From Santiago we planned to visit our friends Julie and Rick in Bilbao, but we didn’t wanted to disrupt their working days, so Julie recommended that we visit Vitoria, the Basque capital, before arriving in Bilbao. She had heard that Vitoria was lovely, and from there it was a short bus ride to Bilbao. So we took the train across northern Spain from Santiago to Vitoria. Julie and Rick just moved to Bilbao for one year and had arrived only a few weeks prior to our being there. The train ride through the mountains was beautiful!
We learned quickly that there are two official languages in Vitoria-Gasteiz: Spanish (Vitoria) and Basque (Gasteiz) This is the capital city of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. On most road signs, the Basque words appear first, above the Spanish. The Parliament of the Basque region is held here, and there’s even a small movement seeking independence from Spain – during a national holiday, we saw a small demonstration for independence in the Plaza de Espagne.
Having never heard of Vitoria-Gasteiz before Julie recommended it, we had no idea what to expect. What we discovered was a lovely, vibrant city with so much to recommend it. It’s not a tourist destination, so fewer people spoke English, but still we had little difficulty communicating when we needed to. People were warm and helpful, especially when we would try to greet or thank them in the Basque language.
The well-preserved medieval “Old Town” sits around a castle on a hill, but the modern city spreads far beyond. The population is diverse and multi-generational. Getting around is easy with great public transportation, buses and trams. Clearly marked bicycle lanes help to separate cars, bikes and walkers.
They have often been recognized for their commitment to ensure that everyone lives within 300m of open green space. Vitoria-Gasteiz was named a European Green Capital in 2012 and recognized by the UN with the Global Green City Award in 2019. Three large “Urban Green Parks” are within the city limits, and walking distance from the city center. We walked the Salburua Park which is near a large suburban area and the football (soccer) stadium, but in the park it feels like the country. It’s a large nature preserve with a protected deer population, a significant wetland, with walking paths, observation blinds and a Welcome Center. Just lovely!
At the center of town is the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca featuring a huge monument memorializing the Battle of Vitoria fought in 1813. Here the Duke of Wellington, leading a combined British, Portuguese and Spanish army, finally defeated the French army, leading in time to the defeat of Napoleonic forces in the Peninsular War.
We spent our days here walking the town, seeing the sights and eating. Our Hotel Dato was decorated in Victorian opulence, with huge statues greeting us in the entryway and on the staircase landings.
In Vitoria-Gasteiz, Sara and I finally learned how to appreciate Tapas – or Pintxos (pronounced “PIN-choz”) as they are called in the Basque country. We’re still in Spain, where restaurants close down at 14:00 or 15:00 and don’t open again until 19:30 or 20:00 for dinner. For Sara and Evan that’s just too late for a substantial dinner. The locals apparently eat their main meal in the afternoon. With that in mind, the Pintxo/Tapas culture makes a bit more sense. With a full meal in your belly mid-day, you only need a snack or two in the evening. And it’s fun to be out at night, visiting with friends, and downing some quick snacks along with your beer or wine.
Just a block up the street from our Data Hotel was Sara’s favorite Pintxo Bar called PerretxiCo. It was even open for breakfast, offering coffee, tea, yogurt and granola along with breakfast Pintxos.
At first it just seemed so awkward for us. You enter a crowded “Pintxo-Bar,” squeeze your way up to the bar when you can, and order your drink and Pintxos, pointing to which ones you want. It’s unlike the bars we’re used to, for sitting on the bar, behind the plexiglas, are all the different Pintxos to choose from. Many patrons drink and eat standing at the bar, since there are too few seats for all these people. A busy pintxo bar will have an overflow of patrons out onto the sidewalk or street.
Sara learned the system pretty quickly after observing what others were doing for a few minutes. Work your way up to the bar, order your drink and pintxos, enjoy them right there or find a seat. Unless business is slow, most folks end up standing. Once we got the hang of it, we thought the Pintxo scene was pretty effective for what we saw as late-night, light meals.
We truly enjoyed our few days in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a beautiful city, and we would consider visiting here once more.
