Same Shirt, Different day-2012 Adventures of the "Devonport Wonder Babes"

Tuesday 2 October 2012 San Sebastian to Hendaye and Hossegor in France and return

Very early start this morning to get car packed, coffee drunk and then headed for Hendaye across the border into France where Helen and Rod were to catch the  9.35 am TGV to Paris and on to Montagis to pick up their camper van. It was a beautiful clear crisp (9 degrees, my windfleece needed today)  morning with sun rising over Pyrenees. Light traffic heading north but rush hour traffic heading towards San Sebastian.

Sunrise over Pyrenees

We were so well organised we arrived at the Gare in Hendaye at least an hour before the train left but that did give time to chat to pilgrims who had  just completed the  900 km Camino de Santiago walk  from St Jean –Pied-du Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago de Compostela in North Western Spain. We have seen many of these folks with their walking sticks adorned with scallop shell, as they walk portions of the walk on or alongside some of the small side roads we took while travelling along the northern Spanish coastline. 

 

Also gave us time to all patronise a very nice patisserie opposite the station to buy really nice crisp fresh baguettes filled with ham and cheese and small pizzas. Also bought large scale (1cm=1Km) map of Pau area where we will be next week so we can do some day trips up into French side of Pyrenees (perhaps some famous Tour De France routes !!) and a Herald Tribune as haven’t seen an English language newspaper for a couple of weeks, except online.

Went with them to check out their Premiere class carriage (just an extra €20 said Rod), very comfortable for an all-day journey in little 4 seat compartment with table though the single seat row right by window looked pretty inviting.

 

As we were walking back through the station there was quite a commotion as the train conductor and 6 police offers came running through the underpass and proceeded onto and through several carriages. Shortly afterwards while we were rearranging the back of the van in the car park I saw police stopping a bus opposite the station, then quite a heavy presence around the rental car depot at the end of the station. Later when we were driving through St Jean Luz there were  police stopping cars coming through a roundabout  and checking papers. Not sure if all of that was checking for illegal immigrants at a border town or what ?  France/Spain border is down middle of harbour here. Still no one has asked to see my passport since we left London on Eurostar.

Lyndsay and I then went further up coast road. Hendaye itself has a surfing beach, huge marina and we saw kids sailing Optis.

Then onto St Jean Luz with spectacular views from cliff tops on southern side of town and a small ? cruise ship or ferry about to enter what looked like an impossibly small harbour for that sized vessel.

Got rather tied up in one way street system in Biarritz, which didn’t seem that fantastic and finally arrived a little lake at a place called Hossegor where we sat on a bench and had our pizza, peaches and plums for lunch followed by ice cream from beach cafe.

 

Then headed back via motorway (and lots of tolls, about €2 every 20 km) to San Sebastian by about 3 pm where we slumped in hotel room for rest of the afternoon and did chores like clothes washing and downloading photos, read books and generally rested.

Also took some photos of this great little one star hotel we  are staying in and its neighbourhood.

Hotel Record

Lyndsay at window of our room

View down street-everyone putd rubbish and recycling in theses bins

View up street towards school

People on stree

Night view from our room

Dinner in hotel room, supermarket lettuce, tomatoes, ham and fruit again for dessert.Plus a cup of tea made with my trusty immersion heater which I have had for 24 years and has been used all over the world. Note also the  great Swiss aluminium mugs, so thick that you can have boiling liquids in them but doesnt burn your hands.

 

My respiratory tract infection is just lurking, not really turning into anything defined, have a bit of a cough and general malaise so paracetamol and cough medicine are the order of the day. The pseudoephedrine in the cold remedy does pep me up though.