnaldo Otegi, has voiced today his "worry" for the development of the peace process due to the "lack of maturity and responsibility of socialist leaders. In his opinion, they try to "distort" the contents of a future agreement for political normalisation in the Basque Country.

Otegi, who offered a press conference in Donostia-San Sebastián alongside party member Rufi Etxeberria, has said nobody can believe that in the talks with socialists preceding the cease-fire Navarre was not taken as part of the peace process, or that leftwing nationalism swore allegiance to the Spanish Constitution, as some socialist leaders pretend to affirm.

Likewise, he has voiced his will to work for a compromise within the next few weeks to start a multiparty dialogue that doesn't exclude territories and respects the will of Basques.

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Basque Omelette

This recipe comes to us courtesy of EITb:

Recipe

La Piperade- Basque Omelette

08/16/2006

Beat 4 eggs slightly with salt and pepper and stir them vigorously into the hot vegetable mixture, raising the heat so the eggs will cook quickly. Slide the omelette whole onto a heated platter.

Slice a small sweet green pepper finely and sauté it very slowly in olive oil.

Add salt and pepper, 1 small onion, chopped 1 small clove of garlic, chopped and mashed, and 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped.

Add 1 generous tablespoon shredded cooked ham and simmer the mixture slowly for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are rather soft.

Add 1-tablespoon butter.

Beat 4 eggs slightly with salt and pepper and stir them vigorously into the hot vegetable mixture, raising the heat so the eggs will cook quickly. Slide the omelette whole onto a heated platter.

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Portugalete and Muzkiz

Time to learn about more tourist destinations in Euskal Herria.

This info was published by EITb:

Church and feudal tower

Way of St. James in the Basque Country : Portugalete and Muskiz

08/15/2006

Portugalete, at the mouth of the estuary, is another obvious example of a Middle Age city, with its layout of ordered streets, walls, church and feudal tower.

This town was created by Doña María Díaz de Haro, the Good, widow of Prince John, who was murdered by Don Tello, and was granted the fuero de Logroño in 1322. Its old part has been declared an Historic-Artistic monument.

It has a remarkable church, called Santa María, which is Gothic in style with three naves and a vault supported by strong columns. A primitive construction, dating from the 14th century, not much is left of the original since it was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. It has a small triforium in keeping with typical pilgrim’s churches. Although Renaissance in general, its altarpiece is outstanding for its 14th century Andra Mari, by the master Guiot de Beaugrant. It also has a small altar dedicated to Saint James the Moor Slayer at Clavijo.

Not far from here, defending one of the entrances to the town, above the ancient port, is Salazar Tower. The Salazar family was an important lineage from the Encartaciones region, whose influence spread through the Mena Valley to the Jurisdiction of Castile. Its most famous member is the first chronicler of Biscay, Don Lope García de Salazar, who left us a precious historic document, a real social and political chronicle, and a mirror of noble life in the late Middle Ages with his work: “Biendazas y Fortunas”. This tower was the setting for Don Lope’s “adventures”, such as his escape from the hands of his own sons who had taken him prisoner; on leaving the tower he took refuge in the belfry of Santa María, until he was recaptured.

Portugalete is explicitly and directly documented by a pilgrim. The person in question is the Armenian Martyr Bishop, de Arzendjan, who made the return journey along the coastal route in 1494; settling in “the great city of Portugalete” on his way back.

We continue on towards Muskiz, home to the Muñatones Castle, cradle and ancestral home of the Salazar lineage, and perhaps the most outstanding of all Bizkaian fortresses. This castle had a nearby palace and hermitage, dedicated to San Martín; these buildings were declared an Historic-Artistic Monument in 1944.

In prison, and after two escape attempts, Don Lope states: “...here, in my birthplace of San Martín, a prisoner of those I engendered and raised, fearing a poisoned drink and that the unorganised covetousness for taking my belongings will prevent them from setting me free, I await the mercy of God and rid myself of thought and imagination by writing this book”. He was poisoned as feared at the age of seventy.

We continue along the coast towards Finisterre, through Cantabrian lands.

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Euskera in Australia

The quest to open new spaces where Euskara can develop has taken the Basque people to the most unique places.

Check this out:

Internet tool

Learning Basque language promoted in Australia

08/14/2006

The Boga system is a computer program designed to learn Basque through the Internet. It has been set up in the Basque Centres of Sydney and Townsville.

The Basque language will be given impetus in Australia as the Boga system has been put into operation at the Basque Centres in Sydney and Townsville. Boga is a computer program designed to learn Basque through the Internet.

The Culture Department of the Basque Government explained Monday in a statement that the head of the Basque Communities' Relations Abroad, Josu Legarreta, and the co-ordinator of the program "Euskara Munduan" (Basque around the world), Kinku Zinkunegi, visited Australia to promote the program.

In their trip, Legarreta and Zinkunegi visited Sydney, Townsville and Melbourne. They didn't install the Boga system in Melbourne since the Basque community was too small there and they didn't have headquarters for their use.

The same sources reminded that the Boga method is already working in different countries in Europe, South America and the United States.

The origins of "Euskara Munduan," set up in 2000, goes back to 16 years ago, when the plan "Argentina Euskaraz" (Argentina in Basque), a program that was taken form Argentina to other countries wanting to promote learning Basque, started.

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And They Marched

Thousands of Basque separatists march in San Sebastian August 13, 2006, during a demonstration that was initially banned by the Spanish High Court as it was called by the outlawed separatist party Batasuna. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez (SPAIN)

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The Sheep Business

This note published at the Durango Herald (and that would be Durango in Colorado, USA) talks about the Basques that migrated to this area of America to earn their bread as sheepherders.

Here you have it:

Sheer sheep

Europeans still tend to flocks in Colo. high country

August 11, 2006
By Gregory Moore | Herald Outdoors Editor

Tending sheep in the high country is a tradition as old as any in the high country.

And for generations, sheepherders came from the Basque country in Europe to watch over the flocks as they grazed in alpine meadows, like those found near the top of Engineer Pass, at 12,800 feet above sea level.

"My father came over in 1947," said Ernie Etchart, one of a group of sheep ranchers gathered near the top of the pass on a chilly first day of August for the annual Sheep Day open house.

"He tended sheep right over in the Wetterhorn area," Etchart added, indicating one of the tallest peaks standing clear of a hundred others, just to the east of the pass. "He even climbed Uncompahgre Peak."

Etchart's father passed on more than the ranching tradition to his son, whose flocks work their way up to treeline and beyond in the summer, then spend winters in the warmer desert country west of Montrose.

And while Etchart, like most of the sheep ranchers, doesn't stay full time with his flocks - today's shepherds come from Mexico and South America - he doesn't miss a chance to get into the high country, bringing supplies and checking on his charges.

"It's one of the reasons I do what I do," he said, pointing out at the scenery. "What more can you ask for?"

Etchart's family was with him on Engineer Pass. His wife, Chris, was serving cups of hot chili and cookies to curious tourists out of a small tent, a welcome shelter when the squalls of freezing rain rolled over the pass.

Hannah, 12, and Nathan, 9, were asking folks to sign a guest register and were showing off a beautiful 8-month-old border collie pup on a leash.

Edna Mason, the lone U.S. Forest Service employee in the agency's Lake City office, has helped organize the event for eight years. And while she was dressed in her official USFS green jacket and was prepared to answer some tough questions from visitors about the impacts of sheep grazing in the alpine environment, it was clear she also was among friends and family.

"Sheep grazing in these areas is sustainable," said Mason, who has worked with the sheep ranchers for a large part of her career. "The sheep are really light on the land."

That contradicts what many people think, Mason knows. And she's quick to add that she used to feel the same way. For the most part, she added, people have a perception that sheep are much tougher on the land than cattle.

"The (grazing) allotments are so large, the sheep only have to go over an area once. And sheep graze uphill, where cattle like to go downhill and sit in the riparian areas. I've spent years in this country. I truly believe the areas that we graze are in better shape than the ones we don't."

But there was a sense of irony in the chilly air of Engineer Pass as well. Because an industry that has battled so long for acceptance from the public may not, due to economic factors, live to enjoy it.

"It's all going to depend on economics, whether we'll see these flocks up here in the coming years," Mason said.

Dominic Inda, a member of another ranching family with roots in the Basque country, was not as diplomatic.

"My dad and my uncle, who are partners, came from Spain in 1963," he said. "I used to say that I would like to do this for the rest of my lifetime, but not anymore. With the prices the way they are - and all the expenses - they don't even out.

"It's a great tradition, and it's been in my family for a long time, but it's dying off."

For those who do not know it, Durango in Colorado gets its name from the town of Durango located in the Basque province of Bizkaia, Euskal Herria. There is also a Durango (both a state and a city) in Mexico. These towns bear witness to the Basques diaspora influence in America.

I strongly recommend that you read the book "The Good Oak" by Mattin Etxart if you wish to learn more about the Basques in the US west.

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St. James : From Gernika to Bilbo II

More traveling information for visitors to Euskal Herria courtesy of EITb:

Route of oaths

Way of St James in the Basque Country: From Gernika to Bilbao (II)

08/12/2006

Our itinerary will eventually coincide, as we have already said, with the Route of Oaths, where the Spanish king swore the Bizkaians that he would maintain and guard their fuero, or charter.

Before reaching the neighbourhood of Goikolexea in the Basque town of Larrabetzu, we will come to a Renaissance cross signalling the way up to Aretxabalagana. The recently restored temple dedicated to the martyrs of Calahorra (called Calagurris by the Romans), Saint Emeterius and Saint Celedonius stands in the Goikolexea neighbourhood.

Although this building originated in the Roman period, the temple standing today is no older than 1500. It still houses the stone table of the parish, around which debates were held and decisions taken on all kinds of subjects concerning the local community. This building houses one of the most important altarpieces in Bizkaia, Spanish-Flemish in style, in gold-plated polychromed wood, representing the Annunciation, the Nativity scene, the martyrdom of Emerterius and Celedonius, etc.

Larrabetzu is another of the twenty Middle Aged towns existing in Bizkaia, and was founded by Prince John in 1376. The urban layout of the town, still visible, was typical of those lying along the Road to Santiago: the houses were lined up one after the other along a street which was really part of the said road. The church of Santa María, still has a lovely, typically 15th century statue of Our Lady.

Civil architecture

From here we enter the valley of the River Asúa, which is now completely rundown due to its dense population and important industrial activity. Lezama, with its Roadside Shrine of Santa Cruz, dating from 1542, had an adjoining hospital and still contains a mural depicting scenes from the pilgrimage to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

Zamudio offers the interesting church of San Martín, a dedication clearly related to the pilgrimage, and Malpica Tower, an excellent example of Gothic civil architecture, which, it is said, although based on flimsy historical proof, was raised in the 9th century by Galindo Ordoñez, grandson of the King of Navarre, Fortún Garcés.

Seven Streets

San Martín was built in the period of transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic periods, with 15th century Basque Gothic additions. Making our way through Sondika, we come to Artxanda pass, which separates us from Bilbao. The traveller will arrive at the Middle Age Bilbao of three and later seven streets, and the church of Nuestra Sra. de Begoña. The road takes us directly to Artagan hill, topped by the Virgin of Begoña.

This parish was the traveller’s last stop before entering Bilbao; in 1300 Diego López de Haro, the founder of Bilbao, mentioned the temple in a document about the foundation of the town. Outstanding from this period is the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary, dating from the Romanesque transition (13th-14th century). Nevertheless, the present temple was built in 1519 and enlarged in 1588; Gothic in style with three naves, it has series of beautiful star-shaped groin vaults.

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Mundaka's Left Wave Is Back!

I spent a few days in Mundaka last week so it makes me real happy to find out that the town's world famous Left Wave is back for this year's edition of the Billabong.

Here you have the article by Global Surf News:

Billabong Pro Mundaka

ASP WCT Mens Event
Mundaka, Euskadi-Spain
3 - 14 October 2006

Billabong Pro Mundaka: The Bank Is Back

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 11 August, 2006 : - - Following the cancellation of the Billabong Pro Mundaka in 2005, Billabong and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) are pleased to announce that the tenth event of the Foster’s ASP Men’s World Tour is officially back from October 3rd to 14th, 2006.

Sand dredging in the years prior to 2005 caused the perfect left breaking sand formation of the Mundaka bank to shift, resulting in waves of a substandard nature for a World Championship Tour (WCT) event to take place.

It was the second cancellation in the events six-year history, after the second half of the WCT was canned in 2001 following the tragic events of September 11 in New York. Although the event has been on the 2006 tour event schedule since January, the ASP and licensing sponsor Billabong have closely monitored the formation of the sand bank, declaring that 2006 will offer quality waves, suitable for the top 45 dream tour.

The world’s best left-hander and the associated shifting silt river mouth bank is back, longer, thicker and better than ever. During the month of April in 2006, one of the best swells in 15 years pounded the Basque coast, turning on epic 8ft (2-3m) waves at the mythical left, surfers scoring some of the best tube rides ever ridden at the break.

The Billabong Pro Mundaka plays a crucial part in deciding world champions, an intense competition where tour leaders jostle for ratings points leading into the final two events of the year in Brazil and Hawaii.

Mark Occhilupo (Aus), Kelly Slater (USA), Andy Irons (Haw), Shane Dorian (Haw) and Luke Egan (Aus) are the only surfers to have enjoyed the ritualistic practise of being thrown into the river from the wharf following event wins at Mundaka, since the events inception in 1999.

ASP president and 1978 world surfing champion Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew said Mundaka is crucial to the ASP World Tour.

"ASP International is delighted to see the return of the Billabong Pro Mundaka following a one year hiatus,” said Bartholomew. “The fears associated with the temporary disintegration of the fabled river mouth sandbar have been allayed, the result being the world’s best surfers once again gracing this world class surfing arena."

Reid Pinder, Brand Manager of Billabong Europe said bringing the tour back to the Basque region of Spain is beneficial not only to the ASP tour but vital for surfing in Europe. "Returning to Mundaka for the Billabong Pro event is great news for all involved,” said Pinder. It was definitely a hard decision to cancel last years event, since then we have not stopped monitoring the situation.”

“It's great to see Mundaka pumping again and that Mother Nature could restore what human hands had wrecked. On behalf of Billabong, I would like to thank the ASP and the WCT surfers for their patience in a wave like Mundaka and expressing so much interest in its progress. We look forward in returning the WCT event back to its natural home in the Basque Country, at Europe's best left.”

“Billabong would especially like to thank Mundaka, the town and the surf club, for their concern, support and commitment in bringing back such a special event to their beautiful home."

The world’s top 45 surfers hold Mundaka in high regard, a favourite stop among many for the unique local culture, epic waves, beautiful scenery and friendly nature of the Basque people.

“When Mundaka was called off I couldn’t believe it,” said three times world champion Andy Irons (Kauai). “Mundaka is such a good wave and the place is so beautiful; I wasn’t really sure of what happened to the wave, with the dredging and the sand bank, and how long it would take to return, so I was really bummed.”

“I was hanging out with Occy at the time and he was the same,” said Irons. “That’s his spot down there, he’s the man, he’s kind of the unofficial Mayor of the place. When he shows up, everybody comes to see him, they know about his first name! He loves it, and he surfs the wave like no one else.”

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Honoring Karanka

This note about Aitor Karanka comes to us thanks to EITb:

Colorado Euskal Etxea

Celebrate Basque Heritage Night in Honor of Aitor Karanka

08/11/2006

The Colorado Rapids have announced that the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, will be the date for the first Rapids Basque Heritage Night in honor of Rapids defender Aitor Karanka.

In honor of defender Aitor Karanka, originally from Vitoria-Gasteiz, fans can immerse themselves in the culture of the Basque region in the Rapids Basque Village before the game from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the Legends Mall. There will be booths with Basque merchandise, information on local Basque clubs, and a photo exhibit of Basque regions. Fans can also enjoy the unique sights of Basque dancers while listening to authentic music from the Basque country. The Buenos Aires Grill will be serving Basque food in the Village to give the night an authentic feel, and there will also be drink specials in the Rapids Beer Garden from 5:30-7:30pm.

At halftime, fans can enjoy an authentic Basque welcome for Karanka, when a short dance in his honor is performed and he is welcomed by the head of the North American Basque Organizations (NABO).

There will be a Basque-specific section close to the field and seats are still available for $10, which includes a red bandana courtesy of the Basque Night Official Sponsors: the Spring International Learning Center, and the Colorado Euskal Etxea. Also, for all Basque section fans, there will be a meet-and-greet with Karanka after the game where fans can ask questions and get autographs from the former Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid star. For more information on the Rapids’ inaugural Basque Heritage Night, group ticket information, or to find out how your organization can participate in the Basque Village, go to www.coloradorapids.com.

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Basque Vinaigrette

Another recipe courtesy of EITb:

Recipe

Garlic paste and Basque "piares" vinaigrette

08/11/2006

Add minced shallot or garlic, minced fresh herbs, lemon zest and juice, cracked black pepper (garlic paste mix plus ingredients).

In a small bowl chop up equal amounts of garlic and parsley (equal amounts experiment with your own proportional mix).

Add minced shallots for taste.

Chop by hand or use a small food processor. No salt needed unless to your taste. Add butter, margarine or olive oil if needed (Different taste for meats do not use for vinaigrette - butter not as healthy).

Put in jar and refrigerate. Spread on meat before cooking. Can also be used as a ready mixed vinaigrette (see below)

Basque "piares" vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is delicious. It can even be served as a base as well.

Add minced shallot or garlic, minced fresh herbs, lemon zest and juice, cracked black pepper (garlic paste mix plus ingredients). Use it with grated carrots or beets, fresh tomatoes, or any other vegetable mixture.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons bland oil such as sunflower
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Whisk the mustard and the red wine together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the 3 tablespoons of oil until the mixture is thickened, then whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning. Makes about 1/3-cup vinaigrette, enough for about 14 cups of greens.

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