Agur, Basque Country

When all doors seem close and your latest holiday as far away as the next rainbow... Just leave on the spur of the moment! Well, easier said than done, of course. But that's pretty much what we have managed to muster - a last-minute get away. Much needed. Just the four of us. Before the lockdown.

It is a known fact that whenever you turn the corner of your street, you may discover an entirely new world. No need to head for the farthest destination ever. So, map in hand and kids in arms, we leave for the Spanish Basque Country. Just around the corner.

And boy, are we right to do so. To un-plan, to follow our guts and go for an easy ride that proves to be utterly refreshing if not entirely relaxing! Despite the horrid weather, we manage to move around every single day... Well almost every single day. Once, we all feel we need to do... nothing. Or rather, just hang around, listening to music, painting, drawing, cutting and following the inclination of the moment.

Mundaka is our home-base. This emblematic surf spot is quite deserted at this time of the year - something surfer hubby is beyond happy. The first sign of surfers' life are the stickers that cover almost entirely the sign Mundaka at the entrance of the village, making it illegible. We know this is the place, we just know it.

The camping we have chosen offers an excellent restaurant and for our first lunch, we treat ourselves to local "risotto", fish, sea food and pasteles. From then on, we take over in our own kitchenette and enjoy a full array of local pinxtos, with the occasional glass of Txakoli wine (make it a spritz for me, always...sorry!).

The coast on either side of Mundaka is amazingly green (and obviously rainy), boasting a dense eucalyptus forest that smells devine while we wind through it. I would advise a tour of the Urdaibai bird reservation: they have a very detailed educational itinerary for adults and kids alike. The audio guides are included in the price and offer additional explanations and figures that are very interesting, enlightening and playful.

All in all, and before we headed to Bilbao to visit the world-famous Guggenheim museum, we make the best of all that surrounds us, taking deep breaths and contemplating all that natures offers us, from its incredible green hues to the ever changing blue of the ocean.

It is as if taking a step back from the urban civilization was the best way possible to then plunge back into it and be ready to welcome every single one of its riches. So, beware, Bilbao: here we come!