Autonomous regions of Spain

Spain is made up of 17 autonomous regions as shown in map above. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain

Two of the more famous of these regions are Andalusia in the south and Catalonia in the north east. There is a strong independence movement in Catalonia and there was a strong one in Basque Country a number of years ago — not much heard about that now, but I think people there identify more with being Basque than with being Spanish.

We started this trip in Pais Vasco (Basque Country), light green one top center of above map. Moving west, we then walked through Cantabria (dark purple). Today we crossed into Asturias (dark green). If we were going to Santiago on this trip (which we are not) we would go through Galicia. It’s fun to see the regional differences.

Of course, the big difference between Basque Country and most of the rest of Spain (except Navarra which is also a Basque region) is that the local people all speak Basque. They have kept the Basque language alive and well. All signs are in Basque and sometimes in Spanish. Luckily for us, the Basque people are also fluent in Spanish. A 100% bilingual country. The Basque and Spanish languages are completely different except for a few borrowed words. The Basques are lovely people. Good looking. Strong and proud. And kind and helpful. Basque houses are easy to recognize.

The Basques are famous for their pinxos (aka pinchos). They are similar to Spanish tapas but more finger-foody. (Tapas are often eaten on a plate with a fork.)

The biggest, most famous cities in Basque Country are San Sebastian and Bilbao.

Cantabria is vibrant and beautiful and with wonderful people but it is harder to say exactly what stands out here. It was nice to have overheard-conversations and signs be in Spanish. The biggest city in Cantabria is Santander.

The Spanish call the Atlantic Ocean north of Spain the “Cantabrian Sea”. It is part of the Bay of Biscay. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of independence movement here and it’s not unusual to see Spanish flags here and there. I think the people here don’t mind too much being a part of Spain.

And today we crossed over into Asturias. Asturias is famous for its cider and now the bars are often called “Sidrerias”.

Asturias is also famous for its fabada, a fava bean and sausage stew. We actually had a good one yesterday before we crossed over into Asturias. We are looking forward to eating many more over the next two weeks.

The biggest city in Asturias is Gijón. We won’t make it there this trip.