Orduna: Our Month in the Basque Countryside, Orduna-Urduna, Spain

We are falling in love with Spain every day! For one, the Basque Country is absoluely gorgeous. For two, the weather is perfect, especially compared to the extreme heat we endured in both Greece and Bosnia. We love that we can finally wear our fleece jackets and puffy vests. And for three, there is finally a language that isn't totally Greek to us! Literally! 

For reasons known only to Francesca, she chose the town of Orduna - around 30 minutes drive from Bilbao - for our home base and I highly commend her for it. This small town of about 4,000 people founded in 1229 is as quintessential Basque Country as you can get. It is centered around the town square (called Foru Plaza) with the de riggeur cathedral and various tabernas offering pintxos (small plate dishes, like tapas) as well as other quaint shops like a toy store, a high end chocolatier and the local butcher and breadmaker, etc. We keep saying we feel like we are either in Arendelle from Frozen or the Bavarian-esque city in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, except without the Child Catcher. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).