Today we had earmarked for a bit of shopping in France which was a good thing as it was raining for most of the day. After a tasty buffet breakfast we spent time with the hotels ever-friendly owner, Maite Jauregui, who talked to us about the improvements going on at the hotel and showed us several of the rooms which had been renovated. She is always improving the hotel and runs a very tight ship.
Afterwards we took the motorway just 40kms north to Anglet on the outskirts of the French city of Bayonne. It still amazes me just how easy is it to be in Spain one minute and in France the next. Everything changes once you cross the border. The architecture, the style of people´s homes, the look of their towns and villages. I particularly like the way each home features wooden shutters on the windows. Even the simplest of houses is made to look more attractive with shutters. I especially like how the French in this area look after their public spaces and the way they maintain their gardens. People sometimes forget that when staying in the Basque Country they also have very easy access to southern France. It makes for a great holiday.
Once in Anglet we headed for the BAB2 Shopping Centre which has pretty much everything one might need from food to clothing to electric goods and more. We wanted to do some clothes shopping for our children as well as stock up on some tasty French treats and French wine not readily available in Spain. The sales are always on at this time of the year so it´s a good time to visit.
We passed an enjoyable day and probably spent more time than we had intended to but that´s what happens when you´re on holidays. More on this trip to follow soon and you can see more photos on our Flickr page (see right margin).
