Final destination

3rd destination Hendaye

Located at the gateway to Spain at the beginning of the Basque cliffs, the charming seaside resort of Hendaye has a harmonious coastline dotted with numerous villas in the neo-Basque style from the early 20th century, which are listed as historic monuments.

A bit of history

The French coastal town of Hendaye is a popular destination for beach holidays, but it also has a fascinating history. Today, the beach is a hotspot for surfers and the nearby hotels host families and couples who come here to relax. How many tourists on the beach are aware of the political assassinations that took place here in 1984? Or the meeting between Adolf Hitler and General Franco in 1940, which took place at the train station?

For those who define the Basque Country not only as a region of Spain, but as an unrecognized nation that extends into France, Hendaye holds the title for its longest beach. The beach consists of two main areas: Plage d'Hendaye, the larger of the two, and Les Deux Jumeaux, whose name is derived from the two stone monoliths that rise from the water like identical twin cliffs. These two beach areas are connected by a long and narrow strip of sand, which is popular with surfers, swimmers, and sunbathers, and is lined with restaurants and brasseries.

In 1940, during World War II, it was here in Hendaye that two fascist dictators, Franco of Spain and Hitler of Nazi Germany, met. The meeting took place, quite bizarrely, inside the small train station, where both dictators arrived by train from opposite directions. Reports from Spain later boasted that during the meeting, Hitler tried to convince Franco to join the Axis powers in their war efforts, but Franco skillfully avoided it. However, historians like Paul Preston consider this claim to be nothing more than French propaganda and say that the real purpose of the meeting was to discuss Spain's relations with Vichy France. Whatever they discussed, the modest Hendaye train station seems to be an extremely strange choice of location.

On the way from Bilbao to Hendaye at the Spanish/French "border", we pass by many places worth seeing.... I would like to visit some of them, but time is limited as always... Zumaia is the destination on the way... a lively town at the mouth of the Rio Urola. Above the small old town rises the gothic church of San Pedro. Inside the church, there is a magnificent Renaissance altarpiece by the master Juan de Ancheta, who also created the main altarpiece of Burgos Cathedral. Around the church, there are beautiful alleys, although a belt of modern, not very interestingly designed blocks of houses has been built around the old town. Zumaia is famous for its sensational geology. Here, there are Flysch formations of extraordinary beauty and significance. The layers are frequently vertically layered and stretch for miles undisturbed. The sedimentary sequence of limestones, calcareous clays, marls, and coarser sandstones was formed... over a period of up to 100 million years... very impressive... We chose the Basque Country as our holiday destination this year because of its nature, mentality, uniqueness, and great food... and also because of the location of a series that the men in the family find interesting: Games of Thrones... unfortunately, we were not allowed to visit the spectacular bridge in Gaztelugatxe because of Corona, maybe we will have better luck on the Flysch Coast... as the dragons from Games of Thrones add an additional meaning to the place... everything seems to be visible in the 7th season... many people, it's the weekend and the sun is shining, what else should we do? We sit in a café above the beach, have a small bite to eat, and enjoy the view, unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the beach again... But we want to go 40km further to France. The entry works without any stops due to Corona, no one asks where we come from at the campsite, nor do we have to fill out anything, very pleasant, finally no more masks in the fresh air 😊 After a good night's sleep, we pick up the ordered croissants and baguette at the reception, delicious... finally delicious croissants again... full and satisfied, we go shopping for the next few days, drinks are at the top of the list, we consume a lot 😉... we drive through the town of Hendaye, past the beach... I look intently for a volleyball net, nothing, but signs prohibiting dogs on the beach 😏... we have to research where we are welcome... nice and quiet here at the campsite... we have a small bite to eat and finally play a game... maybe it's because of the lack of wifi, or maybe we always need some time... in any case, Angelina wants to learn backgammon... the boys are trying, I contribute a fruit platter... take my book... Relax 😎
We will spend the next 2 days like today, swimming, relaxing on the beach, and playing volleyball... at the end of the beach, which is not watched, we found a spot just before the nudist beach where dogs are still not allowed, but no one cares 😜 whether someone has a dog or not 😜
Today, it's 38 degrees at the beach, still 30 degrees at around 8 pm... many people until after 10 pm... pleasant 😊

Today we are going to Biarritz... After a short walk up to the small hill to the former summer residence of Empress Eugenie, the charm of Biarritz becomes apparent. The small town is perfectly situated on one of the most beautiful bays on the French Atlantic coast. Framed on the left and right by two narrow promontories.

According to legend, God promised the poor fisherman's daughter Miarritze in a dream to send her the soul of his servant Martin. He was to come as a colorful bird carrying a fish with golden scales in its beak - a sign of the wealth that the poor fishermen could expect in the future. The French name of the kingfisher, "Martin-pecheur/Martinsfischer", is rooted in this. When a ship stranded with sailors who called themselves Biarrins, the fisherman's daughter Miarritze took them in. She became the leader's wife and the name of the beautiful city in France was born: Biarritz!

We drive through the town in search of a parking space... hopeless... the place is so crowded with people, on the streets, in the cafes and restaurants... packed...due to the weather forecast (rain is predicted), we decide not to explore the town, but to walk along the promenade immediately, to the Grande Plage - the big beach - many surfers, it's quite windy today... We come to the Rocher de la Vierge. The world-famous rocky reef is located at the fishing port of Biarritz. On top of the Rocher de la Vierge stands the snow-white statue of Mary. Since 1864, it has been there to ensure the safe return of the fishermen to the port of Biarritz. Napoleon III had the idea of connecting the so-called "Virgin Rock" to the mainland with a bridge. The builder of the Eiffel Tower, Gustav Eiffel, realized this plan in 1887 and built the solid land connection... and there it is, the rain... not nice, because we have the rain jackets in the car... but the waves are incredible... they are so high that you have to be careful not to get wet when they crash against the walls... very entertaining, the kids are having fun... 🤣 We take a rain break with delicious variations of tiramisu, including WiFi and a dynamo training game... the rain doesn't stop, more free water games follow on the way back to the car 🤣🤣🌊

On the way back from Biarritz to our place, we discovered a beautiful beach with a volleyball net and a great coastal path... so today we will "hike" 4km to the next beautiful town... along the impressive Atlantic coast with its amazing rock fragments. It's so beautiful to watch the vast sea.... we finally arrive... phew 😅 quite warm, we rest and play volleyball... and we decide to have dinner on the beach, fish for me and Angelina, steaks for the boys... delicious... However, we eat or rather slurp all the mussels in white wine sauce... fun to watch... I would pick them out with a fork 😜... maybe I'll try them sometime... and for the next 2 days, it's mussels, les Moules, in a Roquefort sauce, delicious.... after beautiful days at the beach, we say goodbye tomorrow morning towards Orléans, as Paris has been declared a risk area, and so we are left with cancellation fees of 130€, as you could only cancel free of charge 48 hours in advance, unfortunately, I only read that today... too late... it's so annoying... but never mind, we're going to visit the castles of the Loire 😍😍.... and slowly make our way home...