You knew it was coming: another vacation!

Just as the cold air and rain began to roll in to La Roche, I escaped with Hélène and the three kids to the southwestern corner of the country, the Pays Basque.  Hélène's mother has a huge apartment on the sixth floor of a building, complete with a wrap-around terrace, in Biarritz; after four hours of driving through sheets of rain, I found myself with this view:

Biarritz is known for its beaches and huge waves, making it home to several surfing competitions.  I was able to watch part of the national championship of France while I was there (which was not as interesting as it sounds; from the beach, the surfers are so tiny you can barely make them out).  The coast in the region is nicknamed la Côte d'Argent (the silver coast) after the usual color of the ocean.  It was breathtaking in every light. Apparently it often rains, but we had ten beautiful weather days.

Château Abbadia

I met several members of Hélène's family and spent much time looking after the younger cousins.  I also accompanied the family on day trips around the region. Our first stop was the Château Abbadia, built by Antoine d'Abbadie in 1870.  Abbadie was an astronomer, explorer, linguist, and anthropologist, and he built the castle as an observatory so he could study the stars.  The architecture is much different from that of castles in the Pays de la Loire; it had a Spanish twist as well as exotic animal sculptures carved into the outer walls.

Bayonne

I spent one afternoon on my own in Bayonne, known for its cathedral, its jambon (ham, which you can find in supermarkets all over France), and its typical Basquais architecture along the Nive and Adour rivers.  Typical Basque homes and buildings are white with red (sometimes dark green or blue) boarding on the outside.  A couple of other afternoons, we took the kids to play in Anglet, where the Adour meets the Atlantic.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste

One day, we spent the morning in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where everyone's favorite Sun King Louis XIV married Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche.  I stopped in the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, which was decked out in gold in true Roi du Soleil fashion.  It and every other church in the region has a model ship hanging from the ceiling in the middle just over the congregation, a tribute to the area's sailing and fishing history.  Next to the port in de Luz are two castles, one for Louis and the other for Marie-Thérèse (why stay in a hotel?).

Piment d'Espelette hanging to dry on buildings

Gâteau Basque

We passed many sheep driving inward toward the Pyrénées on our way to Espelette, a tiny town known for its piment (hot peppers).  They are hung outside of buildings by the thousands to dry, and then made into spices and sauces for cooking.  Being close to Spain, the typical dishes are spicy and mostly seafood-based; they have a delicious tomato sauce; and you can always find tapas.  There is also a regional gâteau (cake) filled with cream or fruit or both.  From Espelette, we drove into Spain for about twenty minutes: I can tell you that there are at least five roundabouts and a truck stop where we bought clementines.  (They were worth the detour.)

After our ten days were up, we drove north back to La Roche and to the rain.  I had the last weekend of break off, since the family was in Paris for a wedding, and I was invited to dinner with three of my colleagues from Belleville; the teacher who hosted has a Scottish husband.  We had a wonderful evening speaking English, singing and making fun of American pop music...and I tasted wild boar for the first time.  It was delicious - not something I ever thought I'd try in France - but delicious.