Our first stop was in St Jean de Luz, a small and traditional French Basque town and fishing port. It is also popular for it's great souvenir shops, espadrille stores and typical food stands, including ice cream, chocolates, pastries and crepes!
Next we headed to Biarritz, where we first stopped at the giant lighthouse for a view of the ocean, cliffs and town. To give you a little history of the city, it became more renowned in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the famous Hôtel du Palais). The British royal family regularly took vacations in Biarritz: European royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward VII and Alfonso XIII of Spain were all frequent visitors. Biarritz has always been one of France’s most welcoming towns. A century ago, thanks to the Empress Eugenie, the little whaling town became a fashionable summer resort that, through the years, has stayed open to the outside world without ever losing its identity. Today, Biarritz is undoubtedly the only town where you can see neoprene-clad surfers with their boards under their arms crossing paths with business men in suits and ties carrying towels. A funny image, yet so common.
We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying French cuisine, shopping and simply enjoying the beautiful beach and surrounding scenery of Biarritz - while also picking up a few French words along the way!
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