Will Climb for Food and Wine

As I write this it is 9am in Biarritz France and we are sitting in cafe De La Mer waiting for our eggs and bacon, our first breakfast of something other than a croissant in a long time. Very few people are up and about, the church bells are ringing so I imagine that many have just been woken up. Thankfully they were silent during the night.

We had a really special time last evening. Keith had promised an authentic non touristy Basque Restaurant and the boy did not disappoint. He had warned me that it was a 30 minute uphill hike but really it was a rather easy walk and the hills were much less steep than many we have traversed. I think he just built it up so that in the end I would say that it wasn't so bad. It worked. So we traveled through a residential area with large stately homes behind iron gates many with gardens. The hydrangeas grow beautifully here, purple and pink ones, large shrubs of them line the streets. It reminded me of Nantucket where they are also abundant. We arrive at the restaurant which is rustic but much nicer than I thought it would be. There were Long tables in dark wood with benches where guests were seated together. Wood beams lined the ceiling  and colorful artwork on the walls. It was clearly a place frequented by locals. We shared a table with a couple in their mid sixties and there 92 year old mother who did not look a day older than 70. They were Basque and only the husband spoke a bit if English. Keith shared his love of all things Basque and we all managed to communicate quite well. We also made new friends with 2 gents at the table behind us from England. They were engineers who worked for Rolls Royce and were here on business. 

The food and wine were very good . I had a steak with a peppercorn cream sauce and Keith enjoyed cod with white beans. Sides included pimento, which is basically roasted red pepper, typical Basque fare. The evening ended with the Basque couple buying us and the Brits a round of shots of this apple liqueur . We all kissed each other goodbye and left. A great memory for sure. We took the long way back to our hotel. It was a beautiful clear night with a nice sea breeze. We strolled along the sea wall, it was all downhill..sweet. There were many benches along the way where you could sit and gaze at the sea, snuggle and kiss .  We had our customary vacation ice creams, me strawberry and pistachio, Keith 2 scoops chocolate . That was our first day in Biarritz. I love it here. I love you Mom. Peace out