North Along the Atlantic

Today, it was time to depart Spain and head north back into France. We opted for a route that kept us as close to the coast as possible. Our first destination was the border town of Hondarribia of which we have fond memories from our summer of travels with our children in 1993. The beach shown below was packed with people when we were here in the middle of the summer, but it now appears the season is over - different from San Sebastian.

Alot has changed along the beach since then, but our hotel was still in business. We're not certain whether or not they are still selling freshly made potato chips across the street. In 1993, we couldn't have dinner anywhere before 8:30, so the potato chips became an essential bridge to dinner.

We have found it interesting that even in the shadow of the Pyrenees, that the architecture is very traditionally alpine looking. The next point of interest along the coast was the fort at St. Jean de Luz.

The coastline was lined with walkers admiring the stunning views.

Our final shoreline destination was the highend town of Biarritz, forever a hotspot for jet setters. It is still a very popular destination and a great spot for surfing.

Then it was back on the autoroute to tonight's stop at Pau. The reason we chose to visit Pau is the Tour de France. They race through here yearly and it has always looked like such a beautiful place, so we had to see it for ourselves. Our hotel was in the heart of the old city and upon arrival our first task was to find a bar for pastis and beer.