Latest Blog Posts
Paul Laxalt, Basque American Politician from Nevada, Dies at 96
Yesterday we got word that Paul Dominique Laxalt, former US senator and governor of Nevada, has passed away at the age of 96.
The son of Basque immigrants, Laxalt rose to the heights of US political power throughout his career and served as the trusted advisor of President Ronald Reagan. He was the brother of well-known author, Robert Laxalt, and the grandfather of current Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.
As a tribute to Paul Laxalt and his legacy, we have compiled this infographic to share.
Goian bego.
9 Movies Filmed in the Basque Country
The Basque Country has most recently received recognition from American television enthusiasts with the last season of Game of Thrones being filmed in certain locations around Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.
But did you know there have been many other American productions filmed in the Basque Country over the years?
Here’s a rundown of the most famous ones. Maybe you’ve seen some of them?
Tracking Down Basques in Sydney at Gure Txoko Euskal Etxea
If you’ve been following Hella Basque on Instagram, you’ll know that a few months ago I went on a trip to Australia and New Zealand with my family.
It’s been a years-long dream of my dad’s and my uncle’s to visit these two countries. Aita had heard that Australia was a nice, clean country (he has an obsession with cleanliness on his travels–absolutely LOVED Switzerland for this reason), and he was happy to see all of the sheep he’d heard about that populated New Zealand.
Normally Aita’s not a big world traveler. It’s like pulling teeth to try to even get him to go visit the Basque Country, let alone a country he’s unfamiliar with.
Mom and I, on the other hand, don’t need any convincing to go on a trip, so Mom jumped at the chance to organize it all and I was very glad to go along for the ride.
In the planning stages, my mom had the forethought to organize something she thought Aita and my uncle would really enjoy: a visit to the Basque club in Sydney, Australia, Gure Txoko (‘Our Corner’) Euskal Etxea.
Gure Txoko was founded in 1966 by 26 families and is the oldest Basque club in Australia.
We had heard from Basques here in San Francisco that there was a Basque club in Sydney, and I’d come across their Facebook page before, but we didn’t know any more about it than that.
We were curious to learn about these Basques in Australia. Who are they? What did they go to Australia to do? When did they immigrate? Where in Australia did they settle? How many of them are there?
Gure Txoko is open every Sunday for lunch, but unfortunately our itinerary had us in Sydney in the middle of the week. Without expecting much of a response, my mom sent off a message to their Facebook page asking if there was any way we could visit their Euskal Etxea on a Tuesday.
And they said yes!
Basque American Contestant on The Bachelorette, Garrett Yrigoyen, Makes the Final 3
According to his cast bio, Garrett is a 29-year-old medical sales representative currently living in Reno, Nevada who loves the outdoors.
While the name Yrigoyen stands out as obviously Basque, I was unable to find information on who in his family’s immigration history came from the Basque Country.
My sister is a super fan of the show and served as my research assistant on this mission. She was able to learn that his grandfather, Mike Yrigoyen was born in Elko, Nevada in 1917 to Frank and Isidora Yrigoyen.
So clearly this branch of Yrigoyens has been in the United States for some time.
Garrett has a lot of flags adorning his Instagram bio: American, Spanish, Italian, Mexican, Greek, English, and Bahamian. However it’s unclear if these are representations of his ethnic identities, places he’s traveled, or something else entirely.
But he does acknowledge his Basque heritage in a recent Instagram post wishing his dad a happy Father’s Day, in which he uses the hashtag #basque.
Tour de France 2018 to Visit the Basque Country in Stage 20
While the world is still focused on the FIFA World Cup wrapping up this week, allow me to bring your attention to a different sporting event going on right now, the Tour de France.
What is the Tour de France?
The Tour de France is a 21-stage cycling race spread over 23 days, one of the three Grand Tours of cycling, along with Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.
It is the largest annual sporting event on the planet, not just the largest cycling race. It attracts the most live spectators of any sporting event in the world. That’s right, more than the FIFA World Cup and even the Olympic Games!
The magic of this event is that it is accessible to the public for free along the side of the roads traveled throughout the route.
So you could just be living in some small town that has nothing going on 364 days of the year, but for one day the biggest sporting event in the world comes right to your front door!
First organized in 1903 to increase sales of L’Auto, a French sports newspaper, the 2018 Tour de France is the 105th edition of the annual cycling race. (The event stopped for a few years because of the two World Wars.)
This year’s edition started just last Saturday, July 7th and is set to finish on Sunday, July 29th.
22 teams are competing with a total of 176 riders. That’s 8 riders per team, for the first time this year after the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) changed the rules from 9 maximum riders per team to 8 in an attempt to make the event safer.
While crashes may be exciting for spectators, they’re not so fun for the riders!
The route for the Tour de France changes every year, although some things stay the same:
– most of the race occurs within mainland France, although sections through neighboring countries are common
– several stages pass through the Alps and the Pyrenees
– the grand finish takes place on the Champs Elysées in Paris
This year’s edition covers 3,351km, or around 2,082 miles.
That’s roughly the distance between the Euzko Etxea in Brooklyn, New York to the Alkartasuna Basque Club in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
I know we have some fit Basques in the diaspora here… Any takers?
A Hella Basque Visit to Iceland
What do Iceland and the Basque Country have to do with each other?
The history goes way back to the whaling days of the Basques.
Basque People in Iceland
Iceland first came on my radar in April 2015. At the time, lots of articles were being published online about Basque government officials and academics attending a ceremony in Iceland. All for the unveiling of a memorial plaque to commemorate Basque sailors slaughtered by Icelanders in 1615.
Wait, what? Back up.
Featured On
When I moved away for college, I left behind my Basque American community and felt very disconnected from my Basque identity. An isolation I imagine many in the diaspora may feel at one point or another.
My hope is that Hella Basque can help Basques in the diaspora feel more connected to their heritage, whether or not they have physical ties to a Basque community.
Watch Us On YouTube
Keep up with our latest videos on YouTube. New videos go live every Thursday. You won’t want to miss them!
Follow Us On Instagram
Check out all the fun on Hella Basque’s Instagram! Get in on regular polls and discussions about Basque culture in our Stories.
Like Us On Facebook
Join our active community on Facebook to keep up to date on all the latest posts from Hella Basque and learn more about the Basque Country.
Follow Us On Twitter
Keep up with Hella Basque’s tweets for regular news out of the Basque Country, post updates, and interesting Basque facts.
