September 26, 2000
St Jean Pied a Port
Rats. I’ve gotten behind, waited too long, and don’t remember too much about today. It was a physically difficult ride, one of the hardest of the tour. We followed a quiet route the whole way, climbing through challenging but steadily more beautiful countryside. The ride included a short 16% climb up a saddle shortly before reaching Saint Jean. Rachael did very well with it and was pleased to discover that she’s able now to ride standing up and getting better at slipping her feet into the toe clips when starting out on a hill.
We formed our first, highly favorable impressions of the Basque lands here. Their vernacular architecture is delightful - most houses are whitewashed, with colorful stone block corners forming interesting patterns. Everything is very tidy. The countryside is a lively emerald green.
Saint Jean is a colorful historic town with lovely buildings and plenty to see. Our hotel is in a perfect location in the heart of the old city, just yards from the main thoroughfare of the old pilgrimage route.
Weather was menacing throughout the day, and in the evening came to a climax with a tremendous, drenching thunderstorm.
We had another great meal tonight - Rachael had an omelet piperade and fish, I had soup and chicken, and we shared a bottle of Iroulegey rosé - the local wine.
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