Evelyne arranged everything we had asked for and gave us more. All I wanted was for my children to experience a 2 week stay in the heart of a French town, to absorb the culture & language and have fun. She strongly suggested St. Jean de Luz for us and our children aged 8yrs old and 10 yrs old. There was never a dull moment ! This gentrified “fishing village” offered good restaurants, fabulous pastry and candy shops, shopping streets and a charming town square, where community concerts were held two nights a week until 11:00pm with confetti fights and fireworks ! Amazing fun during the summer…ask Evelyne for the dates of these “animation events” . They were a highlight for our children, as was the fabulous sandy beach, complete with cabanas for rent, beach camps for kids, including one that charged by the hour……and wonderful crepes and grilled sandwiches on the upper boardwalk. Evelyne certainly delivered our the request to be in "the centre of the action" of a small town, our 2 bedroom and 2 bathrm apartment was charming, simply furnished with a renovated kitchen and excellent restaurant on the main floor. We had antique wooden shutters to adjust in the morning and at night and 3 sets of French doors that led to a narrow balcony. We heard occasional chatter from below and church bells,... but that’s exactly what I wanted ! Lodging children in an apartment with a gourmet market a few blocks away was a blessing, we ate out quite a bit, but when the children felt like they had had enough “steak haché and frites", it was comforting to make their favourites in our own kitchen and then to just warm up gourmet food from the Market or Rue Gambetta for the adults.
Our rental car provided easy access to Spain, just a few minutes away. The two cities/towns we spent time in were St. Sebastian ( a beautiful costal city, with a proud history and festive people, the kids loved going on Sunday afternoons for the liveliness of the streets and for tapas) and Bilbao ( site of Frank Gerhy’s renowned Guggenheim Museum and home to a very interesting neighbourhood called the Sete Calas, a short walk or tram ride down the shore of the river, with a bridge by architect Santiago Calatrava over it (Calatrava designed the Galleria at BCE Place in downtown Toronto). We all enjoyed spending a few hours in Biarritz, the surfing capital of France, just 10 km up the coast. There we were mesmerized by the huge waves and fell in love with the cosmopolitan nature of this costal town. My husband took a surfing lesson and would have enjoyed more if time had permitted. It was very pleasant to explore the local castles and inland villages of the Pays Basque.
We were very happy to have Evelyne’s “ Carnet de Voyage”, it was full of maps and brochures for all kinds of interests. It also contained a personalized booklet of Evelyne’s own advice on the travelling in Paris and the Southwest of France, with very wise advice on how to get the most out of the experience. My only regret is that 3 weeks was not enough time to get around to everything described in it. The “ Carnet de Voyage” was invaluable !
If someone told me that I was obliged to “only” vacation in the Southwest of France for the next few years, I would not be upset at all….nor would my children !
Do check out St. Jean de Luz on Google Earth and see for yourself !
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