Salies de Béarn and beyond to Bayonne

 

Salies de Béarn - picture postcard stuff

Lesley and I continued our tour of the south west and and turning westwards from Pau, headed in the direction of Salies de Béarn.  This little gem of a town numbering about 5,000 people sits in the middle of beautiful rolling countryside.  Its lovely 16c and 17c houses contained in a myriad of twisty turny little streets are evidence of the town's past activities and economic position.  Salt is supposed to have been sourced here for over 3,000 years.  This and its magnificent Victorian thermal baths are what has brought in the tourists that keep Salies alive today. 

 

There are so many interesting and beautiful buildings in Salies de Béarn

Since its heyday around the early 1800s when the population was double what it is today, it seems to have settled contentedly into its current niche and unlike a lot of other French towns of a similar size appears remarkably prosperous.  During the war those same twisty turny streets echoed to the sound of the jackboot, for the demarcation line between occupied and unoccupied France ran right through this commune.  

 

Another example of local architecture

We reluctantly left this unspoilt town under perfect blue skies and then headed for the extreme left hand corner of l'Hexagon.  There huddled under the Pyrenees and abutting the Atlantic ocean to the west lies Bayonne.  Straddling both sides of the river Nive, Bayonne has an important place in the history of France.

 

The Basques are passionate about their politics



The main post office in Bayonne, French post office architecture with its distinct art deco style

Once ruled by the English for over two hundred years, thanks to Henry II's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and now proudly Basque, it attracts many tourists heading for the south and Spain or to the extremely chic resorts of St Jean de Luz, Angelet and Biarritz.  Its position is key to its relative current prosperity.  Parking down by the river Lesley and I climbed up towards the heart of the old town, admiring the many timbered buildings dressed in that Basque red and also passing Vauban's fortifications on the way.  If we English refer to Pepys from this epoch and his influence on the birth of the technology we recognise today, then the French can refer to Vauban, a master miltary architect if ever there was one.  France is dotted with examples of his fortifications.  Visit Blaye to view a particularly fine example. 

 

The world renowned Bayonne ham, there is nothing quite like it

 

A picturesque Bayonne café and tea shop

 

and within, all the teas of the world

Having bought some of the famous Bayonne ham, a speciality ham cured with the famous red peppers from Espelette, we settled down at a riverside cafe to enjoy a beer.  We were surrounded by a lot of confident young people enjoying themselves, seemingly sure of their traditions and 'Basqueness'.  A couple of young men even gave a lesson in the latest rugby scrum technique, grappling about with much amusement.  All done without a drop of beer or wine being spilt.  Life was to be enjoyed and they appeared to have a healthy attitude towards it. 

 

The young of Bayonne relaxing and socialising

On this positive note we reluctantly left Bayonne, our spirits much lifted and pointed the car towards the black and glowering pine forests of 'Les Landes'.  Gawp at all these pine trees in wonder and then consider this;  that before the 18c this was all mostly swampland and that the nearly 4,000 sq miles of trees have been entirely planted by man.  Truly incredible.

We bought an interesting aperitif in this shop.  Named Le Pimencon it is an interesting concoction of an Espelette pepper floating in a base of white wine.