Today’s drive to Carcassonne was beautiful, but by the time we arrived, we were ready to call it a day. I had planned to get to the hotel, kick back for a while, then head out to visit the walled city of Carcassonne at night. That didn’t happen. Continue reading “Carcassonne at Night – Almost”
Car Trouble in Carcassonne, or… Wrong Again!
We woke up this morning in St. Jean de Luz, packed up the car, and hit the road for Pau, where we had lunch. From Pau, we continued east toward our destination – Carcassonne. We were almost there. So close, and yet so far… Continue reading “Car Trouble in Carcassonne, or… Wrong Again!”
There’s No Place Like Carcassonne
It’s true. There’s no place like Carcassonne. It’s a medieval city with massive walls, turrets, and towers still intact. It’s the only one, in fact. Carcassonne is awesome. Continue reading “There’s No Place Like Carcassonne”
The Road to Carcassonne
On the road again… doo dee doot doot on the road again… In this case, it’s the A64 autoroute through France’s Languedoc region, starting at Pau and ending at Carcassonne. We’ve got two hours to go. Continue reading “The Road to Carcassonne”
Pau!
Au revoir, St. Jean de Luz. We’ll be back some day, I hope. But for now, it’s time to hit the road to Carcassonne. We’ll stop for lunch in Pau. It’s a beautiful day for a drive through the French countryside, so let’s go. Allons! Continue reading “Pau!”
Last Day in St. Jean de Luz
The thing about traveling is that even if you’re crazy about a place, you’re traveling – sooner or later you have to move on. So alas, it’s our last day in St. Jean de Luz. I’m feeling the need to go back to Place Louise XIV and have a nice lunch, Basque-style. Continue reading “Last Day in St. Jean de Luz”
Bare-Handed Pelota. Argggh!
If you ask the average person on the street to name something Basque, one of the few things they might come up with is jai-alai. They’d be right, for sure. But they probably wouldn’t know that Basques still play the game that gave birth to jai-alai — bare-handed pelota. Continue reading “Bare-Handed Pelota. Argggh!”
St. Jean de Luz and Operation Comet
St. Jean de Luz is a quiet seaside town in southwestern France. It’s a favorite destination for Parisians who want to take a break and get away from it all. During WWII, this quiet little town, even though occupied by Nazis, was a critical node in Operation Comet – a network for smuggling downed Allied airmen out of Europe. Continue reading “St. Jean de Luz and Operation Comet”
Being Basque During World War II
There’s a plaque in St. Jean de Luz honoring Basques who fought in the Resistance during World War II. We came across the plaque while on a post-lunch walk near the marina. There was a lot going on in this little town during the war. Continue reading “Being Basque During World War II”
St. Jean de Luz and the Sun King
Place Louis XIV is the largest and nicest square in St. Jean de Luz. Cities all over France have squares named in honor of a king. This square in St. Jean de Luz is named after the Sun King because he put St. Jean de Luz on the map – by getting married here. Continue reading “St. Jean de Luz and the Sun King”
