Another weekend, another excursion! After last weekend’s trip to French Basque Country, we decided it would be only fitting to show Marco and Cameron the coast on the other side of the border. So, we set off along the winding roads of the highway outside of San Sebastián, direction west.

Making pitstops, of course, to admire the local fauna. Without fail, our American stages have been absolutely fascinated with the local sheep. Soon we arrived in Getaria, a tiny village known in some circles for being the birthplace of Cristobal Balenciaga, famous fashion designer, and in quite different circles as the birthplace of Juan Mari Elkano, first man to circumnavigate the globe. We know it, however, for its anchovies.

No trip to Getaria is complete without a stop in Itsas Mendi, for some of their delicious Maisor anchovies. But this time, the stages got a special surprise, a tour of the back processing room. We learned about how anchovies are made, start to finish.

What is basically a long curing period, where the cleaned anchovies are left to soak in salt, is followed by the final cleaning before they are packaged in olive oil and ready to be consumed.  The Maisor anchovies are prized for their lack of any bones, and they melt like butter on the tongue. Best in the world? Maybe. Check out Cameron’s blog post for a second opinion.