Mikel Ayestaran
It is a small green oasis on the seashore, a mountainous, beachy and urban territory at the same time, but whose heart is inland.
I am Mikel Ayestaran (Beasain, 1975), a journalist specialized in the Middle East and a writer. I have lived in Jerusalem with my family for six years and from here I travel throughout the region to cover the news.
Gipuzkoa is a small green oasis on the seashore, a mountainous, beachy and urban territory at the same time, with a coast where Donostia or Zarautz are a showcase to the world, but whose heart is inland.
For a person who travels so much and lives 3,000 km away, Gipuzkoa means home and closeness. The dominating image of Txindoki seen from Nafarroako Etorbidea in Beasain comes to my mind. I grew up in the foothills of this Big Brother-like stone mountain that watches over everything in the Goierri area.
The favorites of Mikel Ayestaran
Mandubiko Benta
In the heart of the Goierri, is not a place that you walk past. You have to get there and go up the Mandubia port. It is well worth visiting. In my case, it brings back memories of my childhood and adolescence surrounded by that landscape, the endless menus... It is like eating at home.
In the heart of the Goierri, is not a place that you walk past. You have to get there and go up the Mandubia port. It is well worth visiting. In my case, it brings back memories of my childhood and adolescence surrounded by that landscape, the endless menus... It is like eating at home.
Ataun and Aralar
Ataun because I spent a good part of my childhood there in Barbetxea, the baserri or family farmhouse, and Aralar because of the long walks I took from Lizarrusti to Lareo with my father. Now they call it 'hiking'. Back then it was simply “going to the mountains”.
Ataun because I spent a good part of my childhood there in Barbetxea, the baserri or family farmhouse, and Aralar because of the long walks I took from Lizarrusti to Lareo with my father. Now they call it 'hiking'. Back then it was simply “going to the mountains”.
Loiola
Loiola, in Azpeitia, has been my fostering place. There, in the Municipal Library, I wrote a part of my book ‘Oriente Medio, Oriente roto’. My children took their first steps in the gardens surrounding the basilica. It is a quiet place, especially the back of the sanctuary, with Izarraitz in the background.
Loiola, in Azpeitia, has been my fostering place. There, in the Municipal Library, I wrote a part of my book ‘Oriente Medio, Oriente roto’. My children took their first steps in the gardens surrounding the basilica. It is a quiet place, especially the back of the sanctuary, with Izarraitz in the background.
