FLY DIRECT TO THE BASQUE COAST

SO many thousands are flocking to Spain's Costa Brava these days that we do not hear so much about the Basque coast as we used to.
However, as the airfield at Fuenterabia has been recently enlarged it now ranks as an international airport, so that services can operate direct from London to serve Spain's Basque coast resorts. You can now fly direct there, instead of to Biarritz and then a tiresome coach or rail journey interrupted by passport and Customs formalities at the FrancoSpanish frontier. San Sebastian certainly holds pride of place on this coast, with numerous good hotels, three splendid beaches and all
the attractions of a seaside resort. Don't heed stories you may be told of irksome restrictions. While one-piece swim suits used to be compulsory years ago and shorts were banned completely, much has changed in recent times, and the Basque coast is now as "free" as any other.
If you are one who prefers a smaller and quieter resort then along the Basque coast you have the choice of Deva. Zarauz, and Zumaya, all within easy reach of San Sebastian. Within easy reach, yes. if you have a car or can hire one, but don't expect too much of Spain's transport and coin munications. A railway running along the coast connects these smaller resorts with San Sebastian, but trains are not all that frequent, so keep an eye on the times, or you may be stranded.
Many prefer Fuenterabia, a small resort with a good beach right up against the French frontier.
There are a number of excellent coach tours available from the Basque resorts, one of the most popular being to Loyola, birthplace of St. Ignatius. The ancient manor is a Jesuit sanctuary now, and almost every room is a chapel, but many would prefer to see the place as it was when St. Ignatius lived here.
Not as well known as it ought to be is Aranzazu, the great Marian sanctuary of the Basque people. High up in the hills, nearly 3,000 feet above the sea, a daringly modern basilica enshrines an ancient and venerated picture of the Mother of God. This great new church on an ancient shrine has evoked the usual storm of controversy.
The Basque people rightly cling to their ancient language, their own games and local customs, and certainly to their Faith. but in other matters they can be as boldly progressive as any other nation.
Inland from the coast? The foothills of the Pyrenees, covered with pine and ferns, ' while the valleys are a perpetual green. Irrigated by the melting snows of the high mountains, the region does not present the parched appearance summer brings to most of Spain. Deeper inland, the hills —still thickly wooded—become much higher and more craggy, while the valleys narrow into defiles.
On the shores of the Ray of Biscay, the Basque country is perhaps the most pleasant and the most attractive of all Spain.