Bordeaux Superieur & St. Emilion

From our hotel, we drove towards St. Emilion. We found Planete Bordeaux en route and stopped to explore.

Planete Bordeaux is located off N89, at the junction with D13, 15 minutes outside of Bordeaux. You can learn all about Bordeaux Superieur wines and have a tasting of 3 wines for €5, They also have an extensive cellar where you can purchase Bordeaux Superieur wines.

St. Emilion was our destination for the day. Another adorable French town but this one has incredible wines. St. Emilion is the oldest wine producer in the region (they've been making wine for 1800 years). St. Emilion wines are a blend of cabernet franc & merlot. 

This is the view from the terrace next to the Place du Clocher (bell tower).

The town is cobblestoned and built on hills--wear comfortable shoes.

Wash House or Lavoir in town.

Cloister at Collegiate Church--admission is free.

2018 05 24

Gujan Mestras & Baraque a Huitres

Gujan Mestras and Arcachon are oyster harvesting areas. Arcachon is the larger town but I liked Gujan Mestras. Gujan Mestras has the Maison de l'Huitre, a small museum that explains how oysters are farmed and harvested.

Low and high tiide times are posted at the entrance to the harbor.

At low tide, the boats rest on mud.

When the tide is in, it's a different look. This is just 2 hours after the mud picture.

Small buildings in the harbor holding oyster-harvesting equipment.

You'll find restaurants serving fresh oysters up and down the harbor. We chose Baraque a Huitres. They have a nice outdoor area with comfy couches.

Pate and glass of wine--extra €2.

We tried 2 different sizes of oysters--No. 4 (€12 for a dozen) and No. 3 (€15 for a dozen). The smaller the number, the larger the oysters. They were delicious. Nice & briny.

Bulots--€7.50. We had these on our last trip to France and they taste like abalone.

Crevettes--€8.50. These were sweet but difficult to peel.

2018 05 23

B&B Hotel Arcachon Gujan Mestras

A quick 15 minute drive (if you don't hit traffic) from La Dune de Pilat is the town of Gujan Mestras, our stop for the night. We stayed at the B&B Hotel Arcachon, a no-frills motel. It's popular with business travelers and with families because there is a water park nearby.

The room was spartan but clean.

The bathroom had good water pressure. Not much to it but sufficient.

2018 05 23

La Dune de Pilat

We left the Basque region and drove north to reach La Dune de Pilat, Europe's largest sand dune. There's no admission fee to visit the dune but there is a charge for parking after the first free 30 minutes. It's €4 for 2 hours, €6 for 4 hours, €8 for 6 hours and €10 for 12 hours.

The sand is very soft. There is a flight of steps to make it easier to climb to the top of the dune.

The dune is 2.7 km long and still growing (by 1.5m every year).

Next to the dune is a forest of maritime pines, oaks, ferns and strawberry trees.

You can run down the dune for the fastest way down.

It's a popular spot for paragliders.

2018 05 23

Ainhoa

Ainhoa is located just 6 km from Espelette. It's a 1-street town.

It also has red & white buildings.

14th-century church in town.

The interior with a golden retable (screen behind the altar).

2018 05 23

Ur Hegian

Five years ago, I remember having paella at a roadside hotel near Ainhoa. Instead of lunch in one of the touristy restaurants in Espelette, we went in search of the hotel.

Ur Hegian is located between Espelette & Ainhoa, on D20.

http://www.hotel-ur-hegian.com/en/the-restaurant 

I loved their sangria last time and loved it again this time--€2.50. It was cheaper than a small can of coke--€3.

Toast with a garlicky spread on top. 

Paella for 2--€14/person. I can't believe it's still only €14. It was loaded with shrimp, clams, mussels, chorizo and chicken. Last time, we had a lamb chop. I didn't find it this time. The only other disappointment was the lack of the crust on the bottom (socarrat).

2018 05 23

Espelette

After San Sebastian, we drove back into France and toured the French Basque region. Espelette is about an hour from San Sebastian.

The town is adorable with red and white half-timbered buildings.

The town is on the Tour de France route, as advertised on this store window.

Espelette is known for its dark red chiles, Piment d'Espelette, essential in Basque cuisine.

Their morning market ends about 1 pm.

You can find jars of ground Espelette. Espelette pepper is not too spicy and the kick comes at the end. A jar is roughly €4-5 per 50 gram bottle.

2018 05 23