We leave Brinas in the morning fog which slowly clears as we head toward the Basque region of France. The countryside changes into rolling hills and forests and before we cross into France, we stop for lunch at the Benta Miguel restaurant The house dates back to the 1800s and the restaurant is run by the fourth generation of the same family. The menu of the day has a few choices, so we choose a fish soup as first course, then fried lobina and potatoes (lobina is a local fish like sea bass), finished off with cheesecake drizzled with berry purée and coffee….oh, did I mention the bottle of wine?!…all for a mere 12 euros! Needless to say, it was delicious.
The French Basque region is found in the north west of France, bordering Spain. Historically divided into seven Basque provinces, they share the same language and culture on both sides of the border with Spain.
The Basque people have always been fiercely independent and the French Basque identify more with their Spanish Basque neighbours in many more ways than they do with their French neighbours (especially in distant cities like Paris). They speak their own language of Euskera which is shared with their Spanish counterparts and we notice the bilingual signs and posters throughout the region.
The Spanish side has had a strong independence movement, which has lately been eclipsed by Catalonia’s. At the height of its activity in the latter part of the last century, ETA, the Basque separatist group, did most of its fighting on the Spanish side, saving the French side as a hideout.
We arrive at Hasparren where our friend Francoise lives. She is originally from Hasparren; her ancestors have lived here since at least 1665 and her great grandfather and other family built and operated tanneries and shoe making businesses from the 1rst WW until the era of the Chinese Taiwanese occupation. After living and working abroad and in Paris, she has returned home to look after her aging parents. We enjoy 4 wonderful days together, catching up on old times; visiting old and new sites.
There is nothing like a french market so we head to the small town of Cambo les Bains mid morning to have a look at the goods. Next onto the wee town of Espelette, marketed across the world for its special brand of crushed red peppers. It turns out the hills of the Pays Basque are perfect for growing chili peppers which is why we se them dangling on strings by the thousands from the facades of farmers houses, before being ground into the spice that is widely used in Basque cuisine.
We continue onto St Jean de Luz and although now known as a beach resort, in the 17th century St Jean de Luz was one of the most important fishing ports of France.
At that time piracy became quite common, with Basque corsairs using St Jean de Luz as a base for looting and plundering Frances’ enemies at sea. This was the golden era of the town and the wealth of that era can still be seen today.
It was also during the 17th century that the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed putting an end to a long conflict between France and Spain. As a result of that treaty, King Louis XIV of France married the King of Spain’s daughter, Maria Theresa, in St Jean de Luz in June 1660. Its said that the door the couple passed through was later bricked-up to represent the closing of the troubles between France and Spain
Bidart & Guethary are small surfing villages. We have lunch in Bidart and admire the typical Basque architecture – white facade, red shutters, colombage timber and red pan tiled roof.
Guethary in the 1960’s was the first European surfing location. We can easily imagine the family hanging out in this village, how they would just love it here.
We enjoy our last day hiking up the hills of Hasparren, looking around the town and enjoying a few last ‘treats’.
Au revoir mon amie! Until we meet again❤️