I slept in a little after making it through jetlag day 1 like a champ. When I woke up, Elorine came in and showed me toys and we played and tried to chat a little …she is just such a doll! We left the house a little before 10 to a dreary and drizzly day. Nothing was stopping us though!
The girls had been up a while, so they all napped in the back seat on the way to Spain. Serine likes to say “ma ma ma” every time we got in the car. So she just talked herself to sleep.
We arrived in Spain at about noon to the gorgeous town of San Sebastian (or Donostia in Basque). This area is part of the Basque region that exists in both France and Spain. The homes that are white or yellow with the red tile roofs are common in this area. This was our first view of the water.
Elorine wanted nothing more than to hit the beach…so we walked right down to the coast. We looked from above then Annebelle and I went down to play in the sand and feel the water. It was nice and warm.
Elorine was not very happy that Annabelle and I walked down to the water. So, we made one more trip so she could touch the water too. When we were about 50 feet away, she turned and ran back to the seawall! It was a good thought. :) Here’s a shot of all of us! 
We then walked down the sea wall and over to the old town. This place was gorgeous…with quaint little streets and plenty of bars and restaurants. They have banned smoking inside the bars, so you could always tell a pub was around the corner when you heard the rowdy crowd outside.
We stopped in to a restaurant called Irutxulo Jatetxea. The food was absolutely wonderful! We had foie gras, calamari and queso to start. Then all 3 of us got the same calamari entrée, which was also delicious. It was so much food…I didn’t need to eat again for weeks! 
Next stop was St. Jean de Luz. We took a little detour on the way, but got see a gorgeous valley in the mountains! The GPS finally got us back on track and we made it back to France in no time. 
The girls had been up a while, so they all napped in the back seat on the way to Spain. Serine likes to say “ma ma ma” every time we got in the car. So she just talked herself to sleep.
We arrived in Spain at about noon to the gorgeous town of San Sebastian (or Donostia in Basque). This area is part of the Basque region that exists in both France and Spain. The homes that are white or yellow with the red tile roofs are common in this area. This was our first view of the water.
Elorine wanted nothing more than to hit the beach…so we walked right down to the coast. We looked from above then Annebelle and I went down to play in the sand and feel the water. It was nice and warm.Elorine was not very happy that Annabelle and I walked down to the water. So, we made one more trip so she could touch the water too. When we were about 50 feet away, she turned and ran back to the seawall! It was a good thought. :) Here’s a shot of all of us! We then walked down the sea wall and over to the old town. This place was gorgeous…with quaint little streets and plenty of bars and restaurants. They have banned smoking inside the bars, so you could always tell a pub was around the corner when you heard the rowdy crowd outside.We stopped in to a restaurant called Irutxulo Jatetxea. The food was absolutely wonderful! We had foie gras, calamari and queso to start. Then all 3 of us got the same calamari entrée, which was also delicious. It was so much food…I didn’t need to eat again for weeks! We then walked around the city a little, seeing pretty squares, a rocky beach and a magnificent church then back to the car to head to our next destination. I got to carry Serine for a little bit as she drifted to sleep on my shoulder. She is such a sweet, easygoing baby. And look at the "guns up!" maybe she'll be a red raider some day! :)
Next stop was St. Jean de Luz. We took a little detour on the way, but got see a gorgeous valley in the mountains! The GPS finally got us back on track and we made it back to France in no time. This place was picture perfect! An amazing town tucked in a valley, right on the beach. Reminded me a little of the tiny towns like San Clemente that sit between Orange County and San Diego. 
Serine is ready to go!
We walked through the shops and I picked up a couple of souvenirs. I found my Christmas ornament here (a chili pepper with the Basque cross) and a book en francais for my mom’s class. We also stopped in and saw the ornate church in the center of town.
We went over to see the marina and ran into 2 men dressed in the traditional Basque outfit. According to Jérémy, this is the original home of the beret and the white outfit with the red neck scarf….like the French chef in The Little Mermaid!
We then made our way back to the beach and played with Elorine in the sand. This time we stayed far enough from the water that she was a happy girl! I was snapping away with my camera and she got a little annoyed that I wasn’t playing more and said “no more photos!”. I laughed and put it away…ok, maybe snuck a couple more in stealth mode!
Jérémy then told her it was time to go and meet her mom and Serine, who were up on the sea wall. All I heard was “droite” in what she screamed in reposnse. Droite is the direction right in French. I heard correctly!! She had yelled, “I have the right!!!” I nearly fell over laughing! Scary thing is…I think this is exactly what I was like as a kid! My favorite line was “Don’t tell me that”!
As we were leaving, this guy and his pup walked by to enjoy the beautiful ocean view. The doggie knew just what to do and propped up his little paws to take in the pretty view!
We then headed back to the car after a long, exhausting day! We drove back to Pau and chatted the entire way home. That evening, we were all still pretty stuffed from the big lunch and just snacked at the house on cheese and a baguette…which was perfect. There was no way I could handle another big meal. We stayed up talking until all of us were sleepy and finally headed to bed.
Serine is ready to go!We walked through the shops and I picked up a couple of souvenirs. I found my Christmas ornament here (a chili pepper with the Basque cross) and a book en francais for my mom’s class. We also stopped in and saw the ornate church in the center of town.We went over to see the marina and ran into 2 men dressed in the traditional Basque outfit. According to Jérémy, this is the original home of the beret and the white outfit with the red neck scarf….like the French chef in The Little Mermaid!We then made our way back to the beach and played with Elorine in the sand. This time we stayed far enough from the water that she was a happy girl! I was snapping away with my camera and she got a little annoyed that I wasn’t playing more and said “no more photos!”. I laughed and put it away…ok, maybe snuck a couple more in stealth mode!Jérémy then told her it was time to go and meet her mom and Serine, who were up on the sea wall. All I heard was “droite” in what she screamed in reposnse. Droite is the direction right in French. I heard correctly!! She had yelled, “I have the right!!!” I nearly fell over laughing! Scary thing is…I think this is exactly what I was like as a kid! My favorite line was “Don’t tell me that”!As we were leaving, this guy and his pup walked by to enjoy the beautiful ocean view. The doggie knew just what to do and propped up his little paws to take in the pretty view!
We then headed back to the car after a long, exhausting day! We drove back to Pau and chatted the entire way home. That evening, we were all still pretty stuffed from the big lunch and just snacked at the house on cheese and a baguette…which was perfect. There was no way I could handle another big meal. We stayed up talking until all of us were sleepy and finally headed to bed.
1 comment:
What a wonderful way to spend the day. You got some great shots of Elorine too on the beach....but my favorite is the doggie propped up to take in the view! :)
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