San Sebastian

It is proving a real trial to have sufficient wifi access and download speed to add photos, so you are getting these Guggenheim ones a day late. (Art???? My great aunt Fanny!!!!)

I had a shocking night's attempt at sleep so was not a happy little Vegemite when the alarm went off for us to get up, however I dragged my droopy arse out of bed and was on the coach at 8.30 with the rest of our group. It is a bit overcast so have popped in a shower jacket for just in case. 21degrees  though so not at all cold. We've decided to do the optional tour to Barritz and St Jean dE Luz, which is 40 km over the border into France. Have the passport with me just in case, but generally there is no stopping or checking of passports any more at the borders. Biarritz is very much a summer holiday resort, but very hilly. Great views from the lighthouse and enough time to wander along the main plaza to sample the French patisseries and cafe au lait. Apparently Biarritz was the summer residence of Napoleon III (he was the little short dumpy Napolean's nephew).

Then we head to St Jean de Luz described in my itinerary as the real jewel of the Basque Country. It is a quaint little  place with lots of lanes and alleys jam packed with eating places and shops. The beach
front is much  more family friendly than Biarritz which was very much a surfing beach.

We have a look inside an old church. Here is where Louis XIV (I remember him from history lessons as 'The Sun King) married the Spanish princess Infanta Maria Teresa. It isn't a very big church by comparison to others we have seen, nor does it have all the gold ornate stuff. What makes it very different is that there are two extra narrow floors or open balconies along the walls which were added to allow for greater numbers. The church is still used for regular mass and was quite pretty in its own under stated way. 

We then had 2 hours to ourselves to wander around. Jo had spotted a cafe style store that had different quiches on display in their window so we retraced our steps to that store, deciphered the French menu and promptly sat ourselves down inside and ordered our quiche, salad and wine. It was really good, and very filling. As it was now just after 1 o'clock we still had an hour to have a look around, however the French are clearly insistent on having their own siesta time so the vast majority of shops had either closed or were just about to, and then not reopen until at least 3 pm so it became a futile effort to see anything in a store that might have taken our fancy. We spent the last half hour sitting in the centre square people watching. Then back on the coach for our return to San Sebastián. Denise treated us all to a macaron which was very, very sweet, but as it was a local delicacy it was a case of "when in Rome" or more correctly, when in France...