Amalur: A View of Guetaria

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A View of Getaria https://www.flickr.com/photos/dorron/

Near San Sebastián (Donostia), the Perl of the Cantabric Sea, a small road bordering the sea passes by Zarautz, a small town where the famous Basque cook, Carlos Arguiñano, teaches cooking classes and the world’s best surfers meet every year. This very road takes us to another jewel, a unique masterpiece, Guetaria (Getaria, in Basque), a small town selected in 2013 by The New York Times as one of the top places to visit.

Guetaria was one of the first villages founded in the Basque territory, where history and gastronomy mingle, where sea and earth bring us their best resources.

The people from Guetaria probably began to gather at the times of the Roman Empire, before the 2^nd Century B.C. Conquered by King Sancho VI of Navarra, Guetaria was officially founded between 1180 and 1194.

Coat of Arms of Getaria

Whale hunts in Guetaria dates back to the 7th Century. Between the 13th and 14th Centuries, whale catchers sailed as far as Iceland and Canada (Labrador and Newfoundland) to also fish cod.
Whales are still part of the Coat of Arms of Guetaria.

Currently Guetaria is an important inshore fishing port of the Basque coast.

A View from the Port https://www.flickr.com/photos/dorron/

Sailor Juan Sebastian Elcano took over the sea expedition when his commander, Ferdinand Magellan, died and was the first man to complete the sailing around the world. Charles V Holly Roman Emperor paid Elcano an annual compensation of 500 golden ducats and awarded him a Coat of Arms featuring a globe with the motto: Primus circumdedisti me (in Latin, “You went around me first”).

Juan Sebastian Elcano's Memorial

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dorron/

On the top of a memorial, a winged sculpture of a figurehead decorating the prow stands out from an old bastion of Guetaria’s wall. On the bottom, Juan Sebastián Elcano is represented in bas-relief. Inside the construction, the names of the crew who has successfully completed the journey with Elcano are carved.

Guetaria stands out for its unique features consisting of a historic center, where we can spot in different corners the remnants of old defensive walls, silent witnesses of many battles, and also several old stone tower-houses.

There is a well-known eye-catching tunnel under the San Salvador church, connecting Calle Mayor street (Kale Nagusia) and the stairs that take us to the port.

The unique narrow and colorful wooden balcony houses of fisherman at Elcano street also are worth visiting.

The church is very old and, based on analysis of evidence, it was probably built on top of another church even older, dating back to a period before the XII Century.

The church was completed in 1420 and declared national monument in 1895.

San Salvador Church https://www.flickr.com/photos/dorron/

San Antón Mountain, known as Guetaria’s Mouse because of its form, is one of the most popular views of Guipúzcoa in the Basque Country.
Vineyards are cultivated all over the area between the Gárate Mountain and the coast due to the particular microclimate of this area, famous for its chacolí wines (txakolin in Basque), recognized in 1571 as one of the good Spanish wines. We can walk between the vineyards and visit wineries.
The chacolí is a white wine made from green grapes, which give it an acidic flavor. Hondarribi zuri and hondarribi beltza are the grape varieties harvested to prepare the chacolí, a mildly sparkling wine, with a volume of alcohol from 10.5% to 12%, that has its own designation of origin (Denominación de Origen), “Getariako Txakolina.”

Fish and shellfish are the perfect match for our food and chacolí experience.
Guetaria is famous for its grilled fish.
At dusk grills are lighted up involving our senses with intense wood and sea breeze aromas. We cannot help getting carried away in terraces and balconies of bars and restaurants enjoying the unique flavors and astonishing views of the seacoast.

Malkorbe Beach https://www.flickr.com/photos/dorron/

There is no better option than ending the day visiting the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum.

Born in Guetaria, in 1895, Cristóbal Balenciaga, regarded as one of the most important haute couture designers, highly praised by Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, became the dressmaker of the aristocracy. He designed the wedding dresses of Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, Queen of Belgium, and the Duchess of Cádiz. He also designed dresses for Hollywood legends such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, and uniforms for Air France air hostesses. The museum, with a collection consisting of approximately 1,600 pieces, is a mandatory visit when in Guetaria.

It is hard to find a place combining so many essences as little Guetaria.