Itxassou

We were afforded a luxurious sleep in this morning, before leaving the delightful little village of Banca at the base of the Pyrenees around 10 am. Our first stop was Espelette, a traditional Basque village, known for the Piment d’Espelette (Espelette pepper), a variety of Capsicum. It is only cultivated here, and was classified as an AOC (e.g. geographically controlled) product in 2000 and an APO product in 2002. This is serious Cappo business.

Chili pepper was first introduced to France in the 16th century. It was initially used medicinally, but later became popular as a condiment and for the conservation of meats. It is now a cornerstone of Basque cuisine. Espelette peppers are harvested in late summer, and in September festoons of peppers are hung on balconies and house walls throughout the commune to dry out. They were everywhere when we visited.

In most traditional Basque villages, the white houses have the shutters painted red or green. In Espelette, most of the shutters are red, which perfectly compliments the main hero of the village, the Espelette pepper.

We had several hours here and, as it was a beautiful day, we decided to just roam around the village. Our first stop was the Wednesday market, an absolute hive of activity, where the sellers encourage you to taste their wares. We tasted cheeses, charcuterie, foie gras, jams and the traditional Basque Gateaux - everything was delicious.

There was also a market selling lots of other things like clothes and homewares etc. After the market we headed for the Saint Etienne church, which is considered one of the most beautiful Basque churches. It was built in the 17th century and is decorated with a Baroque altarpiece from the 18th century made from gilded wood.

We wandered through the village and made our way up the Main Street looking for a place to have lunch - preferably outside, but in the shade. We found a lovely spot where we spent the next hour or so eating cheese and charcuterie with a baguette and a couple of chilled glasses of rosé - it was perfect. We even had room for dessert. Ian had a cherry basque gateau and I had peach gelato and, of course, we finished this glorious meal with an espresso.

We met up with everyone at the allotted time to drive to beachside city of Biarritz where the tour finishes. We would also get to see Bronwyn (from 1.5 metres), when we got there.Read more