It’s a brilliant Sunday morning in the south of France. We are seated at a tiny dockside bistro in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a literal stone’s throw from the Spanish border, having just ankle-splashed in the Ocean Atlantique.
We Depart the Atlantic
Sipping freshly ground coffee, we admire a living, life-sized postcard. In it an ancient stone castle guards a cozy cove. Weekend sailors secure lines, luff sails and squint at downy clouds skating across a Delft blue sky.
My partner Peggy and I are on a mission to cross the south of France in just one day despite tantalizing distractions. We share one simple objective: to plant our feet in the Atlantic in the morning and the Mediterranean before dark.
From St. Jean we drive to Bayonne, a Basque town famous for chocolate and invention of the “bayonet” which changed the character of warfare forever. We divert into Pau, (a recent ex-pat hot spot) and admire an historic promenade built at the direction of Napoleon, overlooking the Gave de Pau River.
Lunch in a Fairy Tale Town
Roughly mid-way through our quest, the town of Foix stops us in our tracks. There is a stunning skyline, a perfect setting for a fairy tale. We climb the cobbled entrance to a Cinderella-like chateau and quickly recognize it’s time for lunch. Workers in classic blue overalls, gather in the shade breaking out ubiquitous baguettes. We wander narrow streets nearby and find a quiet courtyard restaurant. Warm bread, creamy brie, crisp salads and 2 glasses of wine with tip $27. Affordable enchantment.
Restored, refreshed, re-energized we start out again. Now the road gets curvier, even challenging. There are rushing streams along our route with inviting opportunities for recreational camping. We press on.
Shadows have lengthened as we arrive at historic Perpignan. Families are returning from a weekend at the beach, but we circumvent the congestion and head straight for Canat Plage. Here tiny whitecaps top choppy, grey waves. A brisk wind is in our face so we don light jackets. And for the second time in the same day we go ankle deep in a world-class body of water, this time the Mediterranean Sea.
Dipping in the Med at Sunset
We have gone Coast to Coast, west to east, guided by the Pyrenees, across the South of France, in just one day.
The trip takes us about 6 hours, with one magical stop for a savory lunch, and enough time to absorb memories for a lifetime.
13 thoughts on “Road Tripping across France”
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