Day 110
Beautiful Bayonne
The sun was out and we left our wonderful little campsite and headed to the real world of Bayonne. The route was uneventful and flat. We passed through mainly tourist areas with only bike hire spots, so we pushed on to Bayonne and a shop recommended by Frédéric, our Warmshowers host for the evening. Atelier Velo Txirrind'Ola is a workshop manned by trained mechanics who teach you to fix your bike. They provide all tools and as I soon found out, expert guidance. Tom's wheel was soon sorted and they were impressed at how quick I picked things up. I felt a bit of a fraud but was so pleased with their help. It is a wonderful spot, similar to the Bike Library in Scarborough but way bigger, even has a cafe area, Lorraine and Pete, you would love it!
Frédéric our host lives in a wonderful old building, in the old Jewish Quarter, close to the centre of Bayonne. On 31 March 1492 the Catholic monarchs of Spain signed the Alhambra degree, forcing an expulsion of the Jews from Granada. Many moved to Bayonne due to it’s closeness to Spain. It was not until 16 December 1968 that the degree was finally and symbolically revoked. The area now appears very multicultural, as expected in a modern city. Frédéric kindly offered to cook us a meal, whilst we had an explore of Bayonne. We walked to see the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary of Bayonne. It was constructed over a period of 400 years finally completed in 17th century, though its two spires were not finished until the 19th century. It is a stunning building and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998. It stands on the Pilgrimage Way of Santiago de Compostela, though at 7pm on a Thursday evening Tom and I were the only visitors. Unfortunately, it was closed so we could only admire the outside. Bayonne itself was quite wonderful to stroll around. Full of narrow medieval streets, stunning architecture, and many people sat outside drinking and dining enjoying the views, especially of the two rivers, the Adour and Nive that meet there. We were lucky to see a tidal bore on the river, which almost made up for me missing the one at Mont St Michel. Bayonne was added to our list of places to revisit. A fabulous city. We headed back to our fantastic home cooked meal and had a great evening chatting and dining with Frédéric. We are being so spoilt by our Warmshowers hosts. Thank you all.
