74.3km – 9H35’
Departure took place at 7:22 on the Place de Peyrehorade with William who arrived yesterday. He was also with us in Poitiers. His daughter lives in Dax so he took the opportunity to run 25 km with Serge along the old towpath which follows the Gaves Réunis (a joining of waterways) all the way to Bayonne.
The sunshine is so bright that it hurts our eyes, so out come the sunglasses. Crossing Bayonne, as with any big city, isn’t very pleasant, not only because of the difficulty in guiding Serge but because of the infernal and incessant traffic, for more than 10Km.
For his first day and as soon as he joins the game, Joël is at the starting blocks. At lunch time I change vehicles with him and he heads for the hotel in Hendaye where we will spend the night. He gets settled and begins updating and, most important, untangling the mess we have with the Garmin watch, which hasn’t charged since we changed the computer and software configuration. I join René in the van. He is saddened by Eliane’s departure and isn’t very talkative. We all miss Eliane and luckily she has promised us to return earlier than scheduled…
In Biarritz, the Basque Coast lights up in the brilliant sunshine. The foot hills of the Pyrenees Mountains slide into the water and give elevation to the Bay of Biscay. Surfers are legion and there are some brave souls who dare bathe or walk barefoot in the water. With a temperature of 22°C at the end of November, winter seems far away.
Serge is happy to turn off on the corniche after Saint-Jean-de-Luz all the way to Hendaye. The panoramas are splendid even if the unevenness is beginning to torture his already sore buttocks. The Basque Country extends into Spain and tomorrow we will continue our route between the sea and low craggy mountains. We cross Hendaye as children are leaving school for the day and Serge is surprised to hear them speaking Basque, the official language of the region; so tradition is guaranteed.
A sign shows us we are leaving town, and then we cross the bridge over the Bidassoa River. We now have both feet in Spanish territory and the European Community signs for each country are tagged so it seems that we are in neither France nor Spain but rather in the Basque Country!
We double back 2 Km for our last night in France. Tomorrow our cellular phones will be put away until next year and the 3-G key will be replaced with a satellite station.
Joël has spent the afternoon updating and making it possible to charge the Garmin watch with the new data. What a relief! My friend, the computer, with whom I spend an average of 6 hours per day, is at last ready for optimal use with the satellite. There are days when you say that everything is fine in the best of worlds.
Viva España!
THANKS TO EVERYONE : OUR PARTNERS , THE ORGANIZERS IN THE STAGE CITIES, OUR HOSTS FOR A NIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE LAUNDRY WE WERE ABLE TO DO IN YOUR HOMES — THANKS TO ALL THE TOWNS WHO OFFERED US LODGING AND LASTLY THANKS TO ALL THE COMPANIES WHO KINDLY AND PATIENTLY ENSURED BACK UP WHEN WE HAD TECHNICAL PROBLEMS;
THANKS TO ALL OUR FAITHFUL READERS, TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SENT US A REAL DOSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT BY E-MAIL, THANKS TO ALL THE RUNNERS WHO CAME TO RUN A BIT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION THE FOOTRACE, THANKS TO ALL THE CHILDREN WHO LIT UP OUR DAYS WITH THEIR INCREDIBLY INFECTIOUS ENTHOUSIASM.
IT WAS SHARED HAPPINESS!
Town : Irun(Espagne