The Basque Country is not what you think it is.

Mountains and ocean side by side

The Basque Country has a very unique culture, landscape, and language that does not compare to anything else I've seen in Spain. Besides the sheer difference in landscape with the mountains piling on top of on another sitting right at the bay, there are many other differences as well.

The Spanish language is not only spoken here, but Basque as well (or other wise known as Euskara). This is a very old language that does not sound like anything I've heard before. A month ago, when I was preparing to leave, I was under the impression the Basque Country had a different dialect, much like they do in Barcelona with the lispy "th" sound. Come to find out it's a completely different language and no one really knows it's origins and how it came to be because it goes back to times of prehistoric Europe.

The first label is Spanish, the second Basque

Euskara is considered an isolate language because it is not used outside the Basque Country, and is completely surrounded by modern world Romance Languages. Because of it's old history there are only theories of where the language originated. It is the last remaining languages in Western Europe that is considered prehistoric Europe, before the Indo-European languages.

My host mother has her theory on the origins, she explained to me she thinks it's language that stems from vikings, and the Nordic countries. In my opinion that makes sense because there are so many x's and t's in the language and there is a lack of vowels. For instance, Gexto is the name of the town I live in. You pronounce it as if you were trying to be slightly gangster and say "get your freak on" (aka: getcho ya freak onnn). In no way does it make sense that x and t next to each other makes a "ch" sound.

Basque Country in red

To my surprise this language is far from dead, about 22% of the population in the Basque region speak Euskara. They teach it to the kids in school, and everything is printed in both Spanish and Euskara. All street signs, directions, and food labels are all printed with both. I've wondered in the mornings as I eat cereal, where are they printing every last one of theses labels specifically for the Basque people? No where else in Spain will you find this language on every street corner. It's amazing how it still lives.