Bayonne

[bjd]

Last Tuesday we spent a few hours in Bayonne. It is a city in southwestern France and is amalgamated with Biarritz and Anglet: BAB.

These pictures were only taken in the old historical centre, although like all other French cities, there are areas of apartment buildings, houses, business areas, etc.

Of the 3, Bayonne has the strongest Basque identity, and is also the most "authentic" city, since Biarritz tends to feel like a chic resort, and Anglet doesn't have much of an identity.

I had some trouble uploading my pictures to Photobucket and they are all large size, so will show that thay can be enlarged. Sorry, but since Photobucket is being slow, I really don't feel like re-uploading them again. I'll just post fewer pictures than I had intended.

Here is the view of the old city & cathedral as you cross the Adour river from the train station and the area called St Esprit. The bridge is called Pont St Esprit. The sort of domed building on the right is a former theatre, now city hall.





This is a map of Bayonne, showing the layout around the Adour and Nive rivers.

[bjd]

The Nive

[bjd]

Getting into the small streets leading to the cathedral






The covered market

[bjd]

The cathedral seen from the cloister




School outing in front of the cathedral




More small streets and old buildings

[bjd]

Part of the old city walls

[bjd]

Entrance to old building






Lots of Spanish influence and Spanish tourists


And a bit of colour on a cloudy day

[Deleted]

Bayonne looks really lovely. I have to admit that I have never stopped there, just driven through and (more likely) around it. I have seen much more of Biarritz, which has a few nice things to see but which suffers from outdated over-the-top resort architecture from 100 years ago.

I particularly like the last photo with the piment d'espelette.

[htmb]

I'm enjoying looking at your photos very much, bjd. There are so many interesting components to each picture. I've always wanted to visit this part of France.

[mich64]

I have never been to this region either so I am enjoying this very much. The painted shutters are so lovely. I wonder what type of fish that man will be reeling in considering the size of that rod.

[fumobici]

Lovely photo report bjd. What a picturesque little medieval centre. The fact that France has so many charming towns and cities does nothing to diminish each individually.

The last photo from the second post of the shuttered windows looking out over the river and the second photo of the cathedral from the cloisters are postcard worthy.

[bjd]

Thank you all.

Mich, I have no idea what kind of fish they are but I think these guys use the same large fishing rods in the Adour or on the beach for ocean fishing. From what I have seen on the beaches, the fish are not that big but I am incapable of identifying them.

Kerouac, there is a lot more to see in Bayonne than in Biarritz. The latter really feels like a chic and slightly outdated resort, except for a few areas. I have always preferred Bayonne, even though it doesn't feel like a beach city. Whenever we go, we always return to the same restaurant -- one of those places that fill in 15 minutes and many customers kiss the waitress when they arrive because they come often.

[lugg]

What a charming town and such lovely photos Bjd. So many fab ones but I particularly like the one of the old shop " Alimentation"

The Union Jack looks distinctly out of place on the balcony of one house in #2

I realised after looking at the last photo for a while that the colours of the garlic and chilis echo the Basque colours

[frenchmystiquetour]

Spent two weeks in the Basque region about 5 years ago based south of Bayonne in Bidart. Bayonne is lovely and I too felt Biarritz was too ritzy and resort like and it left me feeling cold. A lovely region overall.

[lola]

Excellent report on a lovely city, bjd. Thank you! Makes me want to drop by.

[nycgirl]

Charming place. I love the pretty painted shutters and timbered houses.

How's the Basque food?

[bixaorellana]

Bjd, thank you so much for linking to this thread from Kerouac's Bayonne report. I never saw it before! In my defense, I see it was made at the exact time I was in Louisiana for a family reunion, so undoubtedly how I missed seeing it.

At any rate, it's a lovely look at what seems to be a most interesting city, especially in light of its mixed cultural roots. The map is a revelation, showing how the city is divided and united by the convergence of the rivers. I love how rounded everything is and how the old center has avoided that slick over-polished look that plagues "discovered" charming places.

Now that you are closer to Bayonne, I look forward to your take on the place five years on.

[lagatta]

Bixa, if you are visiting Euskadi, you will doubtless also go to the "South", as hardcore Basques refer to it, that is the part that 'belongs to Spain', and where Bilbao (Bilbo in Basque) and San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) are larger cities than Bayonne in the "North" (the part that 'belongs to France').