11th April - Day in Bayonne

11th April 2024 Bayonne

We woke up to the sounds of the street coming to life… people chatting, cars starting etc – the road we thought was just pedestrian was also for cars, and sometimes, small trucks that needed to stop and pull their mirrors in so they would fit.

He headed downstairs for our hotel breakfast – a basket of fresh baguette pieces, a couple of croissants, small tubs of strawberry and apricot jams each and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice – with our choice of coffee!

There is just something about a French croissant – not sure if it is the flour or the quality of the butter but the taste is very different from those we get back home.  They are light and completely delicious. 

We were meeting our guide for our Taste of Bayonne tour at 11am at the end of our street so we had a wander around and ended up at the Orange store to try to purchase a SIM card to use while in Europe.  The English speaking consultant was going to be busy for some time so we said we would return later.

Karim was on time and we started on our adventure – on our street as it is known as “Chocolate street”.  We went into a few and had some samples – delicious.  We also were told of the history as there were arches running perpendicular to the building fronts and we were curious.  Turns out the area under the “verandahs” were canals many years ago and as the course of the river changed there were a lot of problems with erosion and destruction of homes etc.  They decided the best way of dealing with it was to just pave over the top of the canals and not have to deal with the problem at all.  There have not been an problems since that was done.

We wandered around the cathedral and saw all the renovations that are being done – it is also being cleaned and the difference in the two areas were significant.  After a quick wander around the cloister it was off down to some of the more ‘out of the tourist route’ places including Roman fortifications on our way down to Les Halles market area where Karim is well known to all the stall holders.  We sat down and had fresh fish in a few forms – the owner is down at the port at 0400H to purchase his fish straight from the boats.  We had the most delicious cod stuffed peppers and I will try to replicate this when back home.  We also had white anchovies and fresh shrimp – all delicious and served with a small amount of white wine from the local area.

Through a square with many political references (the area is fiercely Basque and are fighting for independence) to a hidden Trinquet court.  Unfortunately there weren’t any matches happening but it was quite fascinating.  We also sat here with the locals and had lunch.  A great selection of croquettes, hams and sheep cheeses – once again a small glass of local wine.

It was on to the oldest ciderie in Bayonne and it was a fun experience getting a small glass as you had to turn the tap and a stream of cider shot out (bucket on the floor to catch anything that doesn’t go into your glass!) and you have to quickly put your glass underneath and move your glass up to the top near the tap. Once the first person reaches the top the second person starts at the bottom and goes up to the top.  We laughed quite a lot as it was a lot of fun.  There was a choice of two ciders – one from Spain that was a little more dry and a slightly sweeter one from France.  We had the slightly sweeter one but it wasn’t sweet at all.

More walking then on to the best pastry shop – L.Raux – where a piece of Basque cake was purchased and we took it on to a small shop where coffee was being roasted and bought by Karim for us. It was delicious and we enjoyed sitting people watching for a little while before the tour finished and we said our goodbyes.  It was a fantastic tour and I highly recommend it to anyone who comes to Bayonne.

Steve and I headed back to the Orange Shop and were told the English speaking consultant would be ready in about 30 minutes. Karim had recommended we go to the Jardin Botanic de Bayonne and we decided to head up there while we were waiting.  It was a very peaceful place with a Monet inspired bridge and wisteria.  A lovely spot to take a break from the crowds. 

We headed back to Orange and bought our SIM cards for the rest of our time in Europe.  We were lucky as 1) they were special edition for the Olympics so they will last longer and 2) they set them up for us.

We were still full from the day of eating so we didn’t have any dinner – just a kir for me and a vin rouge for Steve.  Tomorrow we are off to St Jean Pied de Port and it is all becoming very real now.