Gallego's - the Galician locals - are known to be a bit gruff. But we loved the seafood in Galicia so much that we didn't even notice. We were constantly high - on fresh, sweet, simply-prepared seafood.

But once we entered Basque territory, we must admit we did notice a change. First of all, the servers in the various establishments spoke English. Perhaps because they'd prefer not to speak Spanish. But the openness to speaking in English with foreigners did add a bit of warmth and friendliness to our experience, especially when I was trying to ask how to dig the snails out of their shells with little toothpicks that kept on breaking, using my 100 words of Spanish. To my surprise, we got a response and great explanation on the technique that involved a swift little swoosh of the fingers in English. That wouldn't have happened in Galicia, as much as we loved them.

Our super artsy and tasteful Portuguese-Macau friends told us to stop at this gorgeous, upscale seaside town next door to Bilbao.

They even told us their inside joke - Castrate Woody Allen - so we wouldn't forget the name of the town, Castro Urdiales.

And they tipped us off on a great tapas restaurant, but we never made it there. We got so charmed by the sight of the town we parked our car in the first available spot and starting walking along the seaside, and ended up venturing into this fabulous, light-spirited, joyous little happy place. You could pick out tapas (or pinxtos, now that we are in Basque Country) off the menu, or by simply pointing your finger at platters and platters of delicious-looking finger food on display.

And then take a seat indoors or grab a table outside on the wide terrace looking out at the Bay of Biscay.

What a great way to start your exploration of the Basque Country!

ADDRESS

Avenida de la Playa, 10, Castro-Urdiales, Spain

CONTACT

bitacora@bitacoracastro.com

ph: +34 942 55 04 37

IMAGES

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