It’s been four months since the Hella Basque YouTube channel launched! Four months of uploading a new video every Thursday about the Basque Country and Basque people. I get so wrapped up in future projects that sometimes I forget to appreciate what Hella Basque is already doing for the Basque diaspora online. So I thought I’d take a moment this week to round up for you the five most viewed videos on our fledgling channel.
I don’t know about you, but The Bachelorette has taken over the family room TV on Monday nights at my house this summer. This season’s Bachelorette is about to pick her man tonight, and it’s got me nostalgic for last year’s season of The Bachelorette. Members of the Basque American community and Bachelor Nation already know that last season the competition’s only Basque American contestant, Garrett Yrigoyen, won the Bachelorette’s heart.
After making a list of Basque restaurants in the United States, I was curious to learn more about Basque institutions. It got me wondering, where are the existing Basque pelota courts? I’ve heard of many that are no longer in use or have been torn down, but I wanted to find out where the remaining ones are. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a complete list online, so this is an attempt at making my own.
Some interesting news has been happening in the world of handball this past week.
A Basque handball player, Bixintxo Bilbao, was banned last week from playing internationally for one year. Why? Because he held up the Basque flag on the winner’s podium at the 2018 World Championships of Basque Pelota in Barcelona.
Bilbao and partner Peio Larralde won gold in the pairs category. During the presentation of the medals, Bilbao held up the Basque flag, despite representing France during the competition.
According to some who witnessed the medal ceremony, the ikurrina (Basque flag) brought many cheers from the crowd. But clearly some powerful people at the International Basque Pelota Federation (FIPV), who organized the competition, were less than enthused.
