Guernica/Gernika

 Another overcast day, so better for driving than sightseeing. Many reviews of parkups in Bilbao say they were broken into and cleaned out, so we could pay for a more secure place or just stop somewhere else and get public transport in to see the Guggenheim. Judy discovered Gernika is nearby and on a railway line, so we chose there to stop.

But first a battlefield tour!

The Anglo-Portuguese (Allied) army pushed off their offensive with a strategic surprise attack on Joseph's French at Vitoria. Joseph set up west of the town on a hill behind the Zaporro river, expecting Wellington to come at him. The Iron Duke was too smart for that, and sent his troops on flank marches around the north of the French.

Wellington's HQ and observation point. Up the road to the right, the French positions.

Aside from the main bridge on this road, there were others at Villados, Trespuntes, and near Mendoza. The wide flanking divisions also had a number of bridges they could cross.

Trespuentes. The British marched along the far bank, left to right, to force this bridge against the odds.

The XVI C bridge at Villados.

Between the bridges at Trespuentes and (near) Mendoza lie the remains of a Roman oppidum or fortified town. I wonder if any French troops recognized the antiquity of their defences? The hill to the right was the original centre of the French positions. (The archeological site was closed until later in the day.)

The view from the oppidum to Villados bridge at right, and the French centre at left. The 500 year old bridge has buses passing over it several times a day. Some workmanship!

When the Allies forced the bridges the French position became untenable, so they pulled back to another hill further back. However, the left hook pushed in the guard there and Vitoria was clearly lost. Joseph ordered a general retreat north, but had to leave behind much equipment and loot.

We've seen how Wellington's campaign went from here in previous blogs, so you'll have to read them backwards to get the correct sequence.

Tour, over we continued to Guernica, trip only remarkable for dense fog at a high point that had visibility down to about 100m for while. It must happen a lot as the permanent speed limits were 30-50km for a large stretch of road. Still, we're in no hurry.

The rebuilt Gernika proved to be a tidy town. Picasso's original painting of the bombing on behalf of Franco's Nationalists is in Madrid, but the town has copies. There was a little museum with decent English (and French) translations that kept us busy over an hour or so. Even up to the '70s the government was pushing the story that the town was blown up by retreating communists, and the Army has still not admitted any involvement. (Germany has though, as planes and bombs were German and Italian.)

A teacher explains the context and meaning to his class.

Shame we couldn't understand his Spanish. What's with the horse and bull?

Turtles (or terrapins?) Share the duck pond.

Love that emerald green pond scum. 😁

The Basque council meet under a tree for hundreds of years until it died. Part was preserved here and a new tree grown from an acorn from the original.

On our return to Reggie we tried to get an explanation from SFR about why we had no roaming data. It turns out our accounts had been suspended as a fraud risk! Some cock-up at the Dieppe office we signed up at, it would seem. We think we have got the ball rolling toward reinstatement but SFR refused to deal with us in English, and terminated the chat if we took too long translating. Arrogant b'stards.