Basque Country

Heading west from the forests, we explored Biarritz for a day about an hour north or so.  An expensive town that hosts a handful of surf comps and events on the coast with plenty of tourists and very good seafood. Ventured along the beaches and down a lonely ladder to a secluded rock.  Why no one else was climbing all over that instead of the Virgin Mary, I'm not complaining.  More space for me.

Dirtyness floating in from Spain

After Biarritz, went onto Bayonne, a less crowded area with little hidden vintage gems throughout Old & New Bayonne (just separated from a bridge).  The Basque language is a hard one to learn, but the people who are - are very proud of their culture and are apparently striving to become independent.  I like both Biarritz and Bayonne in different ways, Biarritz was a little bit like home - breezy and beachy, while Bayonne had a little more spice going on with its strong individuality.

Biarritz

Biarritz

Old Bayonne

Bayonne

Bayonne

Met Julie, a friend of a friend in Anglet, another small town just north of Biarritz.  25, and working in the actions sports industry as well, was very cool and showed me around a bit more (as well as more traditional deserts and cakes of Basque Country).  With her, I discovered just a little more shops and designers... maybe cause we're girls, but still.

Anglet

Girl Shop.. literally the name

www.littlemadi.com

artist worth noting

hidden just past the crowded streets of Biarritz, a decently priced vintage store - snagged a tee and purse for 13 euros here

St Jean de Luz

Jonida Konomi

My very last day in France (hopefully not forever) we had lunch at her work, ran an errand by Volcom and wandered back through Biarritz down to St Jean de Luz (a great place to beach it, but to live there would be like living in Boca Raton, FL - an elderly community) with her friend Paul listening to old 40s music and eating gelato.  It's been nice, but I definitely won't be missing the mosquitos that seem to like to eat me alive.  And I just might miss the museum security staff that looks more like a grumpy group of PTA parents and kids in detention.  From the South of France to Paris to the Countryside has been wild...  Thanks my dears! For introducing the necessity of desert back into my life as well as filling my ears with the beauty that is old french music and cute waiters! If ever you feel like venturing to France, I'd take note of how nearly EVERYWHERE closes for a good two hours for lunch (no, it's not a ghost town, they just believe in breaks) and if you want to get by, attempting to speak French is better than not trying at all.  To say the French are rude is a stupid thing to say.  It's France, not America.  If you're lucky, yeah some speak english, but mostly my friend, they do not.  So either brush up on the basics, or bust out those dance moves to get your point across - cause if they can't at least understand your hand motions, maybe you'll get a couple euros out of looking ridiculous.

KL