14 ~ Sunday, July 28, 1996 — North Shore News 4 4 : é © *, Tourism and terrorism in northern Spain Hearing aman speak, it is easy to guess where he saw the light of day; if he praises England, he is probably English: ifhe speaks ill of Prussia, he is a Frenchman; if he speaks ill of Spain, he is Spanish. —— Anonymous BY JOHN GOODMAN Contributing Writer EL Gordo, the ticket taker, was a caricature straight out of one of Goya’s notebooks. He sat behind the glass in Madrid’s Chamartin station and traded insults with the world at large. Even the Spanish were having trouble understanding rail travel in the summer of 1994 as Recife union workers slowed down the system — but if your number was called, _ like it or not, El Gordo was _ your man in La Mancha. Fast trains operate between the capital and the southern city of Sevilla while the rest of Spain ‘still runs on a more leisurely timetable. The trip to San Sebastiin on the northern coast is six and a half hours of ’ .winding track. and beautiful landscapes. > The ancient Basque fishing village of Donostia (known to the Spanish as San Sebastian) has served as a summer play- ground for the Castilian A-list since the nineteenth century. . it is not difficult to see why Queen Isabella I] was drawn to the area —- Fodor's 1996 travel guide describes San Sebastidn’s. La Concha as ‘simply “one “of the finest urban beaches in the world.” _’ But the infusion of blue blood created an interesting clash of Tberian’ cultures — Franco would park his yacht right off the beach for six Basque culture tt is estimated that almost one quarter of the . Spanish population claim a language other than Castilian’ as their mother tongue. Close to 700,000 people can speak the Basque Euskarra, a language unrelated to other IndoBuropean languages.’ They have been in their present loca- tion for at least 5,000 years. The Basques are distinct from all other cul- tures now in existence and have survived suc- cessive invasions of Romans, Suevians, Alans, Vandals, Visigoths, Franks, Moors and Fascists. During the 16th century they operated whal- 7. CRUISE THE WORLD Roseway Travel + CRUISE MASTERS = O* aribbean *% Alaska BG for the best cruise deat _ Cail us at 926-4344 oO ic viex A 16th-century Spanish fort Castillo de la Mota with a massive s the entrance to San Sebastian's Bahia de !a Concha. At the foo weeks every summer. This is the same Franco that brutally suppressed the expression of Basque culture for afmost half a century. San Sebastian is neither the economic (Bilbao) nor political centre (Vitoria- Gasteiz) of the region yet it has no equal as a destination place for leisure travellers to the area. The city’s infrastructure _ reflects its favored status as a seaside resort. Hotels and restaurants are filled with vis- itors enticed by the sun, the sea or the National Tourist Office of Spain. It is not a hard sell. Among the events held annually are a four-day jazz festival in July; the Aste Nagustia (Big Week) in August which features sports events, concerts and an inter- national fireworks display; and in September the city hosts its internationally recog- nized film festival. While enjoying the ameni- ties however tourists will inevitably come across graffi- ti announcing the presence of the Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA). Three letters that spell trouble for the status quo. More than 800 people have died since the separatist ETA began its terrorist campaign against the central Spanish government in 1969. The guerrilla (small war) tactics have not been limited to Euskal Herria (the land of the Basques) as many inci- dents have taken place else- ing stations along the coast of Labrador. In 1977 archaeologists discovered three galleons sunk in the Red Bay harbor. At its peak in the 1560s the port was home to nearly 1,000 fishermen for five months of the year. San Sebastiin is in the province of Guiptizcoa. Alava, Navarra and Vizcaya are the 865 North Park Royal Mall is pleased to announce the addition of Kathleen Gammer to our suff. Kathleen has been a travel agent on the North Shore for £5 years and looks forward to welcoming her clients to her new location. other provinces that make up the thriving Spanish community. French Basques live primarily rural lifestyles in the Basse Pyrénées provinces of Labourd, Basse-Navarre and Soule. where including the bombing in Tarragona last week (see sidebar) and the assassination of Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco in Madrid in - December of 1973. This spring's election of . the right-wing» Partido Popular has inflamed the separatist movement as the country’s new Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar made the “Basque problem” part of his campaign platform. The day after the March 3 voting a policeman was killed in the Spanish/French border- town of Iran — an ETA com- mentary on the state of the union. The Basque provinces are Quality Arts, Crafts, Music, Childrens’ Entertainment and Food. In the Park, by the Ocean. August 2,3,4,5, 96 Fri., -Sun. 11-8 ¢ Mon, 11-6 Guest Artists: Pamela Nagley Stevenson, Nancy Stewart Shea Kotilla & Cara Tilston Adults: $5.00 © Ages 6-11: $2.00 © No pets Info (604) 334-9242 G1 Filberg Road, Comox, B.C. * Madrid SPA _t. * Sevilla 200 eo ipl News photes John Goodman / grephic Cathiesc: Powol Fig tatue of Christ is at the summit of Monte Urgull, one of two hills that mark t of Urguil is the old city (parte vieja) with its marina of fishing boats. by no means’ under seige. There is no military presence, and unlike Northern Ireland for example, no places where crowds gather to protest. At one time there was a Marxist philosophy driving the separatist. movement but that idealism has long since been forgotten. . In the week prior to the electicn over 30,000 people did fill San Sebastian's Campo de Fiitbol de Anoeta stadium in support of the nationalist coalition “party Herri Batasuna (the political front of the E'FA) but few Basques wish to be associated of terrorism. | ‘ with the solipsistic practices N Targeting —. Tarragona WITH the July 20 : Tarragona airport bomb-": ing that injured 33 peo-. ple the ETA have given notice they ave once again targeting the Spanish tourist industry. Two other bombs plant-. ed in hoteis were 2 For a period durin the lzte 1970s the. Basques attacked vaca- tion spots. but since then have stuck primarily to” military and-government targets. . fe ee It is interesting te ‘note the location of las' week's explosion — in Catalonia. Prime Minister Aznar was oniy able to form’a* government after obtain- ing the support of | Catalan leader Jordi. * Pujol and his party’s 16 seats, .. While one region of,- Spain gains more auton- omy through political . ’ brokering another. is“ mired in violence and. cultural isolation. °°, Two weeks ago Pujo was Lucien Bouchard’s «. guest of henor at'.-; Quebec's summer festi- .} val celebrations. 4 Handmade ~ Chinese LYNN VALLEY > CENTRE 988-2789 : » CAPILANO MALL Wool Rugs} \ Similar to shown, colorfast . - & moth proof, 5'x8' ~ Clearance Priced. quantities lest Satisfaction § a Guaranteed or your money refunded PARK ROYAL = |