Hello out there sorry for posting this blog up later than usual.The end of the week just gone has been hectic, anyway in this blog I'm bringing you more of the fiesta (la semana grande) in Bilbao, and i'll be introducing some basque sports and some dances as well as some of the country side that we visited. So lets get in to it!
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First up is a Basque sport known to the locals as pelota or pelota vasca translated it means 'ball' or 'basque ball'.
The way the game works is usually two or more players or teams take turns at hitting a ball against a wall called 'fascia'.
There are a variety of ways to play the game, with variations in the type of ball used be it rubber or leather,the type/ length of the racquet used and whether it is played by males or females.
The team to serve bounces the ball, then propels it towards the playing
area of the narrow, front wall where it has to rebound between the low
line demarcating the low off-area and the high line demarcating the high
off-area.
The ball may either be played so it rebounds directly off the front wall
onto the playing floor or onto the long side wall first. The opposing
team may either play the ball immediately after rebounding from the
front wall or side wall without rebounding from the playing floor or
after having rebounded from the playing floor once. Confusing right!?
The next sport is Harri jasotzea (stone lifting)The lifting of stones is one of the most widely known Basque rural sport outside the Basque Country, largely thanks to the prowess of Iñaki Perurena, a harrijasotzaile (stone-lifter) from Leitza, in Navarre, the first on record to lift stone over 300 kg.
There are usually two stone-lifters competing in each event, taking turns in one or several attempts, to perform the greatest possible number of lifts.
A lift is considered complete when the stone has been properly balanced on the shoulder.
The four types of stone most frequently used are rectangular, cylindrical, spherical and square and were established at the beginning of the 20th century. The stones are traditionally made of granite, their weight normally ranging from 100 kg to 212 kg.
Literally "axe test", this rural sport more commonly known as aizkolaritza, from the Basque word for a wood-cutter.
This is a very popular sport today but its origins are to be found in the rural wood cutting and charcoal burning communities of earlier periods.
In this competition, the wood cutter has to chop through a number of
tree trunks arranged on the ground in rows as quickly as possible while
standing on the log to beat his competitors.
This sport is often seen in summer at local festivities and open-air dances, held in towns all over the country.
Now we're up the the Traditional Basque dancing;
There are approximately 400 distinct Basque folk dances, each with its own story and significance. Some, the more ancient ritual dances, are performed only for particular events or circumstances and initially were performed by male dancers only. Many include the use of sticks and swords that the dancers strike together as they progress through the movements of the dance.
The basic characteristics of Basque dance are seen in the choreography,
historical and festive elements, and the universal traits of tradition,
entertainment, tourism and especially religious-festive events. You can
tell a good dancer by how high they jump, their double clicks, how high
they kick, and their gracefulness. They wear cool bells on their legs!
Enough now about the sports and dances lets move on to the Fiestas!!
Churros - sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut. There are two types of churros in Spain, one which is thin (and sometimes knotted) and the other which is long and thick (porra). They are both normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate or café con leche (coffe with milk).
This photo was taken by Kyran and here you can see all the tents that line the river. Basically everyone of these tents are purely for serving alcohol, and some serve food. In between the different tents there are areas where there are concerts and sports and performances throughout the day and into the early hours of the morning.
The party that goes on at night can been seen in the below video!
A Little Trip!
A day trip to Gernika was the plan however my grandmother decided that she would like to join us and we all fell asleep on the bus, so we ended up at Bermeo on the coast.
Bermeo
Bermeo has 17,159 inhabitants and is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country. The town has a long maritime tradition and its economy is based on the fishing industry. From stories that my grandmother told me while we were there, this town used to catch the best tuna! She tells of driving to Bermeo to buy tuna over 2 meters long. 
Just out of interest this an oil rig that was visible off the coast of Bermeo.
A side note with no photos: The reason we set out to see Gernika (basque spelling) was that on April 26, 1937, Guernika (spanish spelling) was bombed in one of the first aerial bombings by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe.
The bombing is considered one of the first raids on a defenseless civilian population by a modern air force.The number of victims of the attack is still disputed; the Basque government reported 1,654 people killed.
Sadly though time did not permit so we were not able to stop in Gernika, only passing through it was viable. There were no old buildings remaining because the town had been rebuilt from the ground up. They have a sacred tree which among other things is as memorial to the bombings.
Off to the Funicular of Artxanda
It links downtown Bilbao with the recreational area at the summit of the nearby Artxanda Mountain, which has a park, several restaurants, a hotel, a sports complex, and offers panoramic views of the city. The funicular is a cable-cart thing that goes up the mountain.We managed to take some great pictures of Bilbao from up there!
The current funicular was opened in 1915. During the Spanish Civil War
the funicular was damaged by bombing, but reopened in 1938. The
funicular closed in 1976 after an accident that injured several
employees of the operating company, and did not reopen again until April
1983. The line was closed again in August of the same year, as a result
of flood damage, and did not reopen until November. 
Above is The Guggenheim museum from afar!
Well that all folks,
Work starts for me this week - so there will be less exciting blogs and less frequently, but I will do my best to keep you all updated.
Till next time!
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