French Basque Country: the neighbor to visit the most
So close and yet so far, France is the upstairs neighbor , the one who always says hello, but let's face it: we still don't know him completely.
We know that in the country of Asterix and Obelix you eat very well and dress even better, and furthermore, all of this is framed in an ever-changing landscape that can take us from the coves of the Côte d'Azur to the hills of Alsace and the Parisian boulevards.
There is, however, a secluded corner in its extreme southwest, rocked by the winds of the Atlantic, where what is genuinely Gallic is combined with the Iberian aroma that appears behind the Pyrenees: the French Basque Country.
The French Basque Country is well worth a road trip
Whom the green triangle formed by the mountains, the Atlantic and the Garonne river Centuries ago, the ingredients were mixed in a large pot, as if it were a huge marmitako: the French architectural care goes perfectly with the picturesque Basque farmhouses, while its cities breathe an Iberian rhythm that is betrayed by verifying that there is life in them beyond eight in the afternoon.
As for its gastronomy, few words are enough: Basque cuisine, which we know very well, mixes with French recipes (with the duck as the main protagonist) and the Hispanic flavors , given the proximity of the Pyrenees.
It is a nearby corner that, In addition to beaches and waves, it has a lot to show us: the French Basque Country will no longer be, for us, “the neighbor of the fifth”.
Biarritz: one of our stops on our road trip
Our road trip will start at the top of the Dune of Pilat , contemplating the infinite pine forest that makes up the Landes landscape. The well-known dune, of deserved fame, rises more than a hundred meters above sea level, and is easily accessible thanks to wooden stairs located on its east face.
It will be appreciated to take off your shoes when going up, because the sand is very fine and, spoiler: you will arrive at the car being yourselves a true dune.
Barefoot, try to let yourself fall and create sand angels while, before your feet, the Atlantic meets the shoals of Arcachon Bay, bursting with marine colors ranging from the pearly white of the sandbanks, to the sapphire blue of the sea currents.
The unusual height of the Dune of Pilat It is not due to a natural whim, but to the action of the human being , whose activity over generations has ended up creating the characteristic landscape of Las Landes.
Sunset on the Dune of Pilat
Everything started from an unquestionable inconvenience: during the Middle Ages, the farmers of the fertile plains between Bordeaux and Dax had to fight against the sand that the continuous west winds dragged, without any relief that would hinder its passage, tens of kilometers inland.
The sea of dunes that make up the Aquitaine coast maintained a constant pulse with some people who, resigned to the fact that their fields were buried time and time again by the sterile dust of shells, They decided to dedicate themselves to hunting and breeding ducks to make the famous foie gras.
The battle was considered lost until, at the end of the 18th century, the advance of the arena had been such that the French enlightened decided that such a victory of nature was a real offense to France.
Between 1801 and 1816, the Consulate led by Napoléon Bonarparte put all its efforts into filling more than 80,000 hectares with pine trees, and building huge palisades off the coast to create fixed dunes, on which vegetation was then planted to slow down erosion.
The Landes landscape is therefore eminently human, and shows us what we are capable of doing to win our perennial battle against nature.
Contemplate the landscape of the Landes from the Dune of Pilat, an essential part of our road trip
Once our visit to the Dune of Pilat is over, we will cross the huge pine forest that represents the victory of France on the sand heading south towards Hossegor.
The road will offer us continuous detours towards the sandbanks that are hidden behind the trees, and it is worth taking them to climb a dune and contemplate the immensity of a beach that has no end.
It is very likely that we will meet surfers, windsurfers and water sports enthusiasts who find their paradise here, well the enormity of the beach allows you to find lonely corners that will disappear as we approach Hossegor.
In this town, which began its journey as a spa at the beginning of the 20th century, we can find, during the summer months, a European replica of what is now California: restaurants offering the latest in healthy and exotic foods, crepe and pizza street stalls, passersby from places as far away as Australia or Indonesia who come to surf the famous waves of La Gráviere and Les Estagnots, clothing stores where we could spend a lifetime…
The impressive waves of Hossegor
However, something that the Golden State does not have, and that Hossegor can show off with pride, are its patisseries: the French croissant is well worth a mural in front of Capbreton beach.
Precisely to the south of this town, on the beach of La Piste, or Santocha, is one of the most curious attractions in the area: a dozen World War II bunkers half buried in the sand , battered by waves at high tide, waiting to be discovered by our ever-curious eyes.
the fortifications were part of the 'Atlantic Wall' devised by Germany to prevent a more than probable landing of the allies on the gigantic beaches of the Landes, which finally took place in Normandy, where the Nazis did not expect it.
Like all ruin, the limpet-ridden remains of the ancient guardians of the sea invite reflection about how, not too long ago, Europe was at war because of those who saw the stranger as the enemy.
Luckily, those years, like the sand castles that children build between the huge stones, have gone with the tide, and **in Capbreton the aroma of war is no longer breathed: the sweetness of waffles and crepes, luckily, it floods everything. **
Ruined bunker in Capbreton
The next stop on our road trip is in Bayonne , as we approach, slowly but surely, the Spanish border. Here it will be forced stop to eat their famous jambon de Bayonne , and with a lot of effort,** trying not to compare it with our national pride, Serrano ham.**
They are two different things, although they seem the same: the French, less salty and cured, It enters softer if our palate opts for the sweetest flavors, but it does not detract at all. Does Gargantua ring a bell? He always tried to have Bayonne ham on hand, and it would be disrespectful wolverine's opinion of wolverines not agreeing to try this first cousin of our beloved Serrano ham.
All delicatessens Carreau des Halles, the modern traditional market located in the ancient center of Bayonne , they will offer you the best of their sausages, and also, a very long string of cheeses, wines and meats that you will attack without any hesitation. This is France, and here you come to eat.
Later, to lower the well-deserved paunch, the historic center offers pleasant walks between typical houses of Basque architecture, whitewashed and crossed by wooden beams of all colors, which have not changed their appearance in the long history that Bayonne treasures.
The famous 'jambon de Bayonne'
Port and Roman fort, the city has always been considered the "gate of Spain" , and reached great importance as a stage of the Santiago's road , one of the milestones in the contemporary history of our country took place here: the abdications of Bayonne, carried out by Carlos IV and Fernando VII, which meant the free entry into Spain of the troops and government of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Bayonne, steeped in history, appears to the visitor more flirtatious and provincial than the nearby Biarritz, where we should go to taste the afternoon coffee in the shade of a tamarind tree, overlooking the Atlantic, whether on the promenade of the well-known Cote des Basques beach , or, next to the arcades of the Casino, surrounded by the last scions of the French aristocracy that gave fame and shape to the city since the time of Napoleon.
The same enriched bourgeoisie that also found rest in San Sebastián and Santander, and which gave the cities of the Bay of Biscay an aristocratic personality in which the tree-lined walks, the casinos, the spas and the hotel offer, and from whose buoyant past we now have a melancholic and contemplative aroma, as if they were at the end of a long hangover from parties washed down with champagne.
Cote des Basques, Biarritz
Of the boulevards and terraces of Biarritz we will go to the fishing village of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where we will finish our road trip walking along the docks , between the close and tight houses, and diverting our eyes before the fish grills that they also offer the famous oysters of the area.
The offer is such that it might be useful for you to know that the Luz del Sur épicerie offers a very varied menu of local products and good Gascon wine at prices that are far enough from those of tourist restaurants to convince you that in this coquettish tavern you breathe local atmosphere.
The initial impression is correct: duck magret and confit are their absolute specialities, and leaving the French Basque Country without tasting the queen of its birds is an audacity reserved only for vegetarians.
The night will make the walk in Saint-Jean-de-Luz even more pleasant, and silence will take us back to the splendor times of the town, when whaling was big business, bringing prosperity to already poor and resource-poor ports.
Port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Precisely, on the other side of the fish market, overlooking the mouth of the port and enjoying incomparable views of the beach, is the place where we can spend the night: the Hotel La Caravelle.
This charming white wooden fishing house with large windows, away from the noise of the small town, but close enough to not have to take the car again, it will be our last balm before, the next day, packing up and heading to Spain.
The visit has been brief, but we already know the saying; and also, remember that France is that neighbor that we have close, upstairs, going up a couple of floors, and who will always be there to get to know you a little better.
The Dune of Pilat may be higher when we return, the hams of Bayonne will be more cured, and the promenades of Biarritz will begin to offer ice creams never seen in Europe. **This is France, and it is also the Basque Country: there will always be something to discover. **
Detail of the stairs of the Hotel La Caravelle