France for the day? Why not!?! T.W.O. took a day trip from San Sebastian to Biarritz to check out Europe’s Surf Capital. This luxurious French beachtown is about forty-five minutes from the border of Spain and is located on the Bay of Biscay. Biarritz is filled with tourists and surfers of all ages. Here are some of the highlights of T.W.O.’s quick visit!
Transportation
T.W.O. took the Alsa bus from San Sebastian to Biarritz. It was a great way to see all the small towns and experience “crossing the border” from Spain to France. As soon as we crossed the border into France, the bus stopped and the French police came on board to check our passports. Good thing T.W.O. brought those with us!!! En route, we saw the French coastline, two different campsites filled with retro looking trailers, beaches, bakeries, road bikers and a bountiful of hydrangea plants.
City of Biarritz
Biarritz is a great place to shop, eat and go to the beach. T.W.O. strolled around the city, stopping in stores along the way and bought linen snow-leopard scarves to keep warm. It was overcast in the morning and the summer attire T.W.O. was wearing was not doing it for them. FRENCH SOUVONIEUR…CHECK! T.W.O. noticed that a lot of people didn’t speak English and T.W.O. doesn’t speak French, so there was some communication issues. Au revoir, not hasta luego! Just kidding….T.W.O. got the feeling that people didn’t want to give them the time of day sinceT.W.O. was not speaking French. Other than that, T.W.O.‘s France experience was great!
Farmers Market
T.W.O. stumbled upon a framers market in the center of town. The market was divided into two sections: one section with fresh produce stores and bakeries and the other section with fish and meat stores. The fish and meat side was smelly, so T.W.O. spent less time there! Farmers markets in different countries are so amazing. The produce, baked goods and deli selection are very different from what you would find in the US. The cheese display in Biarritz was plentiful and it was hard to walk away from the sample section. T.W.O. probably ate about ½ pound of cheese in 20 minutes. Any opportunity T.W.O. gets to go to a farmers market, even if it is just to look around, T.W.O. will go out of their way to make the trek.
Lunch
Fresh Salads and a view! After about 2 hours, T.W.O. finally found a restaurant that had an English menu and a great view. (Good things take time, right?)
Beach
The beach in Biarritz was filled with travelers from all over the world. T.W.O. met some new friends from Scotland. They travel to Biarritz every year for a long weekend to enjoy the serenity and small beach town atmosphere. The water was on the colder side, but refreshing to cool T.W.O. down from the hot sun. Yes – the clouds burned off and T.W.O. was able to get their tan on!
The Famous Farmers Market Tote
T.W.O. was in search for the perfect farmers market tote and the mission was accomplished in Biarritz. Down the street from the farmers market, there was a cooking supply store (like a Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, etc.) that had a ton of the market totes stacked up in all different sizes and colors. Once calmed down from the excitement, T.W.O. happily purchased the tote that was dreamt about for months. (More on this tote in a future post.)
You can’t go to France without getting a baguette and pastry, so T.W.O. ended the day trip with these two things. T.W.O.enjoyed their snacks in a small park, while waiting for the bus back to San Sebastian.
Au Revoir Biarritz!!!
T.W.O. 