Back to the Flysch – the Black Flysch

We enjoyed learning more about flysch on the Essential Flysch boat tour back in May when my brother visited, so we decided to try another Geopark tour during the summer. On Saturday (Aug. 17) we went with our friends David and Maite to Deba for the Black Flysch Tour. Deba is a 45-minute train ride west of San Sebastian.

When we arrived, we had time to grab a coffee, and we were fortunate to catch some traditional Basque music and dancing happening in the streets of Deba:

Maite, who is Basque, explained that only coastal Basques wear the traditional blue dresses. She fondly remembered doing this dance when she was a teenager. The men’s performance included drumming and fencing-like play using actual hoes (we assume this is a reference to the importance of farming in the Basque region). We always enjoy these traditional cultural displays and we encounter them more often than you might think.

The Black Flysch tour took us down to Deba’s beach to observe and interpret the layers of Flysch. Deba’s flysch includes the oldest layers, contrasted with the newer pink-colored flysch in Zumaia, where we have been previously. There are three layers in Deba – the black layer, a red layer (that has iron deposits), and a sandy brown layer. (I'm leaving out the scientific names, which sound even more technical in Spanish.) These layers were formed as the Iberian Peninsula merged with Europe millions of years ago. The contrasts between flysch and the additional details our guide provider were fascinating. It was a perfect sunny day – here are a few photos:

We just might go back for one more flysch tour, this time to see the ancient nautilus fossils that have been collected from the flysch. Before you know it, we’ll be flysch experts and able to give our own tours to friends and family. Hint, hint . . .

Hasta luego,

Shana & Jeff 

Deba to Zumaia – Hiking the Flysch Route

This past Sunday (Oct. 15) we took another spectacular hike along the Basque coast. Together
with our friends Atsuto and Rieko, we took the train to Deba, a small town about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of San Sebastian. We then hiked about 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) east to Zumaia, another small town. This route allowed us to experience the Flysch.

What is Flysch? Flysch formations are sedimentary structures in which there are alternate hard
layers of limestone and sandstone and soft layers of clay and rocks. The protected coastline between Deba and Zumaia is one of the few places in the world where the strata show over 60 million years of geological history written in the successive rocky strata, which due to marine erosion, have been exposed and now show various events in the earth’s history, including the extinction of the dinosaurs! The area has been designated as a “Geopark.”

Words really cannot describe the Flysch. It some places it looks like the pages of a book, in
others it looks like almost like rows and layers of shark teeth. Sometimes it is vertical:

and sometimes it is horizontal:

Notice the different colors of the Flysch. The first picture is looking towards the Zumaia beach and San Telmo Chapel. The second is just oustide of Zumaia. The third is from the middle of the hike near Sakoneta Point. As you will see below, we were able to climb down and walk on the Flysch in the third picture.

Most of the hike was along the coast above the water, but at some points we were at sea level, where there were beaches. The views were spectacular:

We also saw a great many animals on the hike including cows (many cows), chickens, horses, sheep and donkeys. At several locations along the route there are gates that required us to climb over a small structure. Jeff surmised that they were designed to keep the cows (and other animals) from wandering off and noted that they acted as intelligence tests: you had to be smarter than a cow to walk the route. Fortunately, we were able to pass all of these tests.

At Sakoneta Point we were able to “rapel” down using a rope to descend to the Flysch where we could walk on and along it at sea level:

This was the route back up – note the surfers are climbing up with their surfboards:

The hike was moderately difficult, but mostly manageable. We were very proud of ourselves for
completing it in about 4.5 hours and enjoyed a cerveza and pinxto upon arriving in Zumaia:

While we were very proud ourselves for having walked 14 kilometers, our bubble was burst on Monday morning when we learned that one of our classmates, a Taiwanese-nun, hiked 24
kilometers (14.5 miles) the same day! And I suspect she didn't even need a beer at the end...

Hasta Luego,

Shana and Jeff

A Short Walk Along the Basque Coast – Zarautz to Getaria

One of the best ways to spend a Sunday afternoon is a walk along the Basque coast, whether it’s our favorite local stroll along the San Sebastian beaches, or something more ambitious like the hike we did between Deba and Zumaia in October 2017. The views are always stunning and the ocean breezes refreshing. Recently (March 31), we took a nice easy walk between Zarautz and Getaria, two nearby towns.

To start, we walked 5 minutes to the local train station that is close to our apartment. We hopped on the train and rode about 30 minutes to the center of Zarautz. We then headed to walk along the wide beach promenade. San Sebastian’s main beaches are in a semi-circular bay protected by a small island. Zarautz has a long, unprotected beach that is popular with surfers. Here are the views looking east and west from the beach:

The beach has several art installations. This one was a favorite:

We walked into town to grab a snack before taking the coastal path to Getaria and found the scenic narrow alleyways enchanting:

We left Zarautz going west and enjoyed the views of the surfers and the rock and flysch formations along the shoreline:

Here we are at the mid-point (Shana with our departure point in the background and Jeff with our destination):

This is an easy walk on a paved path along the road that goes between the two cities. Note the road has been built right along the cliffs in some cases with cutouts for the cars to pass through:

Getaria also has a lovely, but smaller and protected beach, somewhat like San Sebastian:

We even caught a glimpse of an adventurous local who was headed out to go spearfishing:

Getaria is well-known as a fishing village and it naturally has some fabulous restaurants that specialize in grilled fish. It is also known for being the birthplace of Juan Sebastián Elkano, who completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth (after Magellan's death in the Philippines, Elkano took command and completed the journey). Portugal and Spain are commemorating the 500-year anniversary of the Magellan-organized and Spanish-sponsored expedition this year. The celebration will continue into 2022, as the journey took three years to complete. The Basques are very proud of their contribution to this momentous feat.

The walk from the Zarautz train stop to the center of Getaria is about 4 miles. So you can work up an appetite for that grilled fish lunch by taking this route. Since the train does not run through Getaria we hopped on a bus back to San Sebastian.

Never a dull moment,

Shana & Jeff

Up Close with the Flysch

We're back after a short vacation from blogging due to the normal ups and downs of everyday life. The next few posts will be about the many fun things we did during Shana's brother's recent visit . We had a great time showing him around the Pais Vasco. As we always remind you -- all visitors are welcome.

In October of 2017, we wrote about our adventure hiking the Flysch Route from Deba to Zumaia. Last Sunday (May 12), we returned to Zumaia for a boat tour of the flysch, which allowed us to learn a lot more about what flysch is and to get some fantastic views from the sea:

As you can see, it was a beautiful day to be on the water. Here is Adam enjoying the scenery:

After the one-hour boat tour, we took some time to enjoy the flysch from the shore as well:

And, for you Game of Thrones fans, Itzurun beach in Zumaia is the setting for Daenerys Targaryen's arrival in Westeros:

Two further GoT fun facts from the Basque region: (1) Zumaia is actually not close to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe where Dragonstone is set (ah, the magic of film), and (2) Daenerys's throne is designed to look like flysch. So, if you want to come see the places that inspired part of the show, we will be happy to show you around.

So, what did we learn about flysch? (Anyone who doesn't care about science stuff can safely skip this paragraph and the next.) We learned that flysch is layers of sediment that was turned on its side when the Iberian Peninsula collided with the rest of the European continent sometime between 20 and 80 million years ago (this collision also formed the Pyrenees Mountains). Before that, the Basque region was under water, and the layers of sediment were at the bottom of the ocean. However, the collision and formation of the flysch allows scientists to read the geological record like a book. Now, instead of layers of sediment getting older from top to bottom, they get older from east to west, allowing for easier research about the history of the planet.

For me, the most interesting thing is how the flysch supports the theory that a meteor striking earth led to worldwide climate change and the extinction of the dinosaurs (along with 75% of other species 66 million years ago). You can actually see in the flysch the line that marks the K/Pg (Cretaceous/Paleogene) boundary. This layer contains a large amount of iridium, an element that is very rare on earth, but very common in meteorites. Pretty cool.

Overall, it was a very fun and educational day, capped off by Shana making a new friend. This is Kaia, and she is only two months old:

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana