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Saint-Esprit

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    • TravelerBikepacking Portugal
      Day 19

      Tag 18: Verabschiedung

      March 14 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Nach der Nacht am Strand erstmal den ganzen Sand einpacken und Richtung Moliets fahren. Mittags richtig geil snacken Kaffee trinken und dann zum ersten Reparaturstopp nach Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains. Mein Rad hatte nur ne lockere Schraube - Brians musste länger repariert werden. Deshalb trennen sich unsre Wege hier wieder leider - schade - war richtig schön!
      Ich fahr weiter nach Bayonne, um endlich mal wieder „normal“ zu duschen und meine Sachen zu waschen. Morgen gehts dann weiter nach Spanien - richtig Bock 🚴‍♂️      Read more

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    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      2
      23
      Day 81

      Day trip to St Jean de Luz

      October 18, 2021 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Today was fabulous! Another gorgeous day - cool to start, then quite warm, and sunny. I don’t know how long this can last, but we are making the most of it! We had heard this place was lovely, and only 23 minutes by train from Bayonne. So after breakfast we hopped on a train, and found such a beautiful town. It was bigger than we had imagined, though the historic centre, like most towns, is small. But it is a big beach - no surf - in a bay, not unlike San Sebastián, with a port behind where all the fishing boats are. You can stand and look west and you see the Atlantic, and you look east and see the Pyrénées - or where they come to join the sea. So beautiful. Maybe like a mini Nice, but without all the hype.

      There is a promenade all along the waterfront and another thing that we found surprising was that on a Monday in the second half of October there were many people enjoying the day here. Local tourists, and also many people on the sand and even in the water! I think we are lucky to be there now, as I imagine that in summer it would be horribly crowded. But today it was perfect, plenty of people enjoying themselves, many bars and restaurants open, many shops with Basque products and of course the charming Basque architecture.

      We had lunch, walked round the historic areas, sat and read kindles on a seat facing the water, and walked the full length of the bay and up to the headland. A lovely day. Now back and about to find something to eat!      Read more

    • Camino de Santiago
      Day 3

      Bayonne

      September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      The "train" to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port has magically be converted into two buses! Great weather,sunny and very warm. Onto the Pyrenees!

    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      31
      Day 85

      Last day in Bayonne, and a haircut

      October 22, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Apparently it rained madly during the night…Amr tells me that he had to close the window because of the noise! But it didn’t rain today - just cloudy and cool. So we set off to explore some sections of the city we hadn’t seen, and during that walk I saw a coiffure and decided to have a haircut. Made an appointment to come back at 1400h. Then during our wandering we went to a coffee shop that Amr had spotted that looked as if it took coffee seriously…and it was Amr heaven! The man used a hand grinder and he and Amr discussed brands of grinders - he has a German one and Amr a Japanese one, and he said that Australian baristas were in the finals of the international barista competition in Milan on Sunday! (I had a phenomenal hot chocolate!)…

      Then we decided to go to a wine bar we had seen as we didn’t really feel like lunch, and that also was a success…he gets serious wines and gets them for sale in boxes…he was a serious sommelier, for which you get a special badge (we knew this from our French friend who we know from TapaVino)…anyway, that was fun too, and he said when you have a wine you have food to match and we had some jambon and salad which was just perfect.

      Then I went to my haircut. She was a lovely woman, and we communicated well - she knew a little English, and I knew a little French and we got on very well. I had just got to the time when the long hair which can be fine for a while, suddenly was impossible and I thought I can’t have a week in Paris with a feeling of a permanent bad hair day! So I am very happy and will probably be ready for yet another cut just before our return to Oz!

      Had downtime at hotel. And Amr has meanwhile booked many dinners and concerts for when we are in Paris and London! Very exciting….and you also have to book for the Louvre, Orangerie, d’Orsay etc because of covid, so we are all booked up for culture and eating!! And I think even Rigoletto at Bastille opera! Alarms set for early tomorrow as our TGV leaves at 8.06am. Got an email today from the SNCF (French trains) that the strike will not effect our train! Phew! Hadn’t known about the strike…so back to Paris in the morning. The true end of the walk and Pays Basque.      Read more

    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      Day 84

      Biarritz revisited and Bayonne

      October 21, 2021 in France ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      We didn’t do much today so there’s not a lot to write…as predicted the weather changed, and it is COLD! Can’t believe that 2 days ago we were hot and even yesterday didn’t even need jackets. We got up leisurely and decided to hop on the bus to Biarritz again, just because it is so easy. So we saw a different place…it was raining on and off, as a cloud would blow over, but not teeming rain. But it was cold and blowy, and the pavement cafes were deserted, the beach empty, except for a few brave swimmers, and no visible tourists wandering the streets.

      We walked round along the waterfront for a bit, but then took shelter in a cafe (inside this time), and read kindles in a semi sheltered spot till it rained again. Very interesting to see the same place so different 2 days apart.

      Came back and had lunch and some downtime in our hotel, then went out for wine and tapas. We went to a place that looked popular, but found (after we ordered and ate) that it was not a good food place. For the first time we found a place that didn’t come up to scratch for food! (Or we are getting picky)! It was edible, but just boring, and I suspect not “house” made…anyway, we went back to our last night’s place and had another glass of wine and one tapa (a goat cheese panna cotta)…and the waitress there remembered us and said she had seen us today in Biarritz!! Her son goes to school there…and she said she likes Biarritz as it’s quieter and calmer than Bayonne (except it can’t be in summer)…but interesting to hear. And amazing that she remembered us…I guess we are a rather odd couple! Only 2 photos..one of the empty beach in Biarritz, where the swell was quite big today, and one rather ghastly one of the goat cheese tonight (the food looks fine, I am the ghastly one)…I am in dire need of a hair cut and am wondering whether to do it in French or wait till Liverpool…who knows how desperate I will be!      Read more

    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      1
      Day 83

      A day in Bayonne

      October 20, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Today we planned to spend in Bayonne, while the weather continues to be good, and see all that we can see and do. Knowing we had nothing specific planned, and weren’t off walking or on an excursion to somewhere I suddenly felt drained of energy!! Sort of like on our rest days when you get tired just doing nothing…! I guess after 55 exciting days in France we can feel a bit slow…anyway, we had breakfast (at the hotel now - we had initially booked for 2 nights without breakfast, but added 4 nights and the new rate included breakfast) and quite a substantial one, more than just coffee and a pastry, and set off to see the city under normal conditions, compared to the crowded festive Sunday when we first arrived.

      We took it easy, looked at the beautiful cathedral inside now that there wasn’t a mass going on, but first went to the tourist office to get a map which wasn’t in Basque! I have found out that the 3 languages some signs are in are Basque, French and Gascogne. (There are often signs in Spanish too, but Gascogne was the mystery one).

      Then we basically just wandered, looking at shops, stopping for coffee, and sat in the public garden - very pretty and peaceful - to read kindles. Our main mission of the day was to visit the Basque museum which was interesting and well presented. We have both read books about Basque history and found it excellent. For dinner we found a tapas bar where we could have wine and tapas without waiting till late, and pick at what we chose without being faced with a big plateful! (Ted will be pleased to know that one of the tapas choices was gyozas, which we had - not at all Basque, but a change and delicious!!). We wandered back in the twilight, very pretty.      Read more

    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      3
      1142
      Day 82

      A Ritzy day in Biarritz

      October 19, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      It’s now almost 10.30 pm, very late for writing the day, but I must try before I forget. Another superb day, weather wise and activity wise! Actually almost too hot - I think it went up to 29°, but not complaining….I wore my light and comfy Aldi pants, and sandals that I didn’t think I’d be wearing again till back in Sydney. We decided to take advantage of the weather and have another seaside excursion - this time to Biarritz, which is a 20 minute bus ride away, a route - the T1 - that goes every 5 or 10 minutes.

      Biarritz was a contrast to St Jean de Luz in that it is big, and full of huge posh hotels and grand buildings…where royalty used to come to stay, or the hotel du Palais which was a palace of Napoleon III. There is a string of beautiful beaches, amazing rock formations and a small fishing port (where we had lunch), and a lighthouse on one headland. Lots of people out and about with the wonderful weather, and again quite a crowd in the water. We walked from one end to the other, quite a distance, and at one end at least I don’t think you can swim at high tide as the water obviously came right up to the stone wall. This time, with sandals only to deal with, I had a paddle and the water was quite warm! I thought it would be freezing..would have been tempted to go in if I had swimmers.

      Anyway, lots of fun wandering along and seeing all…amazing houses - some Art Deco and art nouveau, Basque and some ghastly relics from the 50s (not too many of them thank goodness). Had a light lunch of our favourite peppers padron and chiperons (there is such a merging of Spanish - language and food - here…often signs are in Basque, French and Spanish, and there are always Rioja wines in the wine list…we realised that looking at the map when we were in St Jean de Luz yesterday we were closer to San Sebastián than to Bayonne (or it seemed to be!). At lunch we each had a glass of white wine chosen by the waiter, but a couple at the next table had a bottle of rosé and offered us to finish the end of their bottle - a half glass each! Very friendly.

      So after a lovely day we returned for a short while before setting out to get some dinner. Decided to go somewhere new, not to go back to the 2 we had already tried, and walking along the riverbank where there are lines of restaurants saw a small one we hadn’t noticed and asked for a table there…and after being seated found we were in a serious Hartley restaurant, very streamlined and meticulous and laidback but perfect! You can’t tell by the prices on the list outside, as they aren’t all that different from restaurant to restaurant, but this was really special, and we have found that it has a Michelin star. Anyway we had a wonderful meal which had just fallen from the sky! Fish - I had cod and Amr hake. We didn’t want entrées but asked for a salad (which wasn’t on the menu) and they checked and said fine…and with our dinner came a dish of rocket and radicchio, with nuts and pine nuts and a perfect dressing…very flexible for a restaurant (that was before we realised what we were in) of that calibre. So now back and satisfied and off to bed.      Read more

    • TravelerEscape to USA, France and UK
      211
      Day 80

      Bayonne - a day of Festivity

      October 17, 2021 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      This morning we sadly left St Jean Pied de Port and the end of our walking programme. Our bags are again our responsibility, and we got the train down the mountain to Bayonne where we are staying for 6 nights in the same room!! We had only ever seen the train station at Bayonne, but today we emerged into the city itself and it is amazing! We found the hotel and left the bags as was too early for check in, and walked round. This is where the Nive river which flows through St Jean PdP, and the Adour river which we had seen in various cities upstream meet and flow together to the Atlantic- both now very big and wide.

      Bayonne is Basque and it is just charming, with the Basque buildings and language - spellings and script are different, though French is the basic language that people speak. It does feel different and special, and they are very proud of their products - specially cheeses, chocolate and ham. And today was the culmination of the Foire au Jambon - a huge event celebrating ham. Amr was thrilled, and even I tolerated the masses as it was such an atmosphere - there was an area in a high marquee with all the local farms with their wares, and you could buy cones of jambon, choriso, and sandwiches - baguettes and cheese…and all sorts of other assorted products. We wandered in there, and picked at the food and were in heaven. We had walked along the line of restaurants beside the rivers on both sides which had laid out huge long tables which were empty when we walked by at 11 or so, and wondered why there were so many…well by afternoon the place was throbbing - all the tables we filled with crowds eating and drinking, bars everywhere, you could hardly walk along the streets - it was a perfect sunny and not too hot day and everyone was out having fun. Jazz bands playing, people singing and dancing. This is the first city, even more than Paris, where we have seen such joy and bustle!

      Of course this was Sunday. Monday typically most shops are closed, and people will be back at work, so we will not expect quite the same atmosphere tomorrow, but just to see all that festivity was such fun. There is also quite a merge with the Spanish food and language here…to our delight we have found they do the chiperones we loved in Spain (call them xiperons).

      Amongst all this we visited the wonderful cathedral - another UNESCO world heritage site and deserves to be so, wonderful and with a beautiful cloister. Tomorrow we plan to get a train (23minutes) to St Jean de Luz, a beach resort near here as it should be good weather.      Read more

    • Fam JohnssonEl Camino Måns o Mats
      Day 3

      Ibis Bayonne

      June 21, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

      Hoppade av tåget 20.45. Direkt till hotellet Ibis central. Hungriga så det blev varsin entrecote. Stor musikfestival i staden. Massor med trevliga band. Imorgon börjar vandringen på allvar från St Jean Pied de Port.Read more

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    • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
      Day 3

      Bayonne

      April 28, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      This is the last stop on the TGV, from here we'll take a bus to SJPP. This is our first stop in Basque country and we're looking up pronunciations for simple phrases. Kaixo (hello) is "kay-show".

      We visited the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Bayonne where we were lucky enough to join a tour (in French, bien sur) and learn a bit about the Plantagenet dynasty's local impact.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Saint-Esprit, Santespi

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