During our stay in San Sebastian, we spent most of a day with Eli visiting the Basque area of southeast France. This included Biarritz and St-Jean-de-Luz.Biarritz is a glitzy resort town steeped in the belle epoque, where the French Basques put on the ritz. In the 19th century this simple whaling harbor became a high class magnet dubbed “the beach of kings.” Its lively pedestrian streets are lined with restaurants, cafes and high-class resorty window shopping. Perched over a popular surfing beach, anchored by grand hotels and casinos, hemmed in by jagged and picturesque rocky islets at either end, and watched over by a lighthouse, Biarritz is a striking beach resort.
As part of our tour, we wandered around a pretty amazing market with all sorts of food goods from breads to cheeses to meats to veggies to seafood. Here are some images.
Next we drove along the water a few miles to the quaint town of St.-Jean-de-Luz. This is a charming little center, port and beach town that provides the most enjoyable dose of Basque culture. the old city lies between the train tracks, the Novelle river and the Atlantic. it has one main walking street lined with shops. The main sight worth entering is the church (Eglise St.Jean-Baptiste) where Louis IV and Marie-Therese tied the royal knot. facing the main square is the house where Louis lived for 4o days in 1660.
The Carefree Photographer 