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Arrecifes, Argentina.  There is a lot of excitement among those who have already signed up for “Euskal Herria 2013,” organized by the sisters Mariana and Estefania Dominé.  They are now impatiently awaiting the arrival of spring, when, on May 27 to be exact, the group will leave Buenos Aires for Bilbao to begin a two-week tour to visit and live in Euskal Herria.

‘The idea began small, without a limit on how many could go,” Mariana explained to EuskalKultura.com. “Then, when we began to spread the word, members of other Basque clubs became interested in going, as well as non-member who just like to travel.  That is how we ended up with 20 participants and have decided that 25 would be the perfect number.”

Dominé is very passionate about Euskal Herria and the Basque culture as shown in her work as a singer in the folk-group Maral, a group that sings in Argentina Basque classics such as “Lau teilatu,” among others.  According to her, she decided to organize the trip, “because it makes me really happy to accompany others to the Basque Country and share in their excitement when visiting Euskal Herria and find their roots, like I did.”

Firsthand Experience

“I think we are all looking for the same thing when we travel to Euskal Herria for the first time, to experience everything firsthand that we have been talking about our whole lives, feel aromas, flavors, see colors that have been present implicitly or that can materialize, finally,” explained Mariana. "In addition, of course, to find oneself through family, if you still have family there, see the village if available, or simply bring home some stones from the place we belong to. I hope everyone can fulfill this desire with the highest intensity possible.”

The group will visit places like Bilbao, Gernika, the Bizkaian coast, Elorrio, Donostia, Ordizia, Idiazabal, Oñati and the sanctuaries of Arantzazu and Loiola, Hondarribia, Biarritz, Zugarramurdi, Iruña-Pamplona, Donibane Garazi, Elizondo, Vitoria-Gasteiz… "a complete visit that will allow travelers to get to know and enjoy a variety of landscapes, cuisine, traditions, as well as various dialects of Basque in the different Basque provinces".

-Anyone looking for information on the trip can contact Mariana Dominé via email: mdomine2002@hotmail.com