ONWARD TO EUROPE

GETTING THERE IS NOT HALF THE FUN 

In the days of Covid one knew the rules of travel - DON'T! Now, in the days of quasi-Covid, life is more "iffy". Take travel documents. We were flying direct to Madrid from Guadalajara then connecting (3 hours in Madrid) to Bordeaux. Spain has an arcane (and useless) health form. One website said we didn't need it, another said we did even if we were only transiting. Our travel agent (ex travel agent) said we didn't need it. So off we sauntered to the airport formless. But NO! we did need it according to AeroMexico agents who also denied any knowledge of how to access it or fill out the astoundingly befuddling form. If not for several young passengers who were seemingly born to understand obscure online documents and how to fill them out on a cell phone, we would still be standing glazed-eyed in front of the AeroMexico check-in area. I shall not bore you with further details and hassles other than to say that the trip was hellish (going to China was easier) and I didn't sleep for 40 straight hours. But then we were in Europe. Thank God.

First Stop - Biarritz

I kind of pictured a beach resort of faded glory living off its royal legacy from the latter part of the nineteenth century. My expectations were modest, but Biarritz was extremely cool. First, it's a perfect sized small city - offers a lot but not a pain like bigger cities can be. Great food, friendly people and beautiful beaches. This is a primo surfing spot in Europe and the surfing vibe laps over (excuse the pun) into the atmosphere of the town. We witnessed Jr. lifeguards in training one morning - probably needed since the older ones drop of hypothermia. Today the water temperature is 58 degrees. We were horrified to see the youngsters gamboling in the surf (long, big surf). Later in St. Emilion we met a couple from England (Cornwall) who said they loved the Biarritz water since it was so much warmer than their beach in Cornwall. He (Hamish) is one of those cold water deep sea divers who work on underwater structures, makes gobs of $ and hopefully doesn't die young. The weather in Biarritz was blustery and bracing - a serious shift from Ajijic, but we enjoyed it actually.

A chateau in Biarritz overlooking the Atlantic.

The Biarritz lighthouse is on the right and the Hotel du Palais (formerly the summer residence of Princess Eugénie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III).

Looking across the water to the Basque country of Spain.

The Jr. lifeguards in training running out of...

and into the cold surf.

The Biarritz Casino (even though it was built in 1994) was done in the Art Deco style.

The markets of France have always been amazing and this one, Les Halles in Biarritz, did not disappoint as you can see from the photos.

Another better view of the Biarritz lighthouse...

and the power of the Atlantic surf.

Boats from this harbor in Biarritz used to go out whaling in the Atlantic.

A bridge leading to a rock island upon whose high point is the Virgin Mary and child Jesus.

This is known as the Children's Beach because it is in a protected cove.

When in France we have our big meal in the middle of the day & in the evening we have a light repast of bread, cheese, wine & (in this case) a Basque gateau. 

A better view which give you an appreciation for the size of Princess Eugénie's summer home, now the Hotel du Palais.

A natural arch carved out of the rock by the surf.

With a little imagination you can see the "rock" beast on top of this rock peering down at the Atlantic.

The power of the Atlantic waves is evident in this picture...

which is why Biarritz is the surfing capital of Europe.

The Cap Ferret lighthouse.

The tallest, longest sand dune in all of Europe can be seen across the water. We decided not to attempt the climb to the top.

The Arrechon region of France is famous for its oysters...

so we stopped here where I had a dozen raw oysters and Deirdre had shrimp.

We came across this political poster on Marie Le Pen in St. Jean de Luz. Fortunately Marie lost the election while we were here.

The harbor in St. Jean de Luz.

A Farewell to Hemingway's Spain

First, another Deirdre moan. You remember the lugubrious health form we had to fill out to spend three hours in the Madrid airport, right? Well, four days later we drive from France to Spain and spend four days there (with breathing all over people) and never a mention of a health form. People! Consistency! Rationality! I give up. So we decide to go to Pamplona to see where they run the bulls. Visions of a dusty backwater Sun Also Rises town dance in our heads. Wrong. It looks like Houston, except more highrises. We eat Arabic food and leave.

And Then the Weather Turned

Before leaving Ajijic, consultation with the Weather Channel indicated weather varying between showers and inundation for the totality of our trip. Happily, the Channel was wrong - at least for the first four or five days. We reached San Sebastian in rain which persisted for our stay. "You'll love San Sebastian", everyone said. Not really. I think (well, honestly I know) we're old. Fighting for parking, fighting for anything wears thin. After walking 6 blocks dragging our suitcases in the rain we reached our hotel to be greeted by - no one. 

The Stephen King Hotel

The door is locked. There is a buzzer. We buzz. We are informed by a disembodied voice, emanating from the speaker, there is no one at reception desk (well duh). We get in with the code given to us. We take the elevator. We now realize they didn't give us a room number (although we have the code to get in the room). Reverse. Go back to the disembodied voice and get a room number. Enter. We do not see another human (worker or guest) for over 24 hours. I am thinking The Shining and looking at Michael suspiciously. Even the coffee bar is stocked by ghosts or something. We survive 24 hours and finally see a person. Relief. Meanwhile we've been dining on pintxos and wine. Pintxos are like tapas, but are various things on top of bread (think French or Spanish bread not American bread). They are called pintxos because each one had a toothpick (big) stuck in it and to charge you they just counted up your pintxos at the end. It's more automated now, but still pretty adorable and tasty.

Picaro, our favorite pintxos bar!

One of the many interesting buildings in San Sebastian. This and the following photo were taken when we had a brief respite from the rain.

One of the many interesting bridges in San Sebastian

One day we traveled from San Sebastian to Guernica to photograph the famous Picasso Mural.

On that day we drove the coast road back to San Sebastian and saw these photo worthy views.

An old Basque Church with the flying buttress supports.

We have a lighthouse theme going on this trip, so I thought I would add one more to the collection. As you can see from this and the two preceding photos, the weather was not great on this day.

The Town I Cannot Spell or Pronounce

Hondarribia - what a silly name, but what a beautiful little town. The rain has somewhat lifted and we indulged ourselves by lunching at Alameda - a Michelin starred restaurant which (Deirdre said nose pointing to the sky haughtily) was superb. We then wandered the streets seeking to shed the billion calories we had consumed & Michael's photos shall elaborate.

This impressive individual is the gate guard at the Santa Maria gate leading into the old walled city of Hondarribia.

The Santa Maria gate.

Looking back from the Santa Maria gate you can see the airport control tower on the far left.

Walking through the gate and up the street the 16th century Iglesia del Manzano church is in the background.

A closer view of the church with the steeple and bell tower.

The interior of the church was very impressive, as can be seen from these photos.

A very interesting and old door in the old city.

Outside of the walled city were some interesting houses.

Looking out over the river on the other side is France.

Having dithered quite enough, we shall leave you now and post another blog as we move through France. Until then, be well.