This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Last week I gave you guys a general overview of my trip to the Basque Country. Today I want to tell you about one particular day that was pretty special.

Through social media, I made friends with a private tour guide in the Basque Country, Aitor Delgado of Aitor Delgado Tours.

We finally had the chance to meet up in real life in Bilbao. He took me to an epic rooftop bar I never would have found on my own.

We got to talking that night about my itinerary for the rest of the trip, and he offered to show me around if I found a gap in my schedule.

So just a few days later I was staying in Donostia and had a day off. Aitor picked me up and took me to 2 places I’ve had on my list to visit for a while: the newly reopened Chillida Leku Museum and the Sanctuary of Loiola.

As a fan of modern art and as someone who grew up super Catholic, these were 2 locations I was really curious to visit but I didn’t have much time to figure out how to get to them from where I was staying. Aitor Delgado to the rescue!

 

Chillida Leku

Chillida Leku is the modern art museum and open air sculpture garden of the works of famous Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. He was arguably one of the most famous Basque artists of the last century.

Chillida’s works can be found in public spaces all over the world, including in Barcelona, Gernika, Madrid, Seville, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Beverly Hills, and Frankfurt. He is most famous for being the artist of El Peine del Viento / The Comb of the Wind, a popular tourist attraction in Donostia-San Sebastian.

It turns out Chillida Leku is very easy to get to from San Sebastian (G2 bus runs every 30 minutes), but it was so nice to just get whisked away by car.

Aitor even pulled over at a market on the way so I could get some pictures of some beautiful peppers, because he knows his clients well. 

 

We spent a leisurely time walking around the grounds of Chillida Leku on a beautiful sunny day, looking at sculptures. Aitor explained to me the artist’s process, the themes of his work, and some backstory about the Chillida family’s efforts to re-open the museum after it closed to the public during the economic crisis in 2011.

We admired how Chillida’s colossal industrial sculptures worked beautifully with the natural setting, interspersed with large trees that cast shadows on the artwork.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

 

Sanctuary of Loiola

We continued our little road trip southwest to Loiola, a neighborhood of Azpeitia famous for being the birthplace and home of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Having seen pictures of the massive church built there in his honor, I was curious to see this Catholic marvel in person.

The sanctuary did not disappoint!

• 
• 

Aitor pointed out to me that in the middle of the center aisle was a round mirror that could be used to better observe the ornate ceiling without getting a crick in the neck.

• 
• 

He then took us nextdoor to visit the house where Saint Ignatius was born and really got into the story of his life. I vaguely knew some things about Saint Ignatius, that he had a religious epiphany after being wounded in battle, deciding to trade in his soldier’s life for a religious path.

But Aitor provided a lot more context about the battle, what side Saint Ignatius was on, and the historical significance of this conflict for the Basque Country as a whole. That was something special I didn’t get from reading Wikipedia pages about it.

And he showed me the room where Saint Ignatius was recovering from his battle wounds are received a vision of the Virgin Mary.  No surprise here, it’s now a chapel.

After the visit, Aitor took me further out in front of the church so I could get all the right photo angles. It’s too bad the sun was a little glaring because of the time of day for the photos to come out right.

But Aitor showed me the big statue of Saint Ignatius and pointed out the Basque coats of arms around the base of it.

• 
• 

 

Lunch in Azpeitia

We went into the center of town that was totally deserted at 2PM. But Aitor brought us to a community center, an old church turned bar/restaurant where there were quite a few locals hanging out. I love going to places like that because it feels like a world apart, one of those places where you feel you’re truly in the Basque Country. Not a word of Spanish spoken.

Aitor spoke Basque with the waitress, and I attempted to follow along with the conversation. It was glorious.

• 
• 

I even ordered my dessert in Basque and the waitress gave me an encouraging smile, and I felt really good about myself. So I’m grateful to Aitor for allowing me to have that hella Basque experience.

Learn a new language before your next vacation! 

 

Getaria

On the way back to Donostia, Aitor asked if I had a problem getting off the highway to take the scenic route. What a bonus I wasn’t expecting!

He drove us up through the hills toward the coast, and we ended up at a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the txakolina vineyards of Getaria. We stopped to get out and take pictures.

After our photoshoot, we eventually made our way back down to Donostia, where Aitor dropped me off in the old town. He gave me shop recommendations since I told him I was on a quest to buy Euskara workbooks to complement my language learning back at home.

Aitor pointed me in the direction of Elkar, which ended up being exactly the bookstore I needed.

I was sad to part ways with such a genuinely fun guide after a great day out. I hope our paths cross again on another trip to the Basque Country!

If you’re looking to do a guided tour on your next trip to the Basque Country, I highly recommend you get in touch with Aitor Delgado. He’s amazing at catering his day tours exactly to his clients’ interests and even showing you things along the way you didn’t even know you would want to see!

So a big mil esker to Aitor for a great day.

You can check out his website here and read his 230 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor. You can also follow his tours on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you book a tour with Aitor, tell him Hella Basque sent you!

 

CONTINUE READING:

• Hella Basque at VII World Congress of Basque Communities
• Everything You Need to Know About the Basque Flag
• 5 Facts About Euskara, the Basque Language