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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 18, 2018 6:34:44 GMT
Bayonne is one of the principal cities of the French Basque region and the biggest of the "B-A-B" metropolitan area which is comprised of Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne. Although it is a single urban area with the same bus system, the three cities must never be confused as you will find out if you meet somebody from Bayonne and say to the person "oh, that's just like Biarritz." You would get the same reaction as if you said that New York City and Newark are pretty much the same place. Anyway, Bayonne is naturally twinned with Bayonne, New Jersey but its most important twin city is Pamplona, Spain. In fact, it is the city of Pamplona which inspired the most important event of the year in Bayonne -- the festival at the beginning of August during which bulls are mistreated just like in Pamplona (which has its event in July). However, Bayonne does not run the bulls through narrow sreets but instead has a free-for-all in a big prairie. Nevertheless, the festival attracts 1.5 million visitors every summer, which is more than Pamplona. Bayonne is nevertheless more discreet because Hemingway did not write about it. During the festival, the dress code is the same as in Pamplona -- white trousers and shirts with a red sash at the waist and a red kerchief.
Anyway, since I do not possess the proper outfit for the celebrations, I went at the emptiest time of the year. This is what I might have seen otherwise.
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It rained the whole time I was there, so my first view of the city was out of my hotel window on the banks of the Adour river.
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I could see the cathedral in the distance.
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It was time to go out into the city to explore.
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A smaller river, the Nive, joins the Adour in the centre of the city.
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This is the combined town hall and municipal theatre, where the crowd photo was taken.
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The main shopping street had some arcades which protected me from the rain. I presume their principal function is to protect people from the sun.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 18, 2018 6:44:49 GMT
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Post by bjd on Feb 18, 2018 9:15:47 GMT
Too bad you had nothing but rain. It is a rainy city anyway but lately it has been quite depressing. We are just 40 km north at the moment and it rains more there than here. I did a photo report about Bayonne in 2012: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/6118/bayonne. Little did I know at the time that I would spend so much time there afterwards.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 18, 2018 16:20:55 GMT
Well, I'm sorry that you got rained on, but must say that I love the very atmospheric pictures the rain afforded.
After looking at Bjd's Bayonne report from five years ago, I came back to this one and am doubly delighted at how "natural" Bayonne allows itself to be -- no Disneyfication there.
Ramparts are for protection. Is it a logical assumption that all the towers in the city also have something to do with that?
I found the town hall/theater somewhat surprising, not only in its large squareness, but in its relative isolation. Had you not identified it, I would have thought it to be a train station.
Re: the playing fields ~ would they really allow crowds and bulls to churn up all that carefully maintained green area? You said the bulls are released in a "big prairie". From the crowd scene in the OP (OMG!), it would have to be a much bigger space than the ball fields.
I am very much enjoying this thread and see that you've promised more. *happily sitting back to wait*
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Post by bjd on Feb 18, 2018 17:31:07 GMT
The train station is close to the river but opposite the city hall/theatre. The bridge Kerouac crossed is closed to traffic for 18 months while they repair it. Last repairs were in 1850s or so. In the meantime they have put a little boat that ferries people across the river for free.
The city hall isn't really isolated, just looks a bit away from the old centre with narrow streets, just across the Nive river.
The Fête de Bayonne is a huge party for a five days at the end of July. Mobs of people dressed in white with red scarves and berets all over the place. Attractions for kids, concerts, lots of drunks too. It draws people from all the nearby towns and villages.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 18, 2018 18:51:46 GMT
Looks like a really interesting place, shame about the rain but it IS February (imo the worst month of the year...period) I love to shop, the bag shop looked like my sort of place. I really like the soft honey coloured stone of the cathedral...and who doesn't love a turret ? Great pictures Kerouac.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 18, 2018 19:03:12 GMT
Actually, the bridge is open to pedestrians, which was a relief because the Adour is very wide and the bridges are few and far between.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 18, 2018 20:08:22 GMT
I did not take any photos of the numerous chocolate shops of Bayonne, but it should be pointed out that chocolate was brought to France through Bayonne, with the arrival of Portuguese Jews fleeing persecution. There are still seven companies making chocolate based in Bayonne.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2018 4:24:12 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 19, 2018 5:03:05 GMT
Bayonne surely must be lovely in the sunshine, but it's hard to imagine it being prettier than it is in the rain.
Great pictures throughout, but I love your B&Ws.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2018 5:08:16 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2018 6:04:32 GMT
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Post by bjd on Feb 19, 2018 7:13:01 GMT
Nice pictures, Kerouac. It really is too bad that it rained all the time.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2018 11:30:44 GMT
Thanks! I never let the weather stop me.
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Post by breeze on Feb 19, 2018 13:25:39 GMT
Bayonne has a lot of architectural appeal. The half-timbered look on some of the buildings seems to be surface only.
Towns with a river running through them have something extra going on. It's even better if they are built on two hills, in my opinion.
One of your photos answered a question I'd forgotten I had. In #13, the graffiti on the postbox reminded me of something I photographed last fall that puzzled me. Your photo shows a logo which I just now looked up and I learned that C215 is a graffiti artist. He must get around quite a bit, because what I photographed was on a rural road, on the wall surrounding a small house. The wall was so close to the road that you'd only see the portrait if you were driving by slowly and happened to look at the wall.
At the time I thought it must have been painted by whoever lived in the house and that it was a portrait of a friend, or maybe of somebody famous that everybody in the world would recognize but me.
I still have some questions. Why on this road, in a place that's the opposite of urban? Was this one of his unauthorized graffiti? If so, he had to work quickly. The wiki article said he uses stencils and spray paint, but it's hard for me to believe what I saw was stenciled, or the portraits you show in #13.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 19, 2018 15:12:52 GMT
Breeze, I would say that is definitely stencil. I've seen stencil artists at work, though, & it is not a quick process. Those are really impressive.
Kerouac, I posted my pleasure in this thread further up, but I think it was a simul-post with your #10. At any rate ~ love this! Of course you've done a fine job of photographing the city, but you've also managed to inspire affection in me for Bayonne -- something not often felt no matter how much one likes a travelogue. The city seems to have such a happy, non-arrogant sense of self. What a lovely morning on the day you left, too, showing the city in a new light, as it were.
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Post by mossie on Feb 19, 2018 19:33:14 GMT
Thanks for a comprehensive view of a city I knew nothing about, except the name.
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Post by fumobici on Feb 19, 2018 20:05:46 GMT
Lovely looking town! I like how C215 lays down dark areas and uses opaque light paint over the dark, the cat in particular was well rendered this way. The new TGVs look a bit unfriendly inside to me, once you are seated, you can't see much of the car with those enormous seat backs. The camo coats are considered quite haute couture among the backwoods Italian farmers, they look correct for hunting pheasant and deer, and present a sporting look as casual wear. Or something. I'll be in the South of France later this Spring, but hadn't planned going so far East. Thanks for the look around.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 19, 2018 22:34:44 GMT
Fumobici, don't you mean so far west?
I'm very attracted to that town. I've been to Toulouse but not to Bayonne. I have friends in Bilbao ... I imagine that it isn't hard to get between those two Basque cities.
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Post by fumobici on Feb 19, 2018 22:53:47 GMT
Fumobici, don't you mean so far west? I'm very attracted to that town. I've been to Toulouse but not to Bayonne. I have friends in Bilbao ... I imagine that it isn't hard to get between those two Basque cities. Of course I did!
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2018 22:54:52 GMT
Frankly, Bayonne appeared to me to be one of the least "touristy" cities that I have ever seen, meaning a place not at all geared to the tourist trade. Of course I know that this is mostly due to visiting at the most absolutely least touristy season. I'm sure that during the summer every effort is made to attract tourists, and that is perfectly fine and as it should be.
I absolutely do not regret visiting in the "worst" season possible because I was able to see what a completely delightful city that it is, and it only hones my desire to see it during a more appropriate (?) season one of these days.
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