Pays Basque

So I've moved on to the Basque country. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where you find a strange mix of backpackers and old Basque men. It's the starting point for the Chemin de Saint-Jacques - an old pilgrims trail to Spain that people still use today. You hike from hamlet to hamlet, where there are houses that offer walkers beds for the night.

One of the funniest things here is the "internet cafe." There's only one in town, and it’s more of a bar/grocery, with one computer stuck in the back. Throughout the day, old Basque men, wearing their berets, come to drink wine and chat, which makes for a strange picture when backpackers are wandering in for the computer. All of them were laughing at me for using my laptop, but they’re very friendly, and speak Euskara – the Basque national language. It’s like nothing you’ve ever heard.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is very picturesque, and very sleepy. Good cider too (on the left). I’m hoping this is the last medieval chateau I have to hike up to in 90 degree heat for a while though…

That’s all for now – and as they say here “Adio!”