How We Spent Our Summer Not in Montpellier

 

The lighthouse in Biarritz

 

This is the first of several blogs about our summer travels.

 

It gets hot in Montpellier, hot and humid, even during non-extreme years. This year, which is shaping up to be an especially extreme one, we escaped. And went, quite counterintuitively, to Spain.

 

Northern Spain. More precisely, the mountains of northern Spain, which we have found to be cool and even a bit foggy and rainy.

On the way to the mountains, though, we stopped at the beach.

We started by driving west from Montpellier and just kept going. Eventually we came to the Atlantic Ocean, and ended near the French town of Bayonne. 

 

          Bayonne—Biarritz

View of our terrace, with it's near-perfect palm tree.

Paula had found us quite a nice apartment in the suburbs, in the town of Anglet. It was our host’s home, which meant is was well equipped and livable. It was such a relief to open the doors and windows and allow the cool, humid breezes in! (To block out the sun, in Montpellier we kept the windows closed and the shutters down.) We quite enjoyed our week in this beach town. Ah, beach town. That’s how it felt, even though the beach was a not-very-walkable few kilometers away. But it is a surfing community, and has a real, laid-back, beach town vibe.

Comfortable living room... with all the windows open!

We went—or rather tried to go—to the beach one evening. We drove along the coast past beach after beach, and every parking lot was full (and Europeans are very good at squeezing cars into every tiny spot). We did eventually find a place to stick the car while we walked to the beach, but it was a lesson on summertime at European beaches!

One of the many beaches near Anglet. The Biarritz lighthouse is off in the distance on the left.

EVERY one wants to be at the beach at sunset!

And so do we!

We were in Anglet for the Fourteenth of July, Bastille Day, comparable to Independence Day in the US, France’s Fourth of July. Anglet is too small to host anything, but the big cities of Bayonne and Biarritz, would, no doubt, have extensive displays of fireworks.

Bayonne, with its twin church spires, from across the river.

View of the river near Bayonne.

We had no interest in going, fighting our way through the crowds to come home very late. (things started at 11PM!). We stayed home and watched the flashes in the sky. It took quite a while before I realized it was not fireworks flashing in the sky, but Nature’s own light show: massive cloud-to-cloud lightning discharges! It was many hours before that show, our own personal display, was done!

 

We took the local bus into Bayonne a couple of times. It’s a nice, compact city on a river, full of restaurants and tourist shops.

Street scene, Bayonne.

The well-known Big City in this area, though, is Biarritz.

The city of Biarritz and its famous beach.

Biarritz, former vacation spot for royalty and the rich, was a bit high-end for us. We visited the lighthouse and saw the beaches from afar, but had no real interest in the city itself. Still, we did poke around a bit.

Classic old home in Biarritz.

Boy, there're sure not makin' em like they used to! Compare this old gal with the modern apartment building behind it...

We skipped Biarritz. More to our liking was the French Basque country, including the port town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the jumping off point where the Camino de Santiago climbs into the Pyrenees.

There are many approaches to this venerated pilgrimage route, all leading to the cathedral in the Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela. Paths branch from all points in Europe; there’s one that runs through Montpellier. There are alternate paths in Spain: one route runs along the coast through San Sebastian and Oviedo. The route through the Pyrenees, though, is quite popular (and was featured in Martin Sheen’s 2010 movie about the pilgrimage, The Way.)

We were to cross paths (as it were) with the route, and pilgrims following it, throughout our stay.

           Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Just inside the walls of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Busy street scene!

The route out of town.

The Pilgrim's Boutique provides everything pilgrims might need on their journey. 
Note the yellow rays at the bottom: a stylized shell, the symbol of Saint James, and a trail sign for the route. 

Another route across the river.

The traditional starting point for the Camino de Santiago, this is a very picturesque town full of people in full-on hiking gear coming and going. The pilgrims, plus trekkers and hikers of all kinds, make this a lively place. We walked through the town, had an excellent lunch, then followed the road for a quick visit into Spain. (And a gas station: gas in cheaper in Spain!)

 

          Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Classic old building in the small town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

We spent a few hours in this beach-side town. Its Golden Age was the 17^th Century, when it was one of the largest cities in the area. Once hosting a large fishing fleet, and a haven for pirates (English sailors called it the “viper’s nest”), today it is known for its tourist beaches. But still, it played an important part in French-Spanish relations, back in its golden age: it was here that King Louis XIV of France wed Maria-Theresa, the Infanta of Spain, in 1660, ending a bitter war. Nobles and the well-to-do built fine homes, some of which are still in place.

Maison de l'Infante, where the princess Marie-Therese stayed for her wedding to Louis XIV; built around 1640.

Another house of someone rich and famous, don't remember who; also from the 17th C.

It started raining while we were in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. So for us, it was lunch, a stroll to the far side of town, and a quick hustle back to the car.

 

The fabulous beach of Saint-Jean-de-Luz . These volleyball players won't let a little rain stop their game!

We’re back in Montpellier now, but still have much to tell, so the next few blogs will continue with our summer travels to Spain.

The more modern side of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. (Also very picturesque!)