After an early flight from the sticks known as London Stansted we arrived in Biarritz to a gorgeous summers day. The wonders of modern technology and google street view allowed us to easily identify our hotel for the night and we checked in quickly to rush a mere fifty metres to The Grand Plage.
The beach was absolutely packed in holiday makers, sun bathers, surfers and kids holiday groups. The golden sand was gorgeous and the waves extremely inviting. Knowing we only had one night in which to get the most out of this city we opted for a walk along the coast. Everywhere we turned there was another Coastal viewing point and picture opportunity. There were bridges and monuments and coves and beaches that went round bends to the next. It was truly glorious.
After stopping for various ice creams and crepes we found our way to a popular restaurant area where we sampled local specialities including Basque pate, Basque chicken and Basque cake - along with steak frites of course! The food was fabulous and the local entertainment nearby and moonlit walk along the coast home made for a very pleasant evening.
After a typically french breakfast of cafe, croissants and jus d'orange we made a move. We were sorry we could't spend more time here lounging on the beach but we knew our Spanish surf surfari was waiting for us just over the border!
One day in Biarritz is not enough when the sun is shining. When it’s raining, however, even half a day can feel like a lifetime.
We were fortunate enough to arrive on a particularly lovely day. The sun was out, there was a faint breeze and the town was absolutely buzzing. It was a welcome relief from the constantly changing London weather, which has so far this summer been hugely disappointing.
We had an ice-cream, looked around the town and explored the interesting coastline, which is festooned with interesting little islands that you can walk out to via some very clever pedestrian bridges. It’s certainly surf country – as we’ll elaborate more on in our next blog post – with only a small area for swimming and some wild looking ocean, even on a relatively calm day.
That night we enjoyed some local Basque-country specialities. I had the local pâté as a starter, some Basque chicken with a side of French fries for my main, and a crème brûlée for desert. The service was typically French (i.e. terrible) but the food was fantastic.
What a difference one night – or, indeed, the weather – can make. The next day the buzzing, sun-drenched city I was just telling you about was not at all unlike London. It was grey, drizzly and more than a little bit depressing.
After a breakfast of croissants and coffee we decided to catch a bus to the train station and head off to Spain a couple of hours early. A short train ride later and we were in a completely different country.
Biarritz pics are here
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