TREMP, CATALONIA — Ramón, the man I befriend over a glass of locally made vino blanco the night before, orders me to follow him across a freshly ploughed farmer’s field to get to a treasure he claims is 50 million years old.

SANT CUGAT, CATALONIA — The narrow, corkscrew highway I’m nervously navigating is known as the Via Romanesque (Road) and it zigzags through the Pyrenees, dipping dramatically into the bosom of the great mountain range before rising again as high as the pointed peaks.

BILBAO, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN - Rubén Varela is up bright and early to greet guests staying at the Hotel Miró, a chic little property that sits directly across the street from this city’s most famous landmark, the Guggenheim Museum.

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, BASQUE COUNTRY - I’m told to don a hard hat before entering the 11th century Santa María Cathedral, and cautioned not to hit my head on the scaffolding and supports helping to prevent the crumbling structure from falling on my head.

BILBAO, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN - Esther Boulandier skips across the reception area of this city’s renowned Guggenheim Museum with the boundless energy of a child let loose in a candy store.

BILBAO, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN — I turn a corner in the Getxo district of this lovely Basque city and am stopped in my tracks by what looks like a giant Erector Set version of London’s Tower Bridge.

PASAIA, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN - In this tiny backwater fishing port that opens up to the Atlantic’s Bay of Biscay, Canadian and Basque history intersect at a small maritime museum that is hoping to recreate the past.

SAN SEBASTIÁN, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN - Mornings don’t get much better than in this Bay of Biscay beauty that snuggles up against Europe’s southwest coast just south of France.

GALICIA, SPAIN - Early morning or early evening, the cheerful chatter of birds is constant through the open window in our room at the Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil, a converted, ancient Spanish monastery.

GIRONA, SPAIN - I arrive in this colourful city just as townsfolk are setting up a giant stage for an evening rock concert.