June 11, 2014
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
To the sea
Today's ride caught us by surprise a bit. We had been viewing it almost as a rest day, with a fairly short distance and (we thought) generally downriver and downhill. We expected to arrive in Saint-Jean-de-Luz by noonish, with most of the afternoon free to loaf around on the beach. Actually though it was a low-contour roller coaster, and we didn't arrive until nearly 4. We put in 2,600' of climbing - not a lot, but it starts adding up when they come in short, steep 50 foot bursts.
We had a great time getting there though. The land continues to be lovely and green, and there was a lot to see and admire along the way. We were surprised to see that we were still on the Cheese Route and back on the same road, D918, that had taken us into Tardets yesterday. We enjoyed a brief stop in Bidarray to check out its medieval bridge and to pick up some delicious, fresh, cherry-filled Basque gateau. We especially enjoyed the short stretch along the bank of the Nive on the ultra quiet Route du Pas de Roland, even with its occasional excruciatingly steep little rises and dips. For lunch we stopped for panini so and ice cream in Espelette and enjoyed strolling through its colorful streets admiring its lovely Basque architecture adorned here and there with woven strands of dried peppers.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a town we visited before, in the fall of 2000 on a tour of southwest France that spilled over into Spain a bit. We have very fond memories of it, and it's one of those places we were uncertain of seeing again for fear of marring our impressions. We loved it this time too though. It has developed a bit and feels more touristy since we came through the first time, but it is still a lovely town in a wonderful setting. The weather was idyllic this afternoon and we loved lying around on the beach waiting for dinner, then dining at an outside table on a terrific seafood meal (crab cassoulet, followed by a sea bass concoction), then walking along the promenade and jetty until the sun retired for the day. It's a very romantic spot.
Net elevation gain: 2,600' today, 95,100' total.
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 1,129 miles (1,817 km)
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