En route through the French Basque Country: a summer full of surfing and 'savoir vivre'

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beach

appears 'invaded' by hundreds of surfboards.

It is Wednesday, a day without school, and the children take the opportunity to learn in this paradise for the sport of board and balance.

Even the planes, which seem to brush against the masts of the boats to land at the nearby

airport , do not seem to bother the bathers, oblivious to the noise of the ship.

The area, known as the green track of surfing, is the perfect beach for the first steps in a sport that dominates the entire coast.

This small town, which multiplies its population several times in summer, has eight schools.

One of them is Ecole de surf de Hendaya, a center for learning and renting equipment, where

works .

With a hat, sun cream and a wetsuit with many waves behind him, he gives one of the keys to students who want to

for the first time in the sea: "The fundamental thing is not to rush when standing up", he says while teaching them the technique.

Hendaye has the ideal beach to learn to surf.

m.

With classes lasting an hour and a half, most students manage to stand up almost like small children, who learn at just five years of age to ride the table with the same ease that they get on a bicycle.

The environment in which you learn is idyllic as well as historic.

Dozens of neo-Basque style houses, in shades of red, blue or green, share space on a very long

with two historic buildings: the old Hendaye Casino and the Euskalduna hotel.

Both have left their past behind.

The first, for example, was a place where they played until the 1980s.

Today, both are apartment buildings with privileged views of the last beach in France, neighboring the Bidasoa River, which serves as a natural border with Spain.

If the panoramic view from these buildings is worth it, it is also interesting to be from the opposite point of view.

For that you can take the boat L`Hendayais II, captained by

.

The skipper covers both the Spanish and French coasts, explaining the history of the rocks that dot the sea, such as the one known as the submarine, whose surface decreases according to the tide, or Loia beach, which can only be accessed by boat. and that it is escorted by a cliff of pink slate.

For the most daring, or those who have practiced with the rod, you can leave at dawn to fish some of the bonito that are in the area.

In both cases, one of the points that anyone who visits Hendaye cannot miss is

.

Two large rock formations located on the far right of the beach that serve as inspiration for local artisans like the ones who gather at the Lagunak store.

The large rocks are at the foot of the Domain of Abbadia, a large natural park that has a neo-Gothic

within its more than 60 hectares and is one of the most appreciated points by the locals.

The castle was commissioned by the French explorer and astronomer

from the first architect of the Statue of Liberty,

, between 1860 and 1870. Its spectacular exterior appearance, with figures of animals such as crocodiles, monkeys , snails and cats, has nothing to envy to its content.

The Domain of Abbadia is an essential visit in HendayeL.

b.

Divided into three wings, it keeps the three fundamental aspects in the life of the scientist: faith, with a small chapel under which he is buried with his wife;

work, with a library with thousands of volumes and a complex astronomical observatory;

and social life, with the bedrooms inspired by his many trips.

Antoine, whose astronomical observations helped locate hundreds of stars, also participated in explorations in Africa.

Thanks to these trips, he managed to draw the first map of Ethiopia and recreated scenes of life in the African country on the walls of the castle.

The scientist, who was also passionate about Basque culture, died without issue and bequeathed the castle to the

, which guards his legacy.

ROAD TO ANGLET

The Carretera de la Cornisa passes through the castle gate, the ideal route to contemplate the sea while taking the road that leads to Anglet, another of the towns dedicated to surfing.

The unmistakable zebra crossings of AngletE.

m.

It is easy to identify when we have arrived at this extensive coastal town.

You can look at the sea, choppier and in perfect conditions for surfers with a little more experience to catch waves on one of its 11 beaches.

is perhaps most famous for its cliff-side caves or the Tower of Love, an installation by artist

.

But the easiest way to identify Anglet is by looking at its original zebra crossings.

The traditional black and white stripes have been replaced by surfboards.

Its beaches are open from April to October and there is room for naturism and sports such as beach volleyball, with championships that are held regularly during the summer, or yoga.

Thalassotherapy and local market

dropdown

The center of the French town is a good option for days when you don't feel like going to the beach.

Away from the coast, it has a footbridge that borders the bay of

and ends at the port of Caneta, where the house of the writer Pierre Loti and the Moorish village are located.

If it's Wednesday, the Plaça de la République market is a good place to buy local gastronomy products, such as cheeses, cured meats or the 'gâteau basque

a cake filled with cream or red berries that can be eaten with tea. in the nearby and charming space of Au Manoir des Arômes.

To recover from the walk, nothing better than a thalassotherapy session at the hotel-spa that the former French rugby player, Serge Blanco, has at one end of Boulevard de la Mer.

/ L .B.

Every August, Chambre d'Amour hosts the Anglet Night Surfing, an event in which surfers from all over the world ride the waves illuminated by large balloons.

, the most famous surfer who visits the city from time to time,

does not participate in this competition .

Where she does appear is on Avenida del surf, a kind of sports walk of fame where the surfing elite have left their footprints.

The American champion himself, the Australian

or the local star

have signed their mark here.

All the beaches are connected by an extensive bike lane where it is common to see electric versions.

You can rent one at Bicicletta, a recently opened establishment that has more than 300 high-end models.

With it you can go to the beach, to one of its extensive golf courses or to the forests of Chiberta or Fignada, where a bike path winds along areas designated for children or wild animals.

EAT, DRINK, SLEEP

Being in the French Basque Country, the issue of filling the stomach is not a concern.

Good food and good drinks are guaranteed.

Both Hendaye and Anglet stand out for their careful gastronomy.

Meat, fish and vegetables are not lacking among the dishes that can be tasted: lamb, baby squid (a food that has its own festival) and oysters are some of the specialties of the place, along with the cheeses and, of course, the wines.

Gastronomy, a fundamental part of the French Basque CountryE.

m.

In Hendaye you can have one at the

, a wine bar founded almost 100 years ago by Pierre's grandfather, its owner, whose store has more than 1,000 references.

The Catalan

works there, passionate about the area and its wines who will tell you all the secrets of the area's small denomination of origin, which has wines such as the white Arretxea, "one of the best", according to the sommelier.

In Anglet you can opt for the Halles des 5 Cantons covered market, where stalls of all kinds share gastronomic space with small restaurants.

Here you can order cheese, products where the truffle is the protagonist or a ham made with 'porc basque

, from which Kintoa ham comes.

If you want to opt for a table and tablecloth meal in Hendaye,

, with a menu focused on meats and fish of the day, and Battela, specializing in fish, are a good choice.

In Anglet you can visit

, with local dishes.

To drink, almost all establishments have euskola, a cola drink made in the neighboring town of Bardos and which pays homage to

, the lord of the woods in Basque mythology.

Practical Guide

ARRIVE

.

(iberia.es) connects in 50 minutes with Hondarribia.

From there it takes just 20 minutes to Hendaye.

You can go by Topo, a small train.

SLEEP.

In Anglet, the

has rooms on a lake.

In Hendaye, the four-star Serge Blanco offers spa treatments.

EAT

.

Two traditional food options are

, in Hendaye, and

, in Anglet.

MORE INFO

: On the Tourism websites of Anglet (www.anglet-tourisme.com) and Hendaye (www.hendaye-tourisme.fr).

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