Tuesday 5/21/19 – Well today was my last day in France. Tomorrow I cross over into Northern Spain to San Sebastián. I really liked Southern France and it totally exceeded my expectations. So much beauty and so many quaint little villages. I may have to retire here! Viva La France!!
This afternoon I took a bus to two towns a little north of here called Bayonne and Biarritz. But in the morning I stayed in St-Jean-de-Luz to check out their farmer’s market. The first 3 pics show how they again love their cheese but the interesting thing here was the large number of people selling paella. It really shows the influence that Spain has in this southern portion of France.
The next set of pictures is from Bayonne. Known for establishing Europe’s first whaling industry and for inventing the bayonet, Bayonne is more famous today for its ham (jambon de Bayonne) and its chocolate. Of course I tried them both!
The first pic is of The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Ste Marie (Our Lady of St Mary’s). The Gothic Cathedral was rebuilt between 1258-1450 after the original Romanesque building was damaged by fire. The two spires were added in the late 19th century. The Cathedral is part of the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela.
The rest of the pics are from walking around the quaint little alleyways and along the small river. It reminded me of Amsterdam a little with all the shutters and the colorful half timbered buildings. I loved the little carousel from 1900.
The next set of pics starting with me at the beach is from Biarritz. In the 19th century, Biarritz (bee-ah-ritz) was a simple whaling harbor and then almost overnight became a high class aristocrat magnet dubbed the “beach of kings”. Heck the next G7 meeting will be held here in August. Perched over a popular surfing beach, anchored by grand hotels and casinos, hemmed in by jagged and picturesque rocky isles at either end, and watched over by a lighthouse on a distant promontory, Biarritz is a striking beach resort.
The church pic is of the Eugenie Chapel which was built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style and was named after Saint Eugenia, the patron saint of Napoléon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie de Montijo. That church also had a boat hanging from the ceiling. That Eugenia had some boat issues!
The pic after the church is of a rock called Rocher de la Vierge (Virgin of the Rock) which has the Virgin Mary watching over all the surfer dudes!
Well that’s all for today. Brushing up on my Spanish to get ready to head across the border to the other part of the Basque region. Olé!
Happy Tuesday! Enjoy!
Jeff
The Wandering Italian 