Storm Gods, the latest installment in the Storm Thriller Series had many scenes in Laguardia, Spain. The Basque Country, which lies in the Northwest of Spain is an area rich in history and beauty.
The Basque are an ancient people who share genetic and physical traits. They are independent with a language, still in use, that predates the Roman occupation of Iberia.
We took a bike trip through the area several years ago. This is wine country and the grapes hung heavy on the vines in September when we visited. The Ebro River runs through much of the area and provides fertile ground for crops as well.
For the story, I chose two cities. Laguardia, a small village in the wine country and Bilbao, a larger city a dozen miles from the coast. Both are rich in history, which I used in the story.
Bilbao was one of the main ship-building ports in the Middle Ages. Located upriver to avoid the Viking raiders, the city was known for its ships and navigators. Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria was built here and many of his navigators and crew were from the area.
Laguardia is a small village which sits high on a bluff overlooking the Ebro River Valley. The city is built on a network of ancient caves that have been used for one purpose or another since the Middle Ages. The caves are mainly used for wine storage now.