Boise Basque

The Basque have their own museum in Boise

Kathy and I enjoy Basque food and drinks at Bar Gernika.

  

The Basque are big in Boise.  For those not familiar with this ethnic group, the Basque are a friendly folk that originate in Spain and France.  They have their own unique language of unknown origin that looks somewhat like a combination of Greek and Olde English.  They build Frontons and play pelota. (Think racquetball played with sticks in large barns.) They have big outdoor weddings.  They combine wine and coca cola and call it Kalimotxo. (See picture above.  Surprisingly good and surprisingly strong.) Above all, they are very welcoming.

How do I know all this?  Because my friend Kathy and I went on a tour of downtown Boise, sponsored by the historical society.  We started our tour at the Basque Museum, across from the Basque Market and the Basque square where they were setting up for a Basque wedding.  Our tour guide Bill, most recently of New York, had no previous experience with the Basque.  But he saw an ad for singers for the Basque choir when he first moved to Boise and decided, why not?  He called the number and spoke to a Basque gentlemen with a sonorous voice and told the gentleman he knew no Basque (considered one of the hardest languages on the planet to master), was not Basque, and couldn't really sing that well either.  The Basque gentleman paused for a moment, and then said, "Perfect."  Bill has been a fan of the Basque since.  And now I am too.