Maggie Maps
  • Travel Blog
    • Feedback
  • Map Tools
  • Projects
  • Maggie's Map

Basqueing In Bidart, France

6/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The southern coast of France is a great place to be in June. The sun is out, the water is warm enough, and the summer crowds have yet to arrive. I am lucky to be staying with a friend, and her flat overlooks the village of Bidart, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pyrenees – absolute heaven. Plus it's warm – great to be back in summer! If that's not enough, my arrival coincided with a festival in neighboring St Jean de Luz - Festival de Andalucia. As we head down into town, I see flamenco dancing, sangria, moulle, tapas, and a gorgeous coast. Fantastic! I couldn't believe how well everyone danced – the men, the women, the children – everyone had moves. When a traditional song came on, the dance floor cleared for those that knew (or thought they knew) what they were doing – it was beautiful choreography and I was even pulled into the mix a few times to dance with the local Basque men. It was my first introduction into something my friend calls “force de Basque!” as I was tossed all over the dance floor :) Check out the video below. Over the week we enjoyed appero all over town, time in Guethary, fresh sole, watching the surfers, and enjoying the Chistera games from her balcony. One day we drove to Spain for groceries because it seems they are a bit cheaper, and I've never had a better view while running errands. My friend shops in a small village in the Pyrenees – not bad! 

France played Honduras for their first World Cup match during my stay in Bidart. It was my 2nd game in a home country, and I chose a small restaurant in the center of Bidart (not many choices!) and arrived to a large crowd. A local rugby team - a crew of about thirty 20-something guys - was celebrating their season and the beer flowed. Their presence added a great deal to the otherwise subdued crowd, and definitely made the night more fun. Enthusiasm was lacking a bit, but for being in ... not Spain, not France, but Basque!, they did their best in celebrating the 3-0 victory. I would return to the Basque coast for its beauty and way of life - although I did find it hard to meet people with my limited French language skills. I'm hoping to catch a game in the north of France to see if there is a difference!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    ABOUT

    Combining a passion for travel, the desire to make a difference & a love of maps, MaggieMaps was born.
    ​A place to share stories, resources, and a way to inspire others to realize their travel dreams. 

    PRESS

    Women & GIS, Vol 3: Champions of a Sustainable World 
    Sustain Podcast: What is OpenStreetMap US?
    GeoHipster Interview:​ 'What else can we do but keep going?'
    Jamaica: Nationwide News Network Interview  'Open Data Mapping'
    WYPR: Interview on 'Baltimore's Future' with David Warnock
    Baltimore Social Innovation Journal - Winter 2015
    OpenStreetMap US: "Say Hello to Our Argentina Scholars" ​
    All the Pieces Matter: "Mapping Baltimore's Hidden Wealth – People, Places, Creativity, and Nature"
    FORBES: The Female Solo Traveler: When 'Don't Go' Isn't The Solution
    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Unless otherwise noted, all prose, poetry, maps and photography posted on this blog are Copyright 2013 Maggie Maps

    Archives

    March 2020
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    Conference
    Europe
    FOSS4G
    Packing
    STEM Education
    Travel
    USA

    Blogs I like

    Thematic Mapping
    HackGeo

    RSS Feed

We Would Love to Support Your Next Adventure!


Email

info@boomgeo.com
All rights reserved. Photos and content property of Boomerang Geospatial, LLC.
  • Travel Blog
    • Feedback
  • Map Tools
  • Projects
  • Maggie's Map