Bayonne, France

Owen — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:12:24 +0000

Bayonne is located in the South Western part of France near the Atlantic Coast. It is in the Pyrenees Atlantique and in the heart of the French Basque country. Even more so than in Biarritz, reminders of the Basque heritage were everywhere in Bayonne, street signs, business signs, directions, conversations heard on the street, everywhere oozed Basque. Txlzzchi, just kidding but that is really how it looked to me.

The Nive and the Adour Rivers come together in the center of Bayonne making it a very picturesque city on water. It is also about 5 minutes from the Atlantic Coast so it has a very coastal feel to it. The Nive divides Bayonne into Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne. There are five bridges between the two parts of the city. Indeed the Nive is more like a main street, with many restaurants, squares and the covered market on its quays or river banks. We ate one evening at a typical Basque restaurant right on the banks of the Nive. A wide variety of fish dishes with Espelette, a regional spicy mix like a more refined cayenne, can be ordered. In fact fish is the staple food of this regional, right after pork. Jambon de Bayonne is served all over France and western Europe and it does indeed come from here. We stuck to the fish however.

Grand Bayonne is the commercial and civic hub, with small pedestrian only streets packed with shops, the large cathedral and Hôtel de Ville. The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie is an imposing Gothic building, rising over the houses, glimpsed along the narrow streets. It was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Nearby is the Château-Vieux, some of which dates back to the 12th century, where the governors of the city were based, including the English Black Prince. This side had a more French feel to it, although the Basque influence was always apparent.

Petit Bayonne is lively with Basque bars and restaurants more reminiscent of cities the other side of the Pyrenees, in Spain. There are two important museums here. The Musée Basque is an ethnographic museum of the entire Basque Country. It opened in 1922 but has been closed for a decade recently for refurbishment. It now has special exhibitions on Basque agriculture, seafaring and pelota, handicrafts and Basque history and way of life. The Musée Bonnat began with a large collection bequeathed by the local-born painter Léon Bonnat. The museum is one of the best galleries in south west France and has paintings by Degas, El Greco, Botticelli and Goya among others. At the back of Petit-Bayonne is the Château-Neuf, among the ramparts. Now an exhibition space, it was started by the newly-arrived French in 1460 to control the city. The walls nearby have been opened to visitors. They are important for plantlife now and Bayonne’s botanic gardens adjoin the walls on both sides of the Nive.

Bayonne has always been a refuge for persecuted people. During the Spanish Inquisition Jews fled Spain to Bayonne and also during Franco’s reign Spanish leftists fled to nearby cities in France like Toulouse and also Bayonne. It is a small city of about 40,000 people but it was a surprising treat to discover. There is no shortage of things to do and is highly worth visiting. Some things to do or interesting side notes are:

Bull fighting is big here and there is still a yearly festival.
Mayonnaise is said to have come from here but was misspelled and mispronounced over the years, it was originally called Bayonnaise. Now Bayonniase can be ordered but it is like mayonnaise with the spice Espelette in it.
The Bayonet comes from here
It is a stop on the Santiago de Compostela/St Jacques de Compostel pilgrimmage
There is a Bayonne Ham Festival during Holy Week
Stilts were originally made by Basque artisans here
Basque pottery from this city is very known throughout Europe

Bayonne is a great place to visit. It is very different from many cities and villages in the Southwest of France. We highly recommend going there.

France Tales » bayonne

Bayonne, France

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