Death Notice

During my time in Donibane, I witnessed something very uncommon, at least from my experiences as an American. While wandering back to the restaurant for lunch, we passed a home/apartment with a framed photo tacked to the column leading up to it. The two brothers exclaimed something (it was in Basque, so no contiendo) and did the sign of the cross.

Miguel looked at me and did the sign of slicing one’s neck, meaning the guy that lived there had died.

It was very sobering to witness how different cultures respond to things.

Had this been NYC, there would have been a line of proposed tenants and brokers outside the home hoping to get in on a good, hopefully rent-stabilized apartment.

But in this small town of northern Spain, with 3000 people, they simply do the sign of the cross and remember someone with fond memories.