Fête des Mères
May 26 marked my first French Mother’s Day, and the week leading up to it was quite eventful. We started off with typical cold and rainy weather in Biarritz. By Wednesday, the skies cleared, and the waves called us. After surfing, we headed to the Castros for a brisket taco lunch. Luis had invited the Sivaks and Wendi and Sassoune for brisket earlier in the week, but it turned into jerky. Determined, Luis tried again. We had a blast together, enjoying the salvaged brisket, which was delicious thanks to the Instant Pot, and the new batch, although a bit dry. Luis is still perfecting his recipe.
Friday took us to Bordeaux. Luke joined us since he had no classes, and Charlie was at Milady Beach with his classmates for their last surf class. Gabe and Luke got haircuts from Mr. Kutter, and our first visitor, Alison Dougherty, arrived at the Gare de Biarritz. We will now have back-to-back visitors until June 25. Here we go! Her first night, we went to the Halles 5 Cantons while Luke stayed over at Matias and Ines’s house.
Saturday was a beach day, reminiscent of summer but without the tourists. Luke, his friends, and Charlie spent most of the day swimming at the Côtes and later moved to the Port Vieux when the tide was high. After a jambon beurre and foie gras lunch, we returned to the beach to find the boys hanging on the rocks. I was happy to see them, especially Charlie, who surprised me by climbing under the railing and jumping into the ocean. It was a sign that he’s really starting to embrace our adventure here. We spent hours on the beach, with the guys continuously jumping into the sea, before heading to the Sivaks for a BBQ. Wendi and Sassoune joined us, and Alison and Wendi hit it off, becoming fast friends. The food was fantastic, and we stayed until the last moment, long after the boys had gone home.
Mother’s Day began with a bouquet of sunflowers and peonies and two beautifully handwritten cards from the boys—perfect. Also Gabe made me a delicious smoked salmon toast. We planned a hike to a venta in the Pyrenees with the Sivaks. Despite a forecast of cloudy skies with no rain, I packed rain jackets and umbrellas. We arrived at the trailhead, and it was raining! Never go anywhere in the Basque Country without rain gear- even if the skies are blue. The hike, which Stacey estimated would take about 45 minutes, was along a river with blooming foxglove and other flowers. Gabe and Bryan led the way with their AllTrails maps. At one point, Stacey announced we had arrived, but Bryan said we were heading to a different venta. So, maybe not 45 minutes.
We took a "shortcut" marked by an X on a tree, which turned out to be a narrow, muddy, and steep deer trail. Charlie kept us entertained with updates like, "I can’t see any civilization," "We are almost there—oh wait, we are not," "This is so steep," and "We are lost." Finally, he proclaimed, "I see civilization. We are not lost." Scaling the mountainside was challenging but comical, and we were all relieved to reach the road. We walked toward the venta and saw a covered area where other hikers were eating lunch. (We were about 40 minutes late for our reservation. Not a shortcut! ha.) They looked dry, relaxed, and happy, while we arrived soaking wet, sweaty, and red-faced—basically a disheveled mess. The contrast was comical. We sat down at this traditional Basque house surrounded by lush green mountainsides, low clouds, and rain. Our lunch included sliced tomatoes and white asparagus, chorizo, an omelet with ham and peppers, fried eggs with "bacon," and a massive platter of fries. We ate everything and despite being wet and cold, we had such a good time. As we finished lunch, the skies cleared, revealing a breathtaking view from the mountaintop, from Hendaye on the left to Biarritz on the right. We were all gasping in awe. The hike back to the car, on the correct trail this time, was quick and easy, but I’m glad we took the adventurous route—it made the day unforgettable. We drove back home, not wanting the day to end. So I sent a text to “Siveoris” and said, “Meet for a drink at Etxola?” The response: “Leaving in 5.” So, we met Stacey and Bryan at Etxola for drinks. While we were sitting there, Stacey pointed to the rooftop of the Radisson and declared it had the best view of Biarritz. I couldn't believe it—we had never been up there. Off we went, and oh my goodness! She was right. The view was almost 360 degrees, overlooking the rooftops of Biarritz. We enjoyed gin and tonics, soaking in the scenery, and finally ended the night. This goes down as one of my best Mother’s Days ever.
But wait, there's more! We decided to extend the celebrations with an adult day in San Sebastian. We practically ate our way through the city. We started with tortilla at Bar Antonio, and to our surprise, we ran into Wendi and Sassoune, who were with Wendi's brother and nephew—a random meetup. Next stop was the market with Bryan and Stacey, where Gabe introduced them to Manu at the olive oil counter and Luis at Yolanda's meat counter. Then, we indulged in the morras salad at Bar Gorriti. Did we stop there? Not a chance. We continued our culinary adventure with a few more treats at Bar Narrika, followed by a stroll along La Concha and coffee at Volt. Finally, we topped off the day with a Basque cheesecake at Lurka. It was truly over the top. I don't think we'll be eating for the rest of the day, but I'm pretty sure Alison had a blast—actually, I know we all did.
Tomorrow, Bryan will take Alison in a 4-seater plane along the coast, before she hops on her train back to Paris. Thanks for the visit, Alison. What an incredible time we've all had together. We made some great memories.
