French Basque Country and the Atlantic Coast. And some rain.

Infrastructure like this makes us so impressed with France. Obviously new, and so wide with a lovely surface. On our way out of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

We knew the weather was changing. And boy did it! We woke in Saint-Jean-de-Luz to heavy rain. Nothing to be done but put on rain gear and hit the road. It was Saturday am and the hotel rooms that were available in this beach town were quite expensive, so on we went after a one night stay. A quick stop at the grocery store for lunch food and I did stop myself from buying espadrilles from the colorful display inside the Carrafour City grocery store, but only just. Absolutely no room in the bags for another pair of shoes.

Hiding from the rain in the vestibule of a Church in Ascain. Rich went inside and told me I had to go in to see the cool wooden balconies.
It is a traditional Basque church. Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption de Ascain.
The wooden galleries were new to us. We later learned in the Basque museum in Bayonne that they were added to accommodate the increase of population, and so women and men could sit separately. I imagine there was much making eyes and flirting going on across the way.
Seafaring was an important part of Basque life. I love the model ship with its wee Basque flag.
Churches with covered porticos are much appreciated.
But, time to leave the church and head up another hill. With another helpful/motivational sign. 5% grade. This was the second segment after a starting 7% pitch.
We topped the climb and the sun welcomed us to the downhill.
Whee! Pay no attention to those big grey clouds.
Focus instead on these fascinating stone fences. Walls? Enclosures?
Flat stones lined up one after another.
Whoops. While we were focused on the stone fences the clouds had their way.
The little stand across the square was selling Gâteau Basque.
The houses had a look to them in this French Basque area, the Pays Basque.
White render (a surface coating), half timbered, and trim and shutters in the emblematic Basque red or green. The carved stone lintel usually tells the story of who first lived in the house when it was built, this one in 1662.
Blue shutters and wisteria. This is in Ainhoa where we spent the night in what we shall always refer to as “dead mouse room”. No body was found but the smell was pretty recognizable. Staff was apologetic and thankful we didn’t pitch a fit. Eh, we said, old buildings have their challenges. We left the window open, they comped us wine.
Stone fence AND a 1670 lintel stone! Pays Basque bingo anyone?
Not many photos on this rainy Sunday. We’re trying to get to Bayonne in time to visit the museum of Basque History.
Riding down the Nive River to Bayonne.
Fragments of the old town walls still exist.
Rich demonstrates how narrow some Bayonne buildings are – just about a Rich and a 1/2, about nine feet wide.
We made it to the museum. So much information. If you don’t speak or read French it’s a bit of work to figure it all out, but worthwhile.
A really picturesque town, and very lively.
More bits of the ancient walls.
And one of the few towers still standing. This was the executioner’s tower, now a private residence.
The Nive river is running fast and high from all the rain.
Narrow streets in old town.
Bayonne in the sunset light.
Looking down the Nive, towards the confluence with the Adour River.
The look of a cyclist who knows she has a long day ahead of her. At least no rain!
And we’re off riding out of Bayonne.
Into the scrubby forests of the Atlantic coast.
And the wide sandy beaches of the Capbreton area. We are still on the Bay of Biscay.
Sand dunes and blue sky. A welcome change.
Still smiling. Long day and headwinds haven’t gotten us down yet.

And then the photos kind of stop for the day. After about kilometer 60 or 70 I just focus on pedaling.

It was a lot of this. But at least the weather was nice!
We made it! Giddy with relief and post shower. 90k/55m later.
Contis les Bains and our long shadows on the beach at 8pm.
The main drag down to the beach is packed with folks and noticeably car free. Space for restaurant and bar tables instead of parking.
The Contis Lighthouse.
If you weren’t on the Main Street you were up on the dune watching the sunset.
Sunset, happy humans, and a weathered fence.
And the next day we’re off again.

The reality of bike touring is a lot of packing and unpacking of panniers. We each have two back, two front, and one handlebar bag. Good times. When you have so many one night stays it’s a lot. But, it all came out of the bags so it must all fit back in, right?

More Atlantic coast scrubby pine forest riding. This long stretch of bike path was just a dream. Lovely pavement, nice swooping curves.
Take a break. At the grocery store. Big shaded entrance so why not relax?
Riding by one of the lakes of Biscarrosse.
The sunsets! Biscarrosse Plage where we spent the night.
Breakfast fuel up for another day riding.
The campgrounds were filling up on this Wednesday, April 30th. Folks ready for the May Day holiday.
The terrain is about to change.
Giant sand dunes! Folks practicing paragliding.
Dune du Pilat in the background. Happy beach goers and a slightly cranky cyclist – this part of the coast is getting very busy. A long weekend and nice weather means lots of people out.
Pour some more coffee in him! That might help.
And tea for me. We’re in Arcachon, very close to where we will spend the night.
The beach stretches were fascinating. Boardwalks and such a mix of old and new buildings.

Rich wisely booked us out of the fancier beach area and in a more relaxed area of the fascinating Arachon Bay: Gujan-Mestras. Oyster heaven.

The oyster cabins. They serve oysters and wine. That’s it.
The potholes in the dirt path are filled in the oyster shells.
One of the seven ports of Gujan-Mestras
A friendly cat helped us enjoy the sunset.
On the jetty looking back towards the town.
Celebrating the night before the May Day holiday. The barbecue is raging. Couldn’t tell if they were barbecuing oysters or other seafood. Or hamburgers.
Tools of the trade.
So many oyster shells. In most areas they are returned to the water to give the larvae of the next generation somewhere to hold on.
Kitty showed up again to drink at the doggie bar.
Port Larros, farewell.
We’re off to Bordeaux for a much needed break. Three nights!
We expected this road, Avenue de La Cotê d’Argon (D1250), to be an unfriendly bike route. But look! New cycle path! Not all the way but along a lot of it.
May Day is a workers’ holiday, like Labor Day in the US, but way more widely celebrated. Little posies of Lilly of the Valley are sold at small road side stands.
La Fête du Muguet (Lilly of the Valley Day).
Why? In 1561 King Charles IX of France was given a posey of Lilly of the valley flowers as a present on May 1, and a tradition was born.
Vineyards just outside Bordeaux. We hear they have good wine here?
Who’s a good boy checking into the hotel? And sporting the French dog collar du moment – very wide.
A huge bricolage, or flea market. I’d call it an antique market. Book a container and ship it all home…oh wait, we don’t have a home!
Chicken pitchers!
A bottle drying rack and enamel ware pitchers.
Rich checking prices on bottle drying racks.
Bassins des Lumières, a WW2 German constructed submarine base now a light show exhibit.
Place de la Victoire has two stunning creations by Czech sculptor Ivan Theime to celebrate the culture of wine.
First, the mama and baby tortoises. Rich added for scale. I didn’t realize how lucky we were to get a photo free of other people- ok, kids.
Mama tortoise is eating grapes.
And she is festooned with little figures, also holding or wearing grapes.
The red marble obelisk, same sculptor. Makes an imposing focal point to go with the more whimsical tortoises.
Since returning to France. The top heart is Bordeaux. We had seven days of riding, which explains why we were so tired when we got to Bordeaux.
The tired happy travelers enjoying a tram ride in Bordeaux.

Next up, some pretty rural and remote riding through the French countryside, roads that go up and down for no good reason, and a train to Paris.

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cbink

After decades of living and working in wonderful San Francisco we gave it all up to travel the world. Not owning a car allowed us to save money and live hyper-locally. Now we’re living around the globe. Follow along to see where we are and what cats I manage to pet.

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