Pays basque
now browsing by tag
Spanish Basque country
Wanting to discover the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao, we drive along the Basque coast.
1. Stop in Ondarroa to discover this pretty little coastal town.
2. Its marina at the mouth of the river.
3. Back street…
4. Intrigued by the noise, we discover a group playing Basque pelota on a concha (field) .
5. Return to VLV via the fish auction, empty this morning…
6. The same auction from the outside. It is built on a quay, right in the city.
After a one-hour stop to repair the VLV headlights that no longer work – one contact of a plug, corroded, broke – we arrive in Bilbao shortly after noon. After parking not without difficulty – it’s not easy to find a space large enough – we eat in VivaLaVida and then go discover the famous building of the Guggenheim Museum.
7. The city of Bilbao combines the old and the new.
8. We discover the Guggenheim from the opposite bank.
9. What an architecture!
10. Spectacular!
11. Contrast of the sculpture all in curves…
12. Water…
13. Nothing is strait!
14. Curves…
15. Entrance to the museum which we’re not going to, the current exhibition not being suitable for children.
16. Still curves…
17. The part of the building that houses the administration.
18. Plaza.
19. After searching in vain for a place to sleep by the ocean, we finally find it in the hills back from the coast, right next to a real menhir.
20. It’s Euro soccer final night and Emile doesn’t want to miss it! On my side, I’m enjoying the sunset…
More to come very soon as we continue our progress towards the west.
Way home…
1. Last boondocking with view on the ocean, not far from Bilbao, while it is raining…
2. Starter with local products!
3. Emile’s happy!
4. Quietness…
5. The rain stops, giving way to a few colors at sunset.
6. …
7. …
8. …
9. … The Basque coast falls asleep..
10. I wanted to discover Canfrang train station for a long time, this curiosity nestled on a pass of the Pyrenees, at an altitude of 3,900 feet elevation. I had seen images when it was disused and I’m surprised to discover that it had been completely renovated and rehabilitated into a luxury hotel!
11. Surprising to find such a building in the middle of the mountains, isn’t it?
12. We reach Pont d’Espagne where we cannot sleep, the bottom of the valley having been closed to traffic after a huge paid car park in which it’s forbidden to sleep. Here the Cerisey waterfall going down towards Cauterets where we spend the night in a campingpark.
132. We head back towards Switzerland along the northern foot of the Pyrenees and discover a beautiful cave on our route: the Mas d’Azil cave. The cavity was dug by the river which runs through it and it’s so large that the road also crosses it.
14. We sleep north of Carcassone to discover the ruins of the Four Castles of Lastours.
15. It is the small roads of the Cevennes that bring us back home…
16. Crossing the village of Mourèze…
And that’s it for these too short summer vacations where VivaLaVida has covered 2,600 miles.
The next articles will tell you about some fall outings…
Thank you for your loyalty to this little blog! 🙂
Cantabria and Basque Country (continued)
The next morning, we continue to discover this rocky coast.
1. The ocean passes through the limestone crevices to create this small lake about three hundred feet from the coast. The swell makes the water move, a rather unusual effect!
2. Another arch.
3. The coast towards West from a small peninsula.
4. And one more arch.
5. There are only a few days left before the end of the vacation, we are heading back east. Abandoned farm along the road…
6. Church near the village of Niembru.
7. We sleep on a surf spot near San Vincente de la Barquera, with beautiful colors at sunset.
8. …
9. …
10. VivaLaVida among surfer campers.
11. First light at dawn…
12. We continue our route in the Basque Country and make a short stop at the Hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. It’s so crowded that it’s not possible for us to go down because all tickets for the day have been sold.
13. Church with covered passageways…
14. Main door.
15. Another known spot where we find these layered rocks which have tilted to offer their slices to the ocean, in Zumaia. You don’t see it ont the picture but to my left, there is a beach with probably an average of 1 human per square feet! 😀
16. My son in discovery mode.
17. Layered cliff…
I will still have one last update to publish in a few days to close the story of this summer trip… See you soon! 😉
Navarre and Basque Country…
1. As we continue our progress towards the West…
2. … we take a short break in a wind farm.
3. Around midday, we reach Urbasa Natural Park, a gorgeous karst plateau between 2,400 and 3,000 feet above sea level.
4. After lunch, we go for a walk there.
5. Cliffs…
6. Distorted silhouette…
7. Beautiful blue thistles dot these high pastures.
8. Dense forest at the Northwest end of the plateau…
9. …
We then head Southeast of Bilbao in search of a natural arch, the Oyo de Aizulo, in the Basque Country.
10. After a walk in a light rain, we arrive at the entrance of this magnificent double arch.
11. Its dimensions are quite impressive! Here the lower arch, probably around ninety feet high.
12. And there the upper arch through which you access the site.
13. The same from above.
14. Selfie ! 😉
15. The next day, after the rain stopped, we go discover an impressive waterfall, the Salto del Nervion which, with its 666 feet, is the highest waterfall in the entire Iberian Peninsula.
As a gate now prohibits access to the trail, it’s after an approx. 2 hours hike that we reach the site to discover a completely dry waterfall! Too bad, it must be quite impressive when the Nervion flows there.
The next post will be more “oceanic” with the arrival of VivaLaVida in the Bay of Biscay… 😉
D5 Creation