We got up early this morning, walked out into a star-filled sky, and made our way to the Basque region of France to Bayonne. After a fascinating visit to the Basque Museum, we walked about enjoying the rainy ambience of this pretty town.
Dawn in the Pyrénées.
Confidential to the people of Bayonne: you live in a gorgeous and unique town. Show it some respect—pick up your dog poop.
Eating Basque sheep’s milk yogurt in front of Bayonne Cathedral.
Well, at least they let you bring in spoons.
It’s HOB’s birthday today, so I had researched to find the perfect Basque restaurant for a special dinner treat. The restaurant was closed for unexplained reasons. Hey, no problem, I had a back-up restaurant….which was also closed. No worries, I knew about a regional food shop which was, wait for it now, you’ll never ever guess—closed. So we hustled over to the supermarket which was, by the time we got there, closed for the night. We ate this jar of beans for dinner. Happy birthday HOB.
How we got to Bayonne: taxi from Loures-Barousse to Montréjeau, train from Montréjeau to Pau, train from Pau to Bayonne.
Where we slept: Hotel de la Gare. Price: €59 for a double. Recommended: yes.
Picnic at the Cathedral 
The Best beans in the Southwest of France are the “haricots tarbais” it’s to say beans from Tarbes.
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Oh I’d love to try those. A couple of years ago we traveled around Southwest France eating ourselves silly. The food was divine!
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I liked a Bayonne a lot…and still remember the chocolate!
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We didn’t have any chocolate (or ham) –good excuse to go back soon!
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I admire your dedication–to write a blog post on the same day you actually do all those things is something I haven’t done in a year, I think!
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Yeah, well, you’ll notices it’s a super short post.
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Mmmm… beans… Bayonne looks pretty, hopefully the wandering around made up for the dinner!
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Actually the beans were quite tasty (and not all that healthy since they were loaded with duck fat!)
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I feel like “add duck fat!” is the french solution to most culinary questions… 😉
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Truth.
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Admiring your flexibility, humor, and healthy sense of perspective in the face of disappointment. I think that must be absolutely essential to being a good traveler.
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Thank you peppergrass. I never feel like I’m as flexible as I should be (middle age kicking in?) but I’m working on it.
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The joys of traveling in the off-season? I hope you found a great breakfast.
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We had breakfast on a train with an outstanding view out the window–can’t beat that!
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