Pyrénées

After breakfast at the dining gîte where again there was a good crowd, we went back to our room four steps above the bathroom and packed up. In our rain gear for the first time, we ventured out and walked the farmer's market which had all sorts of vegetables, fruit, blueberry and honey cakes, marvelous paella, and grilled chicken as well as wool clothing, hiking boots, and sheep bells, etc.

We headed out of Arrens-Marsous on the road to the northeast with my handmade "Lourdes" sign in a plastic baggie and were immediately picked up by a couple. The man chatted with us and knew a little English though most of the conversation was in French. They dropped us in Argeles Gazost about 12 kilometers from Lourdes on a busy road. After about 15 minutes a wonderful looking French couple picked us up and allowed us put our back packs in the trunk. They were very friendly and chatted with us about everything from jazz to the Tour de France. They dropped us right near the SNCF pointing out the castle and the grotto.

We walked into the SCNF about 10:40 a.m. and bought two tickets on the 12:05 p.m. train to Bayonne. Then we descended through the town passing souvenir shops selling everything from water bottles in the shape of the virgin to pictures of Christ on the cross with eyes that blinked as you moved the picture! We walked down to the cathedral above the grotto briefly looking inside. Then as we mounted the stairs, children asked us for our signature on a paper they had. I got through this more quickly than Bon did and as she watched a procession of clergy in green robes with all kinds of banners. I mounted to the chapel of St. Jean d'Arc. Below we could see Bon's procession entering the side which we assumed was the grotto next to the clear river.

As we walked back from the cathedral, many people in wheel chairs were being pushed to the cathedral. All nationalities were represented and the service could be heard over the loud speakers. Back at the station, the train arrived promptly and we settled in comfortably for the journey to Bayonne.

The train ride was pleasant and we snoozed. As we traveled west, the weather improved considerably and when we reached Bayonne at 1:45 p.m. it was a pleasant sunny day with clouds. We decided to take the bus to Biarritz – Les Plages. It was about a 30 minute trip and with older women and young girls accompanying us on the bus, we headed to the beach.

As we arrived there was a loud speaker blaring in a fenced area next to a magnificent carousel. The speaker was announcing motorcyclists who in a very short space would gun their cycles up a jump, catapult high into the air and land on a dirt hill beyond. We quickly moved on to the beech. It was a yellow sand beach with rock jetties and a lighthouse and mountains in the distance to the south. It was pleasant to see the French people who are so handsome with equally handsome children. We looked out of place with our packs and hiking boots.

We decided to find a hotel to check the backpacks, but soon discovered that none were to be found. A couple pointed us to the Auberge de Jeunesse which always seemed to be a block further with signs pointing around the next turn. When we finally got there, it was filled with teenagers and we decided to pass. Unfortunately, we walked the wrong direction past a golf course to try to catch the bus but we backtracked to a bus stop we had passed coming over. Our bus soon arrived with the same driver and three of the women who had accompanied us earlier. We disembarked on the other side of the Nive River from the train station and looked for a hotel without much success in the commercial district. Finally, we found two. Our first choice did not have a room for two nights so we ended up at the Best Western across from the Galleries de Lafayette in a pleasant room on the third floor. This was reached in one of the small old French elevators with grated doors. After cleaning up, we had a pleasant dinner at Victor Hugo Restaurant next to the bridge to Petit Bayonne.