Ruminations on the languages of el Camino del Norte

There is a tendency to believe that people in Spain speak Spanish. It seems logical and is generally true. There are, however, many local languages that are also spoken and these have caused me some confusion.

Basque – In the early part of el Camino del Norte, the Way runs through the Basque Country. While this language’s uniqueness and the Basque Country natives’ commitment to it are important, the dual language setup of the area can be confusing. Spanish and Basque (also known as euskara) are very, very different so that when signs were posted and places were named in both languages, this Senior Pilgrim often found himself confused. For example San Sebastian (Spanish) and Donostia (Basque) are the same place.

Catalan –