Camino Norte, day 8, to Gernika

We walked from Hotel Antsotegi to Marakina, as it was only 2 km. My friends Dolores and John had told me Guernica was a special place, and we wanted some extra time there, and not just in pop in exhausted then split the next day. Sooooo, we took a bus from Markina to Gernika, so we could see the sights.

Gernika is a town of about 16000, on the river Oka. It holds a historically significant oak tree on a plaza in town. From its founding in 1366, the tree has been the site of legislative meetings, swearing in of kings, and regional agreements. A descendant of the Gernika tree is still present in a plaza in downtown Gernika (Gernika is the Basque spelling, Guernica is the Spanish and English spelling).

Gernika was bombed during the Spanish Civil War, by the German and Italian armies. The purpose of the bombing was to knock out a bridge and a weapons factory in town. The whole town was destroyed, with 3000 civilians killed. The only things left standing were the bridge and the weapons factory.

Costs for the day:

Sept 17 Markina to Gernika
Chorizo, nestea €6
Bus to Loketio €3
Bus to Gernika €3
Apartment rented via airbnb.