With a Basque friend we began a coastal themed store called Cetaria focusing on local produce, gourmet food and wine. Getaria is known for its fresh fish and seafood conserves along with Txakoli wine, a crisp slightly effervescent white wine poured from a height.
Over the previous week, under drizzle and burst of sunshine, I’ve been exploring the Basque Country: Zumaia, Getaria, Donostia-San Sebastian & beyond (scroll down to see the photos).
Photography by Jonathan McCallum & Jason Coon
Zumaia Sea Caves, Photo by Jason Coon
Yesterday I landed in Madrid Airport. The scorching heat of Spain’s interior only relented after five hot hours in the car, finally crossing the threshold into the vivid green Basque Country then as if in a dream drifting around an ocean road bend to see the beauty of our Gipuzkoan coastal fishing town. The south wind off the Cantabrian and the scent of the Txakoli grapes blended beautifully, welcoming me, it seemed, back home. Unlike the sizzling blue skies of the Iberian plains, today is cloudy in Euskadi, and it is so good to feel the lush grass damp from the morning dew, to breathe the briny air, and to hear the sound the the trikitixa and the music of people in the plaza. Holding my camera in one hand and my daughter’s hand in the other, we look towards the sea and set out walking along the northern route of St James’s Way. To share a glimpse, here are four photos from today and some favourites from when I first landed here, moving into and embracing this culture that has been so good for and to my family and me.
