A morning tour of Bayonne

Our group was given a tour of Bayonne by a local named Claire. She explained that under Franco the Basque language and customs were forbidden. The boomer generation was not allowed to learn Basque but the next was. This area came under British rule via inheritance in 1152, marked by the stained glass of the crest of Richard the Lionhearted (King Richard 1 of England 1189). The Nazis had an appreciation for Bayonne architecture and occupied many buildings thus saving them from destruction during WWII. We had a sampling of pasteurized and unpasteurized sheep cheese. Claire’s husband is a shepherd and sells his milk to the producer of the samples from the market. It was Saturday so the market was in full swing. Our next stop was the Basque Museum where a young woman provided insights into the history and customs of the Basque. Her grandparents taught her Basque, her mother French and her father Spanish and she picked up English from school and friends.Read more