“Basqueland” straddles the border between Spain and France on the Atlantic side, where they meet at the Bay of Biscay. We’re staying on the French side, but so far on this trip, we’ve spent most of our time in Spain. We’ve been on the move. Now it’s time to relax, kick back, and explore St. Jean de Luz.
The name, St. Jean de Luz, sounds like it might mean St. John of the Light. Nice. But in this case, the “luz” doesn’t come from the Spanish word for light. It comes from a Basque word meaning “swamp.”
This low-lying area used to be flooded so often that it became known as St. John’s Swamp. And as can be seen on signs everywhere here, the Basque name for St. Jean de Luz is Donibane-Lohitzun.
It’s a (French) Tourist Destination
St. Jean de Luz, like it’s neighboring Basque port towns San Sebastián and Bilbao, used to be a busy harbor and fishing village. The Basques, as we have learned, were the ablest of seamen. Basque privateers were notorious for sailing out to sea, raiding British ships, then sailing back into the Bay of Biscay and docking at St. Jean de Luz.
Today, tourism has replaced fishing as the town’s primary source of revenue. When we step out of our hotel, we step right into the tourist zone. Streets in this area, even if they’re not pedestrian-only, have more pedestrians than cars. The vibe is very laid back.
We happened to be here on a long French holiday week-end. (I imagine there are quite a few of them). The main pedestrian street, Rue Gambetta, is full of touristy-looking people on holiday, enjoying themselves.
In a European tourist-oriented town like St. Jean de Luz, we’d expect to hear lots of different languages. That isn’t the case here. As far as we can tell, tourists here are 100% french-speaking.
A Stroll Down Rue Gambetta
Rue Gambetta is just about the perfect touristy street. There’s something for everyone. Ice cream for the kids – and adults. People here are really into ice cream. One ice cream shop is nothing more than a window, usually with a line of people waiting for their scoops.
Prada and Louis Vuitton aren’t here, but most of the clothing shops looked pretty high-end to me. There are plenty of lower-priced shops, too.
We’re in France, so of course there’s going to be a wine shop or two. And at least a couple of deli’s, or charcuterie traiteurs. A guy in one of them, on view for all to see, was using a slicer to slice off paper-thin sheets of ham for waiting customers.
There were bakeries – boulangeries, and patisseries. Patisseries are those places with windows full of things that look impossibly sweet and tasty.
St. Jean de Luz is a small town, but it has all the establishments required for any self-respecting French village – and they all can be found on Rue Gambetta.
Lunch at Bar de La Marine
There’s a square at one end of town called Place Louis XIV. We had lunch at one of the brasseries lining the square. Our table was outside under an umbrella, near a door where servers constantly ran in and out.
The place was packed and servers were hustling. They seemed to be enjoying the fast pace. Our server was particularly amusing. I ordered in french, (my foreigner-trying-to-speak-french french), and from that point on it was all fun and games with this guy.
We had a lengthy conversation with a couple at the next table. They knew just enough english and I knew just enough french for us to have a meaningful conversation. He had recently retired, and they had relocated to St. Jean de Luz from Paris not long ago. He said this is a popular retirement destination for Parisians. I can see why.
The brasserie was not only fun, the food was outstanding. I was ready for some American food, so I ordered a burger. Oh man. It was one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Should have known – we’re in France, after all.
Note to self: Order more hamburgers while in France!
To be continued…
