Category Archives: Travel

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This week’s plan – postcards from the Basque Country

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Towards the end of last year, we had days with leave that had to be taken, and no days with space for leave, or time to plan.

A kind friend in Spain did a little research for me. She pointed out that the north west of the country needed a chance to recover from terrible wildfires, and patiently offered a few suggestions about the north east. I followed those up but discovered we were too late for the obvious places, so our search drifted even further north into ‘el País Vasco‘, where it seemed there were still options available.

I’d never visited the Basque Country before, but I’d always wanted to. It and its troubles, have been part of my understanding of Spain. They had coloured my Spanish studies at university, the violent separatist group ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna – Basque homeland and liberty) insisting on attention. In 2011 the violence officially ended. In April 2017 the group said it had disarmed. And the following year – 2018 – ETA announced that it had disbanded.

Now, in 2022, we had the chance to visit, to savour the cooking my professor had talked so highly of.

In a few frantic hours we’d booked our flights into Bilbao, reserved a car and found a small hotel in a fishing town, Lekeitio. Our stay was to be for four nights. We knew nothing about the town, other than what we could find online. This included two significant facts – Lekeitio is one of the most important fishing ports on the Basque coast, and it is prone to be wet and windy.

As we packed our bags I wondered what both would mean for our September visit.

Here is a link to the blog that drew our attention to Lekeitio in the first place

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Final postcard from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

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Dotted with sheep and ridged with tiny tracks, the hills around Hawke’s Bay seem to roll on forever, like a rumpled duvet. For the most part the slopes are without trees, those having lost their ground centuries earlier to humans. The tallest of the peaks in that region is Te Mata, from where I took this photograph during my visit in June 2022.

On one of the days I was there, I was taken for a drive through the hills. For part of the way we followed the Tukituki River, along an almost empty, winding road towards the coast, to visit a beautiful old homestead. The day – so special – began grey and cold, and ended with bright sunshine.

We drove back in the evening, the last of the sun picking out the tracks left by livestock as they walked the hills in search of the sweetest pastures. The sheep, dotted far and wide, seemed so small against the geography of it all, and I could imagine, barely hidden beneath them, the restless shift of tectonic plates. Occasionally there were farm houses, and closer to Havelock North, some immaculate vineyards, but for the most part it was a quiet road. The distances between neighbours were not huge, but the hills added an isolating feel. I wondered how it was for the farmers.

The next day I flew out of Napier, to Auckland, the carpet of crewcut hills tumbling away beneath us.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Postcard about Birdwoods, New Zealand

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I saw elephants in New Zealand, at Birdwoods, strolling across the frosty grass. It felt strangely right, to see them in Havelock North, at the home/gallery/cafe/shop, of Zimbabwean friends of mine, Louise and Bruce Stobart.

At the end of June 2022, I spent three days with them, surrounded by art and hospitality. It was fascinating and wonderful, and full of bounce, despite the low ebb of tourists and seasonal workers that winter. New Zealand had just re-opened its borders post-pandemic and, like everywhere else, was trying to adjust to a new reality.

My memories of my stay, are of laughter, of greenery, and of art. And for me, what added that little extra, was the white waddle of the ducks beneath the trees as they went about their day, ignoring the visitors, the masterpieces, and the gentle bongs of the giant windchime. Every so often they would splash into the pond, unphased by the lifesize metal crocodile who kept watch by the fountain. I hope they, and all at Birdwoods, have had a good summer.

(‘Snow Queen‘ below is by Zimbabwean sculptor, Lovemore Bonjisi. She may since have found new owners, but she looked completely at home in the Birdwoods garden, surrounded by other Zimbabwean carvings and sculptures).

Here is a link to Birdwoods with more information

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023