Fredbargate

In a months time we will be visiting the Basque area,
Can anyone please point me to a restaurant / food translation site so we can at least understand a menu?
Basque to Spanish or even Basque to English.
Preferably something we can put on paper so not having to carry electronics with us.

Lynn R

Where do you plan to visit? We went to Bilbao and San Sebastian last year and everything was available in Spanish as well as Basque, often English and French as well. I had wondered if people might be a bit "off" if we spoke Spanish to them, but not at all.

steviedeluxe

Yep, we were in the Basque country last spring. Spanish is used almost universally. Even the separatists find it a difficult language to use, but that may change now it's taught in schools.
One place where I wouldn't advise eating on a budget is San Sebastian - the good places are over-priced! But a great place to walk around. In other places Thursday is a good time to try the pintxos, often a glass of wine and a pintxo for just 2 euros.

Lynn R

I had thought San Sebastian would be very expensive, but actually we didn't find it too bad. We tended to have a menu del dia for lunch (very good quality, more expensive than down here but not by that much - around 15/16€ as I recall, and go for the pinxtos in the evening. It was lovely anyway, I am quite jealous of Fred and wish I was going again.

The only time I really encountered the Basque language was when a lovely old man sitting opposite us on the train back from San Sebastian to Bilbao talked my ear off for more than an hour (he'd been a merchant seaman and wanted to practice his bit of English and tell me about the English ports he'd visited, and tried to teach me a few Basque words - with a singular lack of success!).

Retired in Euskadi

I'll see what I can put together for you, Basque to English, restaurant-wise. Might be 2-3 days or so as we have some friends here this week.
Bilbao will be no problem, since not many people speak Basque there.
San Sebastian (Donosti) is more Basque, but as others have said, just about everything will be in Spanish as well.

An average menu del dia can easily be found anywhere from €10-€15, but as everywhere, you take your choice. they always go up in price at weekends to around €18 at least.
If you let me know your itinerary, I might be able to suggest things in addition. If you have transport, I'd suggest a day trip to la Rioja, such as Laguardia. If you're driving up from down south, I could recommend some 'bodegas', such as Muriel in Elciego, where you can buy a case (12) of Reserva for €30, "sin etiquetta" ie with no label but still a Reserva.

Fredbargate

Thanks to you all for the information so far.

We have gone and booked a trip with the Old Folks ( I think I may be old now as well )

Never done it before and not sure what it's going to be like, but well anything once, don't knock it until you've tried it sort of thing.

Bus Gib to Malaga
AVE to Madrid
1 night in Aranda de Duero
5 nights in Bilbao
Bus AVE bus back.

Visits to Vitoria, Guexto, Bermeo, Guernica, San Sebastian, Biarritz, San Juan de Luz, Guetaria, Zarauz and Loyola

We will probably try and escape from the group at some time ( maybe a lot of the time ) therefore being clued up on menus would be helpful.

We've never been on a Bus trip, never been part of a group, always done our own thing at our own pace before.

Retired in Euskadi

Actually there are some good trips arranged by various "old age" groups, such as the local ones or the national one called "imserso".
It looks a busy schedule; I would have suggested most of the ones on the list.
Guernika market day is Monday & the war museum is impressive; a 3D experience. Bermeo is a pretty fishing village; Guetxo may be because of the famous "suspension" bridge unique to here. San Juan de Luz is a lovely little town just over the border in France, with a Leclerc on the outskirts (in Urugñe) if there are French delicacies you'd like to stock up on. Zarautz is good for surfing so bring your wet suit! Loyola is famous for the Jesuit founder, but you might be visiting Arantzazu where there is a hugely impressive modern church.
A couple of Basque expressions to get you practising on:
agur = 'hola' & also 'goodbye'
eskerrikasko (eskeri kasko all in one mouthful!) is 'thank you.
egunon = good morning
bai = yes
ez (pronounced es) = no
bat, bi, iru lau, bost = 1-5

Will produce something to help with menus in due course.

best wishesThere is a slim book called "Kaixo" (pronounced kysho) an English Basque conversation guide by Garikoitz Knörr de Santiago, but with books being expensive in Spain, it may not be worth the investment.
A good read is one by Paddy Woodworth "The Basque country", part travelogue, part explaining the politics.

cricketman

They are expensive, but not overpriced

San Sebastian is one of the best places in the world for eating well. You can pretty much go anywhere and it will be great

Remember that most people who live their actually called the city Donostia - the Basque name

Retired in Euskadi

What's a price for eating on a budget???? There are lots of restaurants, (often called "jatetxea" in Basque, which means 'eating house') in the old quarter & most menus del dia are anything between €10-15 & average €12, which I don't reckon is anymore expensive than anywhere else in Spain.
Would recommend one called "Jose Mari" where you eat upstairs & is very traditional.
Most pintxos where written are in Spanish, so no problem. The main problem is choosing which ones to eat.

Even the odd "eskerrik asko" or 'agur' is much appreciated.

Lynn R

I often see coach trips advertised locally and the itineraries and prices look good, but on reading the small print they all depart about 23.00 and travel overnight on the coach. No way could we do that - it might be OK for 5 foot nothing Spanish OAPs, but I don't think the OH and I would be able to walk after a night spent cramped up in a coach seat! Travelling by AVE for the longest part of the journey sounds good, though.

Let us know how you get on, hope you enjoy it.

Fredbargate

We depart from the Spanish side of the frontier at 6 AM so basically a taxi at about 5.15 to be sure to be sure.

I may do a trip report if it goes well.

We leave 3 weeks today.

We should have been on a similar trip last week to Cuenca, but after asking at least six times which hotel were we booked into and never recieving an answer we gave up and spent a couple of nights in Cadiz.

However looking around the local ( Spain ) travel agents there are some very cheap trips if you are OK with accommodation in Pensions.We prefer a little better comfort.

Thanks to everyone who has replied and to retired in euzkadi, being able to say simple things like Hello and Thank You is usually appreciated and improves the service.

Retired in Euskadi

Have put together some basic info which I hope might be useful for you, in a word document. Will try to upload it, but may not be successful 1st time!!
Don't worry about pintxos in Donosti; many don't have a description & if they do, it's usually in Spanish also; likewise the menus.
I applaud you for trying to learn a little. It is appreciated, even though you might not think so.
If I can be of further help, do let me know. Never too much trouble.

OrlandoSeaHorse

It may be useful to know what your bus looks like from outside. Not a joke: if you board your bus at night, you may think that its the company X (where you booked the trip) blue bus but turns out they hired company Y green bus. May be difficult to find it in the crowded bus parking lot, because they let the passengers out and park afterwards. Then you come back from the city and don't see your blue bus, just some green one....

Fredbargate

Point taken thanks

Domino

Remember my mum & dad telling a tale about a couple who were on a bus day trip with them who didn't catch it back home. Seems they remembered where they were dropped off but not the name on the side of the bus. But the bus then moved off further up the coach park to allow more buses in.
ISTR they had to pay for a nights board and catch a train home the next day.

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