A weekend away

James and I thought that it would be nice to get away for the weekend, so after much researching on where to go and where it was going to be hot and sunny we decided to head to the Atlantic coast.  We were a bit unsure as google maps said it was 300km away and would take over 3 hours but in the end we decided that it would be worth it.

We headed off bright and early at 8am Saturday morning and got on the toll roads and arrived at our first town of Bayonne at 10.45am.  Such amazing roads and pretty cool to see all the gorgeous French towns as we're flying past at 130km an hour.

 The view up to the Abbey

 Bayonne

 Looking into the Abbey square at Bayonne

 Flags fluttering

Bayonne undercover market

Bayonne is stunning, beautiful cobbled streets all leading up to the abbey, with flags flying between the buildings, plus it is famed for its chocolate - which of course we had to try.  We found a lovely market where we bought some ham and then carried on to our next destination 5 minutes up the road, Biarritz.  Biarritz is a seaside town so we walked down the stone path to the sea and along the esplande to find somewhere for lunch.  We sat at a lovely cafe and enjoyed a spanish influenced meal and while we waited for our food the kids played on the beach.

 Walking down to the seaside of Barritz

 Waiting for our lunch

 Jasper with the sandcastle he built

James being clever with his new iphone!

We then walked along the town wall above the beach and walked over an ancient bridge to an island.  We walked back to the car via the main street which was crowded.  A lot of the shops had put their wares outside on tables like a market.  It was very cool and made it tempting to shop but with three tired children it wasn't worth it.  We discovered that this part of France love rugby and there were heaps of rugby shops.  we bought Jasper and Adidas All Blacks t shirt for 30 euros which was a bit of a bargain.

Finally to our destination, St Jean De Luz, another 10kms down the coast.  We had found a great campsite on the web so booked on Friday.  Unfortunately when we arrived we discovered that the email we had got back from them didn't confirm our booking as we had thought but instead had said that they were full and we were on the waiting list.  The joys of not being able to read French!  James managed to sweet talk the receptionist and she found us a cabin.  It was very hot so we all got into our togs and walked to the camp pool and jumped in.  the pool was awesome with water slides and was warm and safe.  James and I sat on the loungers and relaxed while the kids enjoyed the water - James even had a wee nap!

 Penelope and I on the water slides.

Penelope sunbathing.

After a dinner of baguettes we walked down to the beach.  Jasper still had his swim shorts on so took off his t-shirt and raced into the waves.  Hannah and Penelope then decided to go in as well even though they were in their clothes!!  It was so lovely and warm that it didn't matter they were wet and didn't have towels they just dryed off on the walk back to the camp ground.

Before the kids strip off and jump into the surf!

After a very hot night we got up early cleaned our cabin and headed into St Jean De Luz.  It wasn't as hot today but still nice enough for a swim and a play on yet another gorgeous beach.  I managed to zip away to get a coffee while the kids played in the water and James supervised.  The water here is famed for its theraputic qualities and therefore there were lots of older people relaxing in the water until our three noisy kids arrived at 10.30am and spoilt it for them.  One lady looked at Hannah with absolute disdain and then got out 10mins later!

It started to get a bit windy so we got changed and headed into the township.  Lots of shops were open which was nice since it was a Sunday and we had a good look around.  We walked right through the town to the fishing port where there was a Spanish band playing in the square - gorgeous!!

 Penelope in St Jean De Luz.

 Chocolate too good to resist!

The Spanish band.

The port of St-Jean-De-Luz

We could see a castle from the beach so decided to drive around to it and have our lunch there.  The castle was actually a bit rundown and probably more dramatic from a distance but  the view from it gave us an amazing view of the coast line right down to Spain.

Walking the castle wall.

We decided we had probably done enough so headed for home.  Such a big weekend with lots of walking and sightseeing as well as a long drive but the kids have done us proud.  So flexible and keen to look at new things and explore even when things don't work out quite as we might have planned.  I think it has been great to have a mix of things that James and I want to do plus things for the kids.  We have also started a list of things we need to take with us in the future.  We arrived home at 5.15pm, content, tired and fill of lovely memories.