- 6 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01Come with me on a voyage through Spain.
00:08Buenos dias, mi capitán.
00:10As I reveal the secrets.
00:12What an amazing building.
00:14That is magnificent.
00:15Of places you think you know.
00:17Look at the size of this.
00:19I like it!
00:21And the little-known regions.
00:23That is spectacular.
00:25Just waiting to be discovered.
00:27This is very nostalgic for me.
00:29Smell the money.
00:30Ooh!
00:31Sadly, we're on the Riviera.
00:33But I'm inside the barrel.
00:35Together, we'll go beyond the hotspots.
00:37Absolutely spectacular.
00:39It's so remote.
00:40Arriba! Fuerte!
00:42To the places where the magic is made.
00:44You have to love heat and smoke and flake.
00:47Yay!
00:50I can't wait to show you.
00:52Today, I'll show you secrets in Spain's Basque country.
01:02We'll enjoy the best food.
01:04Absolutely mouth-watering.
01:06And drink.
01:07Oh, it's been marvellous. Thank you.
01:09Discover rugged traditions.
01:11You have to love heat and smoke and flames.
01:15And extreme sports.
01:18Yes!
01:20In a region to which I am so emotionally attached.
01:24None of us would have been born if it weren't for that ship that set sail from near.
01:29My journey revealing the surprises of Spain continues in its stunning northeastern corner.
01:46A region renowned for its distinctive culture, a unique language, stunning coastline, and two of Spain's most exciting cities.
02:02I'll show you the royal resort of San Sebastian, with its beautiful beaches, elegant architecture, and astonishing cuisine.
02:11Wow! What a beautiful market.
02:16But our journey begins in the region's biggest city, Bilbao, where billions of euros were spent to raise this city like a phoenix from the wasteland of its decayed port and industries.
02:31Bilbao, at the end of the 20th century, was in bad shape.
02:36The port area and industrial zones were derelict. Unemployment was high.
02:41And the Basque government commissioned a Guggenheim museum, specifically to change the image of Bilbao to a city of culture.
02:51And the extraordinary result in titanium and stone by the architect Frank Gehry has been a phenomenal success, attracting 1.3 million visitors a year, of whom the majority are from abroad.
03:04And so many other places have tried by the same means to repeat the economic miracle, but none with the success of what is now known as the Bilbao effect.
03:15The Guggenheim must be seen both for its arresting exterior and the art within.
03:22But what of secret, Bilbao?
03:27We start in the heart of the old town, with the Basque tradition of chiquiteo, or bar-hopping, where we'll pair local wines with bar-snacks called pinchos.
03:38My guides, Irene and Olaya, have promised the best.
03:45How lovely to see you both.
03:48So this is the Plaza Nueva, the new square.
03:51This is where some of the best bars for pinchos are located in the whole Bilbao.
03:57Now, what is a pinchos?
03:58Well, a pinchos is these little dishes that are very typical from the Basque country.
04:03It's a finger food, more like a snack.
04:06Well, it sounds like a tapa.
04:07No, we don't call it tapa here.
04:10And also, originally, a tapa was more like a sharing plate, where you will, like, eat something, you will eat with a fork.
04:17And a pinchos is more individual, like a piece of bread, something of Basque food on it and a stick.
04:24Time for some chiquiteo.
04:27I like this neighbourhood very much.
04:28Yeah, full of bars.
04:30The old town, my favourite.
04:31This is where I grew up.
04:33Really?
04:34Yeah, the old town.
04:35You're so lucky.
04:36The first bar, chosen by Irene and Olaya, makes pinchos the traditional way.
04:43Oh!
04:44Gracias!
04:45A few simple ingredients on a cocktail stick.
04:49And they come with their own etiquette.
04:51How do we eat these?
04:52All in once.
04:53Yes?
04:54Otherwise, it doesn't work.
04:55OK.
04:56The perfect mix of flavour in your mouth.
04:58Wow.
04:59There's no dainty way of doing this.
05:03It's the sort of food you can enjoy only with your closest friends.
05:07Mmm.
05:08Mmm.
05:09Mmm.
05:10Mmm.
05:11It's spicy.
05:12There's orange.
05:13There's anchovy.
05:15It's hot.
05:16What's that?
05:17Peppers?
05:18The pepper.
05:19Yes.
05:20That's wonderful.
05:21Mwah.
05:22Bilbao now feels like a lovely city.
05:25Yeah, it is.
05:26When I knew Bilbao, it was industrial, and it wasn't in any way fashionable or chic.
05:32No.
05:33So, how much change have you seen?
05:34A lot.
05:35A lot.
05:36After the Guggenheim, they started putting a lot of attention into art and architecture,
05:39and that was like the rebrand of Bilbao.
05:42Presumably, you love your life in Bilbao, do you?
05:45Yes.
05:46For sure.
05:47I was travelling around the world for a few years, but my Basque blood was bringing me
05:53back here.
05:54Wonderful.
05:55Topa!
05:56Where shall we go next?
05:58Much like Bilbao, Basque pinchos culture has evolved and become more refined.
06:05Hola.
06:06These look absolutely mouth-watering.
06:09Bars now compete to create the prettiest and tastiest pinchos.
06:15Here, for example, the pincho has evolved from simple ingredients on a toothpick to great
06:21sophistication.
06:22Oh.
06:23Here are the tapas.
06:24Tapas?
06:25Oh.
06:26The pinchos.
06:27Here are the pinchos.
06:28Caracasco.
06:29Gracias.
06:30Caracasco.
06:31This pincho is quite complicated.
06:33They're very elaborated.
06:34This is award-winning pincho.
06:36Wow.
06:37You have to break the quail egg.
06:39You have to break it and mix it with the soup.
06:41Oh, here's my egg.
06:42Mmm.
06:43Mmm.
06:44Mmm.
06:45Mmm.
06:46I'm not surprised that won an award.
06:48Mmm-hmm.
06:49That's delicious.
06:50What a wonderful pincho.
06:53Topa.
06:54Topa.
06:55Topa.
06:56Let's go.
06:57Vámonos.
06:58Adios.
06:59Hasta luego.
07:00We're next.
07:01Our final bar hop is Irene and Alaya's favourite.
07:04So, over here, one of the oldest bars in Bilbao.
07:08Excellent.
07:09Very close by.
07:10Hola.
07:11Hola.
07:12So many lovely-looking pinchos.
07:14Yes.
07:15Topa.
07:16Topa.
07:17Pincho takes its name from the little wooden skewer that traditionally held the ingredients
07:24together.
07:25Here, that's how most of these little delicacies are still served.
07:30This is where my grandparents, they used to bring me when I was a kid, not to drink wine,
07:37but to drink grape juice, which we call it mosto.
07:40But they give it to you in a wine glass, so you feel more important.
07:43Has it changed much?
07:44No.
07:45No.
07:46The bars are still the same.
07:47Yeah.
07:48What about the pinchos?
07:49Have the pinchos changed?
07:50The pinchos changed, yeah.
07:51They're pretty, aren't they?
07:52They're colourful.
07:53Yeah, very beautiful.
07:54I fancy that one.
07:55Yeah, that one is good.
07:56Good choice.
07:57Good choice.
07:58Mm-mm.
08:01Mm-mm.
08:02It's very good.
08:05What is it?
08:06So it's pork belly ribs, cooked low temperature for a long time, and it has pickled onion on
08:12top and a glass of barbecue sauce.
08:15Extraordinary.
08:16Very nice.
08:17The pork is fabulous.
08:19And then barbecue sauce, very, very tangy.
08:21Yeah, very tender.
08:23Mm-mm.
08:24So you start to understand the difference between the pincho and the tapa?
08:29Well, I think I understand this.
08:31When I'm in the Basque Country, I must only say pincho.
08:34Exactly.
08:35And when I'm in the rest of Spain, I can say tapa.
08:37That's perfect.
08:42Next, I get up close with Basque Country Sports.
08:45You have to learn the cuts.
08:46You have to practice like mad.
08:49And reveal a dark period in its history.
08:52This is a terrible British atrocity.
08:54Is there anti-British feeling in San Sebastian because of this?
08:59The British
09:08My search for the unexpected in Spain has brought me to the Basque region and two of the country's
09:14most exciting cities.
09:16I'm starting out now towards San Sebastian.
09:20But as I leave Bilbao, I want to show you a little known structure, not far from the Guggenheim, that was, like the museum, once an emblem of the city's modernity, when it was famed for its industries.
09:33This is the Nerlion River, which is really the heart of the matter, because this is where the port was that made Bilbao so great.
09:43Iron, steel and shipbuilding defined the city.
09:50Wow.
09:51That is amazing.
09:52Setting it at the heart of the Spanish economy until the second half of the 20th century.
09:58The awe-inspiring Puente de Vizcaya, across the Nerlion River, was the world's first transporter bridge when it opened in 1893.
10:08Four towers, 61 metres high, 160 metres span, from which dangles a vehicle, which is rather truly called a gondola, actually crammed with pedestrians and vehicles.
10:20The bridge was damaged during the Spanish Civil War, but has been restored, and is now recognised as a piece of industrial heritage of global significance.
10:31I'll return to Bilbao at the end of this journey, by way of a pilgrimage to a spot of huge significance to my family and me.
10:39For now, we head along the coast towards San Sebastian, a trip that I last made when I visited in the 1980s, in the years after the end of Spain's dictatorship.
10:51In the 20th century, during the years under General Franco, the Basque language was very much banned and suppressed.
10:58And then, when the dictatorship came to an end, there was a sort of counter-revolution, and Basque names were used everywhere.
11:07I once arrived at Bilbao Airport and hired a car.
11:11I was headed for San Sebastian, but no-one had told me that its name in Basque was Donostia.
11:19And so I drove around for hours looking for San Sebastian, unaware that all the signs to Donostia would have got me there in a trice.
11:28Just outside San Sebastian, I've been alerted to a very special event in a pretty town called Tharawitz.
11:40A week of celebrations is ending with parades of giant figures called big heads, who represent traditional Basque occupations, such as farming and whaling.
11:51The highlight of the games displays incredible feats of strength and stamina, known as Basque rural sports, activities like stone lifting and log chopping, based on the traditional skills required in Basque rural life.
12:08Shabbat, hola!
12:1128-year-old competitor Shabbat will strengthen my knowledge.
12:15There are, like, 14 different sports.
12:18Really?
12:19They are very unusual.
12:21We have to lift a 100 kilos stone 20 times.
12:2520 times?
12:2620 times, yeah, to the shoulder.
12:28Then we have to do chopping, yeah?
12:30It's very traditional, and it's hard, but I like it, yeah.
12:35Why do you do this sport?
12:38It's very spiritual sport.
12:40My family is a farmer.
12:42When I was children, I saw this sport, and I like to practise too.
12:48I started when I was 12 years old, yeah.
12:53Are you fearful that this tradition could die out?
12:56Ten years ago, we have problems because there are not young people to practise this.
13:03Post-pandemic, a lot of girls started practising this sport, and today we have a lot of young people practising that.
13:12That's fantastic.
13:14These rural games are now recognised by the Basque government as official sports.
13:19Amateur competitions like this one are regularly held throughout the region.
13:24They're well attended, and both competitors and spectators reveal the regional culture.
13:30The athletes, both men and women of various ages, have come forward.
13:36They've wrapped themselves very tightly.
13:38They've bound their guts so they don't have a hernia during the efforts they're going to make.
13:43Some of the guys are sort of standard tough guys.
13:46Some of the young women, you'd be surprised to know what they can lift and what they can chop.
13:51First, it's the stone lifting.
13:56Each competitor is chasing a personal best, lifting a stone of the appropriate weight, shape and size.
14:04Took one minute and 51 seconds, and in that time she lifted 1,000 kilos.
14:10The cube stone weighs 63 kilos.
14:13It doesn't roll up the body in the way that the cylinder does.
14:16Much more effort to get it up on the shoulder.
14:18Yeah!
14:22Now for the men, and Shabbat is first up.
14:29Shabbat begins by lifting a spherical ball, weighing 100 kilos ten times.
14:34Ten lifts.
14:40Next is Shabbat's cousin, Mikel, competing in the top category.
14:45This is a brute of a stone, 135 kilos and irregular in shape.
14:52Oh, this looks very difficult.
14:55Mikel's going to have one more go, but he's not going to win this.
14:58He has tied.
15:02He's had enough.
15:03No more.
15:06Wood cutting is one of the most skilled and dangerous events.
15:10In the Basque countryside, logs must be hewn for fence posts, firewood and charcoal.
15:15Each competitor stands on the log, and using a variety of axes, cleaves it in twain.
15:21The fastest wins.
15:22When we start the cutting, we use a bigger blade to be able to move more steel,
15:29or to be able to cut more steel in the punches,
15:32looking a little bit more of power and less speed.
15:36That one is very heavy.
15:37But it weighs a lot, and then it hurts a lot.
15:39Yeah.
15:40So, as they get towards the middle of the block, they're going to use smaller axes.
15:45They're going to go faster.
15:47Each blow is less effective, but they'll be able to speed up.
15:50It makes for a thrilling spectacle.
15:53I can hardly look as he hacks dementedly within a hair's breadth of his toes.
16:00You have to be very physically fit.
16:02You have to learn the cuts.
16:03You have to learn the technique.
16:05You have to practice like mad.
16:11Yes!
16:13Good boy.
16:14Good boy.
16:15Time now to continue our journey.
16:24A short drive along the coast is one of my favourite places,
16:28the picture postcard city of San Sebastian,
16:32which at one time was the seaside resort of the Spanish royal family.
16:36I have been to San Sebastian.
16:40I've holidayed there.
16:42It's really elegant.
16:43It's so well looked after the whole city.
16:45It's the place of the aristocrats and royalty.
16:49I stayed in the best hotel, the Maria Cristina,
16:52and I sampled the high life.
16:55You can see the appeal.
17:02I'm here at the height of summer,
17:04when people from most of Spain want to flee the heat.
17:08The ocean breeze from the Bay of Biscay
17:11keeps temperatures in San Sebastian in the comfortable mid-twenties.
17:16I find very often that seaside resorts are past their best.
17:22If you're trying to imagine them in their heyday,
17:24you have to overlook the faded paint and the boarded-up windows.
17:28But that doesn't happen in San Sebastian.
17:31Everything here is pristine, ship-shaped.
17:35You don't have to imagine the golden age, you can actually live it.
17:39To learn how San Sebastian became one of Spain's most elegant resorts,
17:46I'm meeting local historian Osane.
17:49The setting of San Sebastian is astonishing, isn't it?
17:53I mean, this bay, this beautiful green hill at the end,
17:56just perfection.
17:58It is the pearl of the Cantabric, or the Paris of the south.
18:02It's a postcard, indeed.
18:03And this is what started everything.
18:06Mm-hm.
18:07It was very common at the time.
18:09We're discussing the 1840s all the way until the 1890s.
18:12Mm-hm.
18:13People would travel for health purposes.
18:15The most popular thing after Brighton and Nice
18:19was taking cold sea bathes into the ocean.
18:23How did tourists and visitors reach San Sebastian?
18:26It was a very long travel,
18:29about five days in carriage with horses.
18:33So if you decided to come all the way here from Madrid,
18:36let's say, you needed to make sure you were going to be staying
18:39for a long time to make it worth the trip.
18:42As the city developed, investment flooded in,
18:47and elegant new buildings were built in the Parisian style,
18:51with grand promenades and gardens.
18:54One of the things they liked to do most was gambling,
18:58the roulette mostly in poker.
19:00So we built the casino that you have right behind you.
19:04If you can see those two wonderful towers,
19:06it was known as Saint Mary of the Roulette.
19:08And you've got a royal palace as well.
19:10On the other side of the bay, it looks like an English manor.
19:14That was the vacation resort for Maria Cristina, the Queen Regent.
19:18She vacationed here for 42 full years.
19:21Fantastic.
19:23There's one more place where Sunny wants to show me,
19:27set back from the seafront, deep in the heart of the Old Town.
19:33Visitors flock to the 31st of August Street
19:36to enjoy its many bars and restaurants.
19:39What's in a street name?
19:42It recalls the most destructive day in the city's history,
19:47followed by its rebuilding as the Paris of the South.
19:52What happened on the 31st of August?
19:55It was a day when the city changed forever.
19:58We're talking the 31st of August of 1813.
20:01It was right at the end of the Peninsular Wars here
20:04when the Duke of Wellington arrived
20:06and with the Anglo-Portuguese army and the Spanish allies.
20:10And they took the city
20:12and, unfortunately, they burned it to the ground.
20:16Napoleon Bonaparte's forces had invaded Spain and Portugal
20:20and Britain fought the Peninsular War to expel them.
20:24San Sebastian was one of the last cities to be held by French troops.
20:29British forces, led by the future Duke of Wellington,
20:32with the help of Spanish and Portuguese fighters,
20:35laid siege to the city.
20:37When they at last regained it,
20:39they rampaged through its streets,
20:41killing indiscriminately
20:43and raised San Sebastian to the ground.
20:46That was the 31st of August, 1813.
20:49This is really a terrible British atrocity.
20:53Did anything survive from the old city?
20:56A handful of buildings, really.
20:58Part of the city that survived that night
21:00was the street that we're walking on.
21:03And the left side of this street is the one that remains almost untouched.
21:11Out of the 600 buildings, approximately 30 survived.
21:15It's just a handful.
21:16Very, very moving indeed.
21:17Is there anti-British feeling in San Sebastian because of this?
21:21Not at all.
21:22That was a long time ago.
21:23And it was also a reason to start from scratch
21:26and this revival and reinvention of the city that came after.
21:30Sometimes out of disaster comes something quite good.
21:33That's a silver lining we like to think of.
21:39Next, I joined a secret supper club.
21:42And go hammer and tongs.
21:49This is spectacular.
21:59I'm revealing secrets in San Sebastian,
22:02once the summer retreat of the Spanish royal family
22:06in the region known as the Basque Country.
22:09Of all Spain's cities,
22:11this one is now most associated with world-class cuisine.
22:16San Sebastian has more Michelin-starred restaurants
22:19for a place of its size than almost anywhere on the planet.
22:24But I want to show you the less obvious side to its food culture.
22:29I brought you to its oldest food market, founded in 1870,
22:33where many professional chefs and discerning cooks buy their produce.
22:38The Iberian Peninsula is almost entirely surrounded by sea.
22:43And even Spaniards who live in the centre are passionate about fish.
22:49The Basque Country has an important part of that coast,
22:53with fishing villages and many people who make their living from the sea.
22:57And then on top of that, unlike much of Spain,
23:00here there are pastures and there are orchards.
23:04And this is the basis of the gastronomy of the region.
23:11Oh, Manuel.
23:12Buenos dias. Hello.
23:13Hello.
23:14Manuel is heavily involved in the city's gastronomy.
23:18He's the president of an historic group of culinary societies,
23:23some over 150 years old.
23:26So, I find you buying cod today.
23:28Yes.
23:29As you can see in this shop, they only have codfish, salted or unsalted.
23:35This demonstrates to me what a centre of gastronomy San Sebastian is,
23:40that you have a store that only sells cod.
23:43The Basque love of cod, salted or not, dates to the 16th century,
23:50when Basque fishing fleets sailed to Canada to hunt whales.
23:54They caught cod, which they dried and salted for the long return journey.
23:59At today's lunch at Manuel's Gastronomic Society, cod is on the menu.
24:04I was buying cod to prepare a very nice codfish omelette.
24:10Omelette?
24:11Omelette, yes.
24:12We are preparing an omelette for six, seven people.
24:14So, I think with 600 grams, it's okay.
24:17600 gramos, sin sal, muy bien. Gracias.
24:23Very good.
24:28Gracias, encantado. Bueno.
24:30Okay, let's enjoy.
24:33Lunch is at the society's clubhouse,
24:36hidden within the back streets in the heart of the old town.
24:40Manuel, this is a beautiful building, and this is your gastronomic society.
24:44Yes.
24:45And it's Gasteluvide, founded in 1934.
24:48So, how many of these do you have in San Sebastian?
24:51Well, we've got 127 clubs.
24:53You can see that in 100 metres around, you've got ten gastronomic clubs.
24:58These very discreet societies originated in the 19th and early 20th centuries as private, male-only clubs, where members would socialise, cook, eat and drink.
25:11With women now admitted, the clubs continue to play a big part in the life of the city.
25:17You've got something very important when you become a member of a gastronomic club.
25:24You've got the key.
25:25Right.
25:26So, you've got full access, 24 hours per day.
25:29So, they trust that you are a good fellow.
25:32How long have you been a member here?
25:34In this club, six years.
25:37In another one that I'm also a member, 34 years.
25:40Wow.
25:41So, to be a member of a gastronomic club is something we appreciate a lot in our country.
25:47Am I allowed in as your guest?
25:49Yes, please.
25:50Come with me.
25:51I feel very excited and very privileged.
25:52Thank you very much.
25:54I feel very honored.
25:55Come in.
25:56After you.
25:57Normally, you can experience this sort of lunch by invitation only.
26:02But on St. Sebastian's Day in January, many clubs open their doors to non-members and visitors.
26:09Salud.
26:10Salud, Salud, Salud.
26:12Before we cook, a toast in cider, not wine.
26:16Mmm.
26:17Que momento.
26:18Que buena.
26:19The first sip of the morning is magic.
26:21In the kitchen, another member, Aizul, is in charge of cooking lunch.
26:26How do we begin?
26:27Okay, this is onion, a little chili and olive oil.
26:31I cook about three hours.
26:33So much preparation.
26:34Yeah.
26:35Three hours.
26:36Three hours.
26:37It's very sweet now.
26:38Okay, well, let's go.
26:39Okay.
26:41You know, in Britain, in London, we have a lot of clubs.
26:45Yeah.
26:46But the missing thing is the cooking.
26:48We don't do the cooking.
26:49Yeah.
26:50In a pre-bike club in London.
26:51Did you?
26:52Yeah.
26:53In Camden Town.
26:54What fun.
26:55Yeah.
26:56It's great fun.
26:57This dish, known as Tortilla de Bacalao, was once a staple of farmers, served in rural
27:04cider houses.
27:05Like much traditional Basque cookery, it consists of a few simple ingredients done well.
27:11Yeah.
27:12Why do you think the Basque astronomy is so special?
27:17I think it's the product.
27:19We have many, many fishes.
27:21We have a mountain.
27:23Here, in the north side of Spain, the temperature is special.
27:29What do you think of these eggs?
27:30Are they all right?
27:31More.
27:32More.
27:33More.
27:34Yeah?
27:35Okay, let's go.
27:36Okay, we have onion, we have cod, we have eggs, we have salt, and I think it's ready.
27:42It's great.
27:43Okay.
27:48Very important that it shouldn't stick.
27:50Yeah.
27:51Keep it moving.
27:52A Spanish classic is a Spanish omelette, which is basically potato, onion, egg.
27:56Yeah.
27:57I've never had a cod omelette before.
27:59No.
28:02Oh, excellent.
28:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:05Please make it.
28:06Please, please.
28:12Sharing simple food with newfound friends is hard to beat, no matter where you are.
28:19But if you fancy sophisticated restaurant food, San Sebastian offers you glorious possibilities.
28:26This is superb.
28:27I could never have guessed that an omelette begins with three hours of cooking the onion.
28:31Yeah.
28:32That's why it is so good.
28:34And I see there are photographs here of your choir.
28:37Yeah.
28:38In this table, we are two members of the choir, like Jose, who is the youngest member of the
28:44choir.
28:45Do you sometimes begin a meal with a song?
28:47Si, si, si.
28:48Por supuesto.
28:49Antes de cantar, o sea, antes de comer, cantamos una canción que es muy famosa.
28:53Se llama Hambre Hambre.
28:55Y es como para poder empezar a comer todos, no?
28:59Jose, please give us your rendition of Hambre Hambre.
29:03Hambre Hambre.
29:04Y es tenemos Hambre Hambre.
29:06Hambre Hambre.
29:07Hambre Hambre Hambre.
29:08Hambre Hambre.
29:09Hambre Hambre.
29:10Hambre Hambre.
29:11Hambre Hambre.
29:12Hambre Hambre.
29:13Hambre Hambre.
29:14Hambre Hambre.
29:15Si, si, si.
29:17The lyrics are really profoundly saying.
29:20Thank you so much for your welcoming here today.
29:22My pleasure.
29:23Oh, it's been marvellous.
29:25The vast connection to history and tradition is everywhere on display.
29:36San Sebastian's beautiful bay is called La Concha, which means the shell.
29:41It has a beautifully regular crescent shape.
29:44We cross to its far side where I can take you to a sheltered village hidden in a deep ravine.
29:53These houses with their pretty painted balconies have a sort of alpine feeling to them.
30:00Buenos dias, mi capitán.
30:02Buenos dias.
30:03Iñaki, encantado.
30:06A beautiful little gorge with a village clustering on its slopes.
30:13You can reach the port of Pasaya via a short boat ride across the harbour.
30:19Not many visitors to San Sebastian experience it, but then they are missing out.
30:29Like...
30:31Look at that.
30:36It's absolutely beautiful.
30:39This remarkable replica ship, the San Juan, has been under construction for more than 11 years
30:46and is open to visitors.
30:48It's part of a project to preserve Basque maritime heritage.
30:53Here, artisans use only the techniques and materials that built the original ship almost 500 years ago,
31:01during the golden age of the Basque fishing fleets.
31:04Miquel specialises in maritime heritage.
31:08Encantado, Miquel.
31:09Very pleased to meet you.
31:11This ship is absolutely amazing.
31:14I love it.
31:15What is it?
31:16Well, this is the San Juan.
31:17It's an exact replica of a 16th-century ship archaeologists found it in Labrador, Canada,
31:23in very good condition, considering that it has been nearly five centuries underwater.
31:29What was the original San Juan doing in Labrador?
31:32Well, lots of Basques used to go from the Basque coast to Canada for cod fishing and whale hunting.
31:39And the San Juan was one of those.
31:41The Basque whaling fleet was one of the largest in the world.
31:48Its ships returned to Europe laden with quail oil, the fuel that lit the lamps in Bristol, London and Flanders.
31:57On one such trip in 1565, the San Juan sank off Newfoundland.
32:04Will the San Juan ever be in the water?
32:07Of course.
32:08That's the idea.
32:09And not only be in the water, but also it would sail.
32:12To where?
32:13To Canada.
32:14We are planning to go to the same place where the original San Juan has been found.
32:23Look forward for me to the day when this ship sails.
32:26What will that be like for you?
32:28I don't know.
32:29I might start crying.
32:31I think you might.
32:32It would be really impressive for many people and for me as well.
32:36An astonishing achievement.
32:38Since this awe-inspiring project began in 2014, hundreds of people of every age have brought
32:45an impressive variety of skills from all over Spain to work on the San Juan.
32:50Hello, David.
32:51I'm Michael.
32:52Nice to meet you, Michael.
32:53And you are the blacksmith.
32:5534-year-old David came from Galicia to work on the San Juan three and a half years ago.
33:02Show me what you're doing, please.
33:04What have you got in there?
33:05Now we are heating this piece to make the form something like that, but bigger.
33:10Sure.
33:11Yes, yes.
33:12And the idea here is like when you put an iron in a wheel over the wood.
33:16And then it contracts.
33:17You put water and it contracts.
33:19And it grips this piece of wood and then this will be used to put a rope through there.
33:27That is an awesome sight.
33:29What temperature do you work at?
33:31800, 1,200 more or less.
33:34So between 800 and 1,200 degrees.
33:37The steel glowing red.
33:39Oh, and the heat coming off at the moment.
33:41Yeah.
33:42Whoa!
33:43Being a blacksmith is not a trade for wimps.
33:47Give it a good pounding.
33:52The wood goes in.
33:54Oh, my gosh.
33:55The wood actually bursts into flames.
33:57Ha, ha!
33:58What else take?
33:59I think if you're going to be a blacksmith, it helps to be a little bit of a pyromaniac.
34:04You have to love heat and fire and smoke and flame.
34:09Whoo!
34:13This is spectacular.
34:15Has it come out well?
34:16You can get it.
34:17It's a little bit hotter, but you can...
34:18OK.
34:19So I can take that.
34:20Yeah.
34:21Oh!
34:22Of course it's quite heavy.
34:23Yeah.
34:24And it's a little bit hot, but I have it.
34:26Well, no.
34:27Good work.
34:29How many of these do you have to make?
34:31A lot of them.
34:32Thanks.
34:33Is it especially satisfying to be part of this historic project?
34:37For me, it's so important, this project.
34:39I love working by hand, welding in the fire.
34:43Every day, you learn new techniques.
34:45And here, we have the opportunity to make this type of work.
34:51Next, I take an emotional trip back in time.
34:55Here at the port of Santurce, frantic mothers and fathers said goodbye to their kids.
35:02And turn dedicated follower of Basque fashion.
35:05Here, we like it rounded back and flat in the front.
35:18Our journey through the secrets of Spain's Basque country continues where it began.
35:24I'm heading back to its biggest city, Bilbao, to share a very personal story with you.
35:32It begins in the city's docks, which today are the busiest in northern Spain, welcoming cruise liners and cargo ships.
35:41Almost a century ago, they witnessed a traumatic event, without which I wouldn't exist.
35:48In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Guernica, which had an ancient oak tree, which symbolized Basque aspirations to be independent and to have a parliament, was bombed, with terrible loss of civilian life.
36:04And such was the international outrage that the British government was persuaded to take some children as refugees, provided that they were unaccompanied by their parents.
36:17Here at the port of Santurce, which I'm visiting for the first time in my life, frantic mothers and fathers said goodbye to their kids, not knowing whether they would ever see them again, but believing that they had a better chance of survival in Britain.
36:34Four thousand bewildered children crowded onto a ship called Havana, which sailed across stormy seas in the Bay of Biscay to dock at Southampton.
36:49The Basque refugee children were dispersed around Britain, and a group of them settled near Oxford, where my mother Cora was an undergraduate studying Spanish.
36:59She befriended the children.
37:02And then, two years after that, my father Luis also became a refugee from the Spanish Civil War, and he arrived in Oxford and he went to visit the children, and there he met Cora.
37:13And love was in the air.
37:16My mother proposed, which was pretty bold for the time, and for a girl of bounty, and they went on to have five sons, of whom I am the youngest.
37:26And none of us would have been born if it weren't for that ship Havana that set sail from here.
37:40The repercussions of the Spanish Civil War still reverberate through Spain today.
37:45During the dictatorship of General Franco, the identity of the Basque country, along with other regions, was stifled and repressed.
37:53A terrorist campaign raged for decades.
37:56In the tranquility of recent years, Basque culture has re-emerged assertively, evidenced in its language, customs, and costumes.
38:05Hidden in the heart of Bilbao's Old Town is a shop, little frequented by the visitor.
38:11It sustains an important tradition.
38:13One item of Basque clothing is iconic and politically significant.
38:19I love to see a shop that is wedded to tradition.
38:24Yes.
38:25Well, this shop has been open since 1857.
38:28I am the eighth generation, the fifth of my family, so it's been a while.
38:34Ander's shop sells many styles and types of hat.
38:37I'm targeting just one.
38:40The Basque beret.
38:42Basque, way of calling it, is a chapella.
38:44And you've got different colours.
38:45That surprises me.
38:46I thought they were always black.
38:47Yes.
38:48That's the one that is mostly used.
38:50Mm-hm.
38:51I think it's part of the uniform for the people working in the mountains with animals, you know.
38:55It's made in wool, so it keeps you warm and dry when it's raining.
38:59It's linked to nationality, because when the civil war happened, after we had the detector, Franco,
39:05he forbid most of the things that were not supposed to be Spanish, so not only the language,
39:11but also, you know, if you dressed a certain way, if you acted upon some things, you know, you would be punished.
39:18The beret was taken up by Basque fighters battling against Franco during the Civil War.
39:24Even after his victory, the Basques continued to wear them discreetly.
39:30People went down in size.
39:32So, if you were not looking for trouble, you wore a smaller beret in those days?
39:36Yes.
39:37And when Franco died, when the, you know, we went to democracy, people went overboard, you know, that they went bigger.
39:44And here you have the different sizes and colours that are associated with different communities in the Basque country.
39:50So, how does one wear it?
39:51So, you would grab it from the back, forehead goes on the opposite place, and you push your head inside, and I have to shape it.
39:58Here, we like it rounded back and flat in the front.
40:01Almost like a peaked cap.
40:03Yes, really similar.
40:04Could I try that, please?
40:05Of course.
40:06I've grabbed it by the back.
40:07I've got my forehead the opposite side, and then rounded to the back.
40:12Yes.
40:13There you go.
40:14Is that Ilvao style?
40:15Yes.
40:16Could you show me other styles?
40:17Yes.
40:18So, instead of going round in the back and flat in the front, here we're going to go round in one side and flat in the other.
40:24More of a French Basque style.
40:26And then, if you go to France, you know, the Parisian style, I guess.
40:30Oh, yes.
40:31Now, you are going to paint something.
40:35Well.
40:36But actually, I think I should go back to Bilbao style.
40:40Yes.
40:41Very good.
40:42You don't mind selling to foreigners?
40:44Not at all.
40:45We feel like it's a celebration of our culture, you know?
40:47I'm very happy to celebrate, indeed.
40:49I shall certainly take it and wear it with great pride.
40:52Many thanks.
40:53Thank you very much.
40:54Our time in this proud and unique region of Spain is almost up.
41:01And I hope I've shown you what makes it such a special area to explore.
41:06Off the tourist trail, burrowing deep into the heart of two of Spain's most exciting and vibrant cities.
41:15I have discovered that the Basques are tough and proud and distinct.
41:22As a people, their history is longer than that of Christian Spain.
41:27In the 20th century, there was conflict with the authorities in Madrid who wanted a homogeneous Spain.
41:34And after years of suppression and of separatist violence, the region is now at peace and joyously celebrates its language and its heritage.
41:46It welcomes visitors who enjoy culture and history and great food and cider and wine and beaches and mountains.
41:56I have enjoyed taking you off the beaten track within its beautiful cities and to see spectacular Basque customs.
42:03Now, not everyone gets to experience those, so please keep them under your hat.
42:11Next time, I'm getting into my stride.
42:15I'll show you Valencia.
42:16This part was a river.
42:18And they moved it.
42:20This is the size of a salmon.
42:23I find this frightening.
42:25This has been absolutely idyllic.
42:27I'll never forget this, I don't think.
42:29OK, everyone, lunch is ready.
42:31This is so full of flavour.
42:33Oh, you're strong.
42:34Off we go.
42:35And you can join Michael again at the same time next Thursday.
42:42Jane's either stumbled across Brazilian rocks that actually sing or she's been in the sun too long.
42:47Her pole-to-pole adventure continues brand new tomorrow at 8.
42:50And two chaps braving the conditions and showing us the true meaning of survival.
42:56It's Ben Fogel's new lives in the wild, new next.
Comments