The Pays Basque is about colours... First and foremost, three of them; the green, white and red of the Ikurrina, the omnipresent flag. Green like the hills, the last movement of the Pyrenees mountains as they fade into the ocean... White like the foam of the Atlantic waves, the house fronts, the pelote players costumes as they compete in front of the pediments. Red like the tiled roofs, the festival berets and the tasty Espelette peppers. About colours... but also about passion. You should not get carried away by over sentimental images. A powerful heart beats behind the serene beauty. The soul of a nation resolutely linked to its land. A united nation that crosses national frontiers, linked by a language that is the basis for its identify, a unique culture that lives on and is in good health depite the trials and tribulations of history. Euskadi, or more correctly Euskal Herria, can be translated equally well as country, land, nation or the Basque people.