🇫🇷 Biarritz

Stage 8 Île d´Oléron —> Biarritz 380 KM (Total 1866KM)

Next, we had Biarritz or Lascaux as the top choices.

The Lascaux Caves are located in the Dordogne region and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. They contain significant cave paintings and are also referred to as the Sistine Chapel of the Prehistoric Era. Tickets must be booked online and the next available dates are 5 days later, so we had to postpone the visit for another time.

In the morning, we wake up at 5:30 am and leave Il d‘Oleron at sunrise. We quickly bought two croissants and a baguette from the bakery on the way and then we started.

The evening before, we found out that the G7 summit starts in Biarritz in 3 days. It reassures us that our campsite is about 12 KM away from Biarritz.

We arrive at noon and head to Biarritz directly on our 🚲. To our surprise, the topography is already quite hilly - it would be quite challenging without an electric drive. We overtake a couple struggling up a long climb. At the top, we take a short break and they ask us about our e-bikes. They are planning to buy one and would like a recommendation. It turns out that they are also from Münsterland and we spontaneously have a friendly conversation. He tells us that he is a retirement advisor (how fitting 😊) - we will schedule a meeting with him after our trip...

We are immediately impressed by Biarritz - it is a really chic French seaside resort. The highlight is the municipal beach where surfers ride the waves. We can't get enough of watching them. But we also see a lot of police and G7 preparations.

With our 🚲, we find the quaint and down-to-earth restaurant CASA JUAN PEDRO in the old port of Biarritz. Here we sit comfortably overlooking the rocky natural harbor basin and enjoy the evening and the food.

Our campsite is a real gem. It is located on a cliff by the sea with a breathtaking view of Biarritz and the foothills of the Pyrenees. We have direct access to the beach through a pristine bamboo forest. The bay is protected by a reef, so we can also use the snorkeling equipment we brought along.

The next evening, we have a reservation at Restaurant Madrid in the small neighboring village of Guéthary, which we discovered on our way back from Biarritz. That evening, a Basque fiesta takes place and people pass by right outside the restaurant. We have a table in the pole position and spend the whole evening watching the hustle and bustle.

On the next day, we realize that the world is too beautiful to be in just one place!

We drive on roads that we have never driven on before - take paths that we have never taken before - see landscapes and places that we have not seen before and meet people whom we are encountering for the first time.

This is exactly as we wished and imagined it 😊👍