The Basque country. We had a video camera but no specified filmer. With a point and shoot on sports setting we managed to capture this moment. Dominic just a fraction post-peak at Algorta. 6 years had passed since the twin towers fell.

We were in Bilbao staying with classy Belgian gentleman Hans Classens. The loose plan was to check some parks check some spots and generally explore the area.

We didn’t have to stray very far to find this serene sun-worshiper amongst the crisp packets and cigarette ends.

Ahoy!

Oil!

Prometheus brought them fire and Pandora opened her box. Um…oil well that ends well?

Guernica!

Picasso consistently turned it sideways. According to the wikipedia entry on the bombing of Guernica “A tapestry copy of Picasso’s Guernica is displayed on the wall of the United Nations building in New York City, at the entrance to the Security Council room. It was placed there as a reminder of the horrors of war.” Which in turn makes me think of Dr Strangelove, “Gentlemen! You can’t fight in here, this is the war room” Here’s Hans front feebling in the town of Guernica.

http://www.sanctusurethanus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/classens-less-compressed.mov

A skatepark in a town near Guernica!

This strange building overlooked the skatepark. From it’s lofty vantage point it quietly presided. What is it? Why was it built and who built it? I never found out but it gave me an uneasy feeling whenever I looked up at it. The sensation of being observed by something potentially sinister.Perhaps I was attempting to shake off that eerie feeling when I edited the following holiday video to this particular song. If that was my intention then I failed.

http://www.thepredatorybird.com/basque.mov

After that we said goodbye to Hans, Fabian, Ivan and Ty the dog and we traveled by budget airline to Hungary.

It was here, in Budapest, that Dominic would see how deep the rabbit hole really went.