We awoke this morning to another beautiful day, as you can see by the photo (below) that I took from the window of our room. Having spent two busy days on the road, we slept in a little. Realizing that we needed to get more organized, we decided to go shopping at a Carrefour Market, a French multi-purpose store similar to a Walmart. There we picked up what we needed for a simple breakfast every day. This plan would allow us to eat in our rooms before setting out, rather than searching for a place for our morning meal.
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| The view from my window |
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| Lovely countryside |
It was late morning by the time we left Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. We had a half hour drive before we arrived at Saint-Palais, our first stop of the day. We had read about this bastide town in our guidebook. After we parked our car, we walked around the town looking for an ancient house called la Maison des Têtes.
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| Basque colours on a whitewashed house |
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| Bob searching |
This was a very frustrating search. We used Google Maps to guide us but when we stopped where it led, we could see nothing that looked like a Maison des Têtes (House of the Heads). So instead, we took photos of what we saw, clean buildings in a pleasant town, but nothing spectacular.
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| Cool door |
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| The former Saint-Paul church |
Near where la Maison des Têtes was supposed to be, we found a repurposed church, the former Saint-Paul, which was once home to a Protestant denomination. There was a sign nearby explaining its history. Even though we had no luck finding what we were looking for, Bob focused on unusual details around us: a red door, a spiral staircase, and a doggy litter box.
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| Spiral staircase |
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| Dog litter goes here |
Undaunted, we continued our walk, hoping to find something else of interest. We spotted l'Église Saint-Marie-Madelaine, and headed towards it. By French standards, this was a relatively modern building, constructed in 1866. Although not historically significant, this neo-gothic church was lovely, especially when backed by the cloudless blue sky we enjoyed on this day.
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| Église Saint-Marie-Madeleine |
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| Pilgrim statue and Achal Cross |
A little further down the street, we arrived at the tourist office, which, as luck would have it was not open. However, there was information provided on a sign outside. Here we learned that this town, once called Donapaleu, was yet another stop on the Camino de Santiago. The charming metal sculpture above is a representation of a pilgrim. Beside it is an Achal Cross, a notable landmark of this region.
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| La Maison des Têtes |
As we walked back towards our car, we stopped again at the spot where la Maison de Têtes was supposed to be. And there is was! All we had to do was look up. In fact, the red door that Bob had photographed earlier was part of the building. And behind the sign that explained the history of Saint-Paul's church across the road was another one which provided background information on la Maison des Têtes. How did we miss it?
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| Henry IV, King of Navarre and France |
Historically, this is an important building. Dating from the 16th century, this house contains relief sculptures of heads on its façade to honour the royal family of Navarre. This part of France was once a kingdom unto itself, and Saint-Palais was once its capital. The region was absorbed into France when Henry III of France designated Henry III of Navarre as his successor, thus renumbering him as Henry IV.
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| Henry II, King of Navarre |
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| Jeanne III, Queen of Navarre (1555-1572) |
While these images do not flatter their subjects, they are important historical art. In fact, the house's owner, Arnault Oihenart, whose name is inscribed on an "Identity Plaque" on the building, is considered the father of the history of Navarre. He must have rolled in his grave when a later owner of la Maison des Têtes added a devil figure beside the kings and queens.
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| Identity plaque |
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| Devil figure |
When we returned to our car, we decided that we should take a comfort break before leaving town. Good thing we decided to do that, because, as a result, we discovered a part of Saint-Palais that was not mentioned in the guidebook–the Bidouze River.
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| At the edge of the Bidouze |
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| The Bidouze |
It is possible to walk by the water here by descending some steps, so we did so, leaving the town behind for a few minutes. The level of the water was quite low, allowing us to walk under a stone bridge towards a small cataract in the distance.
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| On the other side of the bridge |
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| Another view of the Bidouze and the bridge. |
On the other side, I posed beside some graffiti, unfortunately a common sight in France. Shortly afterwards, we had come to the end of the accessible area, so we found our way back up, returned to our car, and hit the road. Saint-Palais was the last of the villages we visited in Pays Basque. Unlike all the others, it had not earned a "Plus Beaux Villages de France" designation, but we learned a little history there.
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| Layers and layers of mountains |
Shortly afterwards, we crossed the border into the neighbouring region, Béarn, also a traditionally Basque area in the Pyrénées-Atlantique. The ancient medieval town of Sauveterre-de-Béarn awaited us. It was a delight, the highlight of our day. We found our way to an orientation table, with a view over the mountains to the south, where the photo that begins this post was taken. Gorgeous!
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| Cute wooden sheep |
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| Sheep and town hall |
We were standing on a sort of balcony to appreciate this vista. We asked a young couple nearby to take our photo and we reciprocated. Then, we turned around and began our walk through the historical section of the town. I really enjoyed the whimsical wooden sheep that we saw first.
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| The town hall with outbuildings |
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| The town hall from another angle |
I had found an audio tour of the town on my phone so we used it to guide us through this beautiful place. The first notable building mentioned was the Hôtel de Ville. Once the property of the Marquises of Nays, Counts of Sallette, the 16th century Renaissance home was purchased by the town in 1972, and transformed into a town hall.
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| We had noticed the church as we approached the historical area. |
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| Hewing a log |
A few steps away is l"Église Saint-André. which we had noticed en route to the medieval part of Sauveterre-de-Béarn. When we approached the church from behind, we were briefly distracted by a group of men beside it hewing a log in the traditional manner. Instead of using metal fasteners, they worked with an adze to shape the timber. This would likely become a flag pole or lamp post.
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| Rear view of the church |
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| The rear from another angle |
This fortified church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. At one time, its bell tower was used as a watchtower over the river below. The exterior of the building is Romanesque in style, while the interior has some Gothic features such as the tympanum above the main entrance which features Christ, the Majesty surrounded by the four Evangelists.
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| Tympanum above the door |
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| Side aisle |
Inside were clustered columns, and a vaulted ceiling, but the galleries and gilt altarpieces, typical of the Basque churches we had seen the day before were not in evidence here. On this Saturday afternoon, the church had been prepared for a wedding that would occur shortly. That young couple we had met earlier were among the guests waiting outside.
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| The Choir |
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| I hope Maxime and Sandra are happily married. |
Back outside, we again took in the spectacular view of the landscape in front of us, and the medieval structures below. I tried to capture the panorama in front of us in a short video and in still shots too. Again, we had been treated to perfect weather, as you can see.
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| What a beautiful day!! |
A bridge in the distance caught our eye. Known as the Pont de la Légende, we would visit it later. While I was focused on the horizon, Bob looked down to discover a local lizard enjoying the weather. This is a common wall lizard, a species often seen in this part of Europe.
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| Pont de la Légende |
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| A common wall lizard |
Continuing our audio walking tour, we next learned about the Montreal Tower. Standing thirty metres tall, it is an imposing structure, where soldiers were stationed to watch over the river below. Here, too, the viscount would retreat in case of an attack.
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I stand below the Montreal Tower
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| Montreal Tower from below |
From here, we descended a flight of stone steps towards the Gave d'Oloron, the stream just below us. This was a spectacular setting, with lush greenery, a winding river, and a small island, Île de la Glère, designated as a Sensitive Narural Area, a major landmark in Sauveterre-de-Béarn.
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| Saint-André from below |
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| The Gave d'Oloron in the foreground adds more to the scene. |
As we walked the path, we often looked back to the ancient buildings above us. We could not help but take photo after photo, since, as we moved farther away from the upper part of the medieval town, the vista widened and became more and more impressive.
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| The path beside the Gave d'Oloron |
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| Covered walkway |
The view in front of us was no less attractive. We followed the curve of the shallow river until we arrived at a stone passageway next to the old fortifications. At one time, there were two bridges in this area providing access to Île de la Glère, but little remains of one of them. The other no longer contains the drawbridge that completed the crossing, but is still an imposing structure.
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| Pont de la Légede |
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| Bob stands on the bridge. |
The other, le Pont de la Légende, as its name suggests, is associated with a fabled story. When Queen Sancie, the wife of Béarnaise king, Gaston V, gave birth to a stillborn child, she was labeled a witch and bound hand and foot, she was thrown into the river. By some miracle, she survived, proving her innocence.
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| I pose in front of the former Pilgrims' Hospital. |
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| Me again |
From here, we continued on, passing by the Pilgrim's Hospital. Here, hikers on their way to Santiago de Compostela could rest or recover if sick. At one time, there also was a cemetery below the hospital where pilgrims who could not complete their journey were laid to rest. The paved road led to the upper town where I stopped to pose under a little bridge.
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| Supports for a barn |
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| Stone house |
We were now in a part of Sauveterre-de-Béarn not covered on our audio tour, but interesting to us nevertheless. An ivy-covered old barn held up by metal props caught Bob's eye, as did a stone house. Clearly, this was where the farmers of the town once lived, and their buildings are being preserved like those of the viscounts.
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| Fortified house |
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| The Datter Gate |
At the end of this street are many remnants of its medieval past, including walls with gun emplacements, an arsenal and an unusual fortified house. We turned the corner beside the latter building and followed this road to the Datter Gate, where we exited the oldest part of Sauveterre-de-Béarn. An ancient image of this gate was on display nearby.
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| The Ousse River |
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| The view upriver from the bridge |
What a pleasant experience it was to take an audio tour through Sauveterre-de-Béarn! This was great introduction to the province. Eager to see more of Béarn, we travelled for about 20 minutes to Orthez, where more local history awaited us. After parking close to the Ousse River, we made our way on foot to le Pont Vieux.
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| Le Pont Vieux from one side |
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| Le Pont Vieux from the other side |
This bridge is one of the finest examples of defensive military architecture preserved today. Its most striking feature is its gate tower in the centre. Its construction began during the reign of Gaston VII de Moncade in the 13th century, but its central feature dates from 1370 when Gaston Fébus remodelled it.
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| Le Pont Vieux from a distance |
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| Butterfly sculpture near the bridge |
The finished tower was inscribed with a a Gascon saying, "Toquey si gaouses" (Touch if you dare.). I suspect that Febus would be very impressed that his bridge still stands today. In fact, it is very sturdy, having withstood powder charges intended to blow it up during the retreat of Napoleon's armies led by Marshal Soult in 1814.
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| Garden and tower in la Musée Jeanne d'Albret |
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| Unusual part of the ancient house |
From here, we walked towards the central square of Orthez. where we happened upon la Musée Jeanne-d'Albret. While the indoor portion was closed, we were free to explore the grounds which contained some interesting buildings and a garden. This museum, the 16th century home of the woman who became the Queen of France as the wife of Henry IV, is dedicated to the history of Protestantism in Béarn. (We had seen a sculpted relief of Jeanne d'Albret in Saint-Palais earlier on this day.)
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| Église Saint-Pierre |
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| I pose in front of the getaway car. |
Nearby is the Gothic Église Saint-Pierre, built in the 13th and 14th centuries. This would have been a good church to visit as it is a good example of southern gothic architecture, but, although we peaked inside, we did not stay since a wedding was taking place while we were there. After the ceremony, the newlyweds surely headed off in the classic Citroën waiting for them in front. (It is a common practice in French weddings to provide a classic automobile of some sort for the bride and groom.)
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| Achal Cross |
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| Looking down a steep hill |
Not far from the church, we spotted another Achal Ctoss, like the one we had seen in Saint-Palais. Also known as the Passion Cross, it displays the instruments of the passion of Christ next to a cross-the whip, the crown of thorns, the spear, and the rod with sponge. From here, we trudged up a steep hill to see what was left of Orthez's castle.
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| La Tour Moncade and me |
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| La Tour Moncade from another angle |
Built in 1242, this is where the Kings of Béarn held court during the years when Orthez was the capital. During the Wars of Religion centuries later, the castle was torched, then later sold during the French Revolution. The remaining tower, la Tour Moncade, the castle's keep, was restored in the 19th century.
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| Le Pont Vieux |
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| Walking back to the car |
From here, we descended the hill, returning to our car. We were parked near a large park, where on this Saturday afternoon, there was a band playing and many local people gathered to hear them. In the distance, we once again spotted the Vieux Pont in all its majesty, the emblem of the city.
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| Église Saint-Germain-d'Auxerre de Navarrenx |
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| The beautiful nave |
We decided that we had time for one more stop, so we chose Navarrenx, less than half an hour south of us. Considered another "Plus Beau Village de France", we saw very little of the place. We parked in the central square, where stands Église Saint-Germain-d'Auxerre de Navarrenx, a 16th century building. Listed as a historic monument, it was originally a Catholic church, then a Protestant one for about fifty years. It was returned to the Catholics in the first half of the 17th century.
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| Are there theatrical performances here? |
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| Beautiful balcony |
In the same area, I noticed a local pub with a very English name. Later, in our walk around the square, I was intrigued by a carved balcony that reminded of those I had seen in parts of Spain, a reminder that we were quite close to its border. Navarrenx showed us several different faces; however, I have since learned that we missed many of its highlights including ramparts, a tunnel, and an arsenal.
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| Depart by Mohand Amara |
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| Saint Grat |
It was after six when we arrived at our day's terminus, the city of Oloron-Sainte-Marie. We had chosen a "Chambres d'Hôtes" as our accommodation, a bed and breakfast called Les 3 Berets. After we settled in, we took a walk to the cathedral area. On the way, we encountered an interesting modern sculpture, one of twelve installations invoking in their own way the Camino de Compostela. "Depart" by Algerian artist, Mohand Amara, depicts an embracing couple.
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| Close up of the statue of Saint Grat |
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| This stone explains the circumstances leading to the statue. |
An older sculpture on the grounds of the cathedral itself is a representation of Saint Grat who became the first bishop of Oloron during the early years of the 5th century, when the fear of Visogoth attacks created frightening times for Christians. When Grat died at Jaca in Spain, legend has it that his body was tied onto his blind mule which carried him the 80 kilometres to his home.
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| Charming restaurant, La Part des Anges |
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| My squid dinner |
We were in this area to have our dinner. I had read that La Part des Anges was among the best places to eat in the city, and fortunately for us, there was one table available. We had not had a meal since our late breakfast–just snacks–so we were hungry. After sharing a salad with Bob, I enjoyed a squid dish (above) as my main dish, while Bob opted for lamb. Then, for dessert, we enjoyed a chocolate lava cake and tiramisu, respectively. It was a delicious meal at the end another busy day of travel. Our walk back to our B & B added a few steps to the 13 000 we logged on this day.
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