Although many Europeans associate it with political turmoil, the
Basque Country is the only Spanish region where the economic
outlooks is mild. Tuesday 13 March 2012 In the summer months,
the beachside cafés in the Sagües quarter of San Sebastián
(Basque Country, Spain) are bustling. The surfers take their
morning session, while tourists, local youth and middle-aged
clientele take their mid-afternoon cañas, or small beers.
Walking through the parte vieja – old quarter of the city – a
sign reads: “Tourists beware you are not in Spain, nor France,
you are in the Basque Country”. Something seems very different
here. You get the impression that the financial crisis has not
taken hold here. Nevertheless, the winter months are hard for
the service sector. Juan Ramon, a local taxi driver, confirms
the difficulties of keeping one’s head above water in the ‘off-
season’. Elena, one of the owners of La Consentida, a pintxos
bar along the normally thriving coastal avenue, La Zurriola,
notes the effects of the now four-ye