St.-Jean de Luz, Aquitaine, France
The Basque Country. Red-and-Green-cross flags. The typical Basque cross, with four petals. Today after lunch, we visited the center of the Basque country in France, St. Jean de Luz. We anchored in the protected sandy-beach bay, and were taken by Zodiac into the harbor amidst many fishing boats, which sustain the numerous restaurants offering all types of seafood, especially anchovy and tuna. The seafront has many fine houses, built by wealthy merchants and fishermen more than a hundred years ago. One of the finest homes built during this time, and in a good state of conservation, is the turreted Maison Louis XIV, at the plane-tree lined Place Louis XIV. The Lohobiague Family had it built in 1635, but it takes its name from the fact that the young King Louis stayed here in 1660 during all the preparations made for his marriage to the Spanish Infanta de Castilla, Maria Teresa. This marriage maintained the peace between the two countries for a long time.
We also had the opportunity of walking to the lovely church of St-Jean-Baptiste on the rue Gambetta, where they were married. The event made extravagant history: Cardinal Mazarin alone presented the Infanta with 12,000 pounds of pearls and diamonds, a gold dinner service and a pair of sumptuous carriages drawn by perfect teams of six horses. We walked along this street, the main shopping center of the city. The church of St. John the Baptist is one of the most typical of the Basque churches, sober outside, but incredibly churrigueresque inside, with an enormous altar with many saints, all covered in gold leaf. The walls are covered in wall cloth, and the wood inside is dark oak. To be especially noted were the five tiers of terraced seats, for the men to sit during mass. Women use the ground level of the building. And hanging from the ceiling is a wooden ship, ex-voto model of the Empress Eugenie's paddle steamer, Eagle, which narrowly escaped being wrecked on the rocks of the outside harbor in 1867.
Back on the ship we had recap, and a delicious dinner followed, with some of us dining in the town.
The Basque Country. Red-and-Green-cross flags. The typical Basque cross, with four petals. Today after lunch, we visited the center of the Basque country in France, St. Jean de Luz. We anchored in the protected sandy-beach bay, and were taken by Zodiac into the harbor amidst many fishing boats, which sustain the numerous restaurants offering all types of seafood, especially anchovy and tuna. The seafront has many fine houses, built by wealthy merchants and fishermen more than a hundred years ago. One of the finest homes built during this time, and in a good state of conservation, is the turreted Maison Louis XIV, at the plane-tree lined Place Louis XIV. The Lohobiague Family had it built in 1635, but it takes its name from the fact that the young King Louis stayed here in 1660 during all the preparations made for his marriage to the Spanish Infanta de Castilla, Maria Teresa. This marriage maintained the peace between the two countries for a long time.
We also had the opportunity of walking to the lovely church of St-Jean-Baptiste on the rue Gambetta, where they were married. The event made extravagant history: Cardinal Mazarin alone presented the Infanta with 12,000 pounds of pearls and diamonds, a gold dinner service and a pair of sumptuous carriages drawn by perfect teams of six horses. We walked along this street, the main shopping center of the city. The church of St. John the Baptist is one of the most typical of the Basque churches, sober outside, but incredibly churrigueresque inside, with an enormous altar with many saints, all covered in gold leaf. The walls are covered in wall cloth, and the wood inside is dark oak. To be especially noted were the five tiers of terraced seats, for the men to sit during mass. Women use the ground level of the building. And hanging from the ceiling is a wooden ship, ex-voto model of the Empress Eugenie's paddle steamer, Eagle, which narrowly escaped being wrecked on the rocks of the outside harbor in 1867.
Back on the ship we had recap, and a delicious dinner followed, with some of us dining in the town.
