La Ponte
We dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4 am to catch our 6 am flight back to Biarritz. "Tired" doesn't even begin to cover it. Despite feeling like zombies, the boys trudged off to school at noon. This week was a bit of a mixed bag with Wednesday and Thursday being holidays resulting in La Ponte. May 8th marks Victory of Europe day, and May 9th is Ascension Day. With schools shut down for those two days, they figured, "Why not make it a long weekend?" So, there we were, facing a five-day holiday, and it seemed like the entire population of Paris decided to descend upon Biarritz. The town was bursting at the seams with tourists.
We crammed our schedule with activities. Luke finished school early on Tuesday, so he invited four friends over for lunch. They opted for CAB burgers and then hit the town for some fun. Later that evening, we had Bruno and Vanessa over for dinner before heading to Atabal to catch the Congos and Gladiators show, It was like stepping back into the golden age of reggae. Luke, Charlie, and Emile enjoyed a night at home alone.
Wednesday officially kicked off La Ponte. We joined Beatriz, Clyde, and the girls for a hike near La Rhune. The scenery was breathtaking, with Pottok (wild horses) dotting the hills, wild strawberries ripe for the picking, and Basque pigs making a comeback from near extinction. The panoramic view of the coast was the cherry on top. After the hike, we headed to their place in Urrugne for a delicious dinner, losing track of time and ending up home well past midnight. It's crazy how late it gets dark this time of year.
Naturally, we all slept in on Thursday morning. The Hayme family arrived at 2 pm at the Gare de Biarritz, and we had a fantastic time showing them around town. We had lunch with local products, then headed down to the Grand Plage for a refreshing swim. Of course, we stopped at Dezamy for some glace. Later, we played petanque at Etxola Bibi before wrapping up the night with pizza at Little Tralala.
Friday, with perfect weather, we all went surfing at the Cotes de Basques. I'm happy to report that we had plenty of wetsuits for everyone since the water is still pretty chilly at 13 degrees. It was the Hayme family's first surfing experience, and Gabe's Surfing School was the ticket. Luke and Charlie rode the boogies, and we all had a blast. Luke, Charlie, Viktor, and Elise had a good time hanging out together. Both Luke and Charlie are now fluent in French—yep! Witnessing this was an absolute joy for me. It feels incredible to see them achieve this goal. They got creative and invented a crazy game in the hallway using a little basketball and door hoop. Viktor and Charlie played some chess. The way they all clicked and connected was effortless—it was like they'd been friends for years. Julie and I took a Mama walk speaking mostly in French (yay), wandering near Belza, along the Cotes, and tackling the 450 steps up to Etxola for a refreshing spritz before heading back to the apartment just in time for Gabe's mouthwatering queso taco dinner. Bruno and Vanessa joined us for another evening of good food and great company. As we savored the delicious meal, I couldn't help but marvel at the teamwork between Jacques and Gabe in the kitchen. It was cool to witness their culinary magic unfold, with Jacques effortlessly sharing his wealth of cooking knowledge, practically reciting passages from the Modernist cookbooks. The whole experience was a testament to their passion for cooking and their incredible skills. And of course, the evening was made even better by another stunning sunset. Their visit was so special. I'm incredibly grateful they made the journey from Mulhouse. I'm already looking forward to the next time we can catch up, hopefully on our home turf in California. Dropping them off at the gare at 11 am, we barely had time to blink before the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and it was back to jeans and puffers.
We decided to head south to Pasaia for the Maritime Festival. Accessible by water taxi, each area offered food, entertainment, and a bustling atmosphere. The sight of boats sailing in the port was beautiful. Fun fact: Marquis de Lafayette set sail from this very port in 1777 to fight for American Independence. The festival featured stalls showcasing demos on paddle shaping, anchor making, rope braiding, and more. We met up with Beatriz, Clyde, and the girls, but our plans were quickly derailed by an unexpected thunderstorm. And of course, we were not prepared even though one should always be prepared for rain in the Basque country. We were invited back to their place for an impromptu TV dinner to watch the Eurovision finals. I'll admit, I had never watched Eurovision before, and my only exposure to it was from that Will Ferrell movie parody. We had so much fun, critiquing the acts, outfits, and choreography. Naturally, my teacher instincts kicked in, and I found myself appreciating the effort put in by each participant, even if some acts weren't quite up to par. I must have repeated, "This one is good," during every performance. Gabe, Beatriz, and Clyde couldn't help but laugh at my inability to be critical. As the final performance wrapped up, Beatriz turned to me with excitement and exclaimed, "You can vote now!" In that moment, the realization hit me: being in France with a French number meant I held the power to cast my vote. I sent a text in support of #21, Nemo from Switzerland, a unique performance for sure. The excitement carried us well past 1 am. It turns out Nemo did receive the most overall votes! That was too much fun.
Side note: Luke has now taken to playing many of the songs we heard on Eurovision! From Nemo's "The Code" to Silmane's "Mon Amour," and even Bambie Thug's "Doomsday Blue," our house is filled with the sounds of the competition.
The weather took a sharp turn, cold, windy, and rainy. C’est normal, we’re in the Basque country. We enjoyed Gabe’s Huevos Rancheros brunch with the Castros. Frankie surprised me with a beautiful little bouquet, knowing it was Mother's Day back in the US. Such a thoughtful gesture from her that brightened my day. The boys diligently tackled all their homework, gearing up for the week ahead. To end La Ponte, the Sivaks came over for dinner. Gabe pulled out all the stops with his homemade green pasta—loaded with pesto, asparagus, favas, peas, and artichokes. It was delicious—yum doesn't even begin to cover it. It felt like ages since we last saw the Sivaks, and being together filled us with genuine happiness. Reflecting on our bond, it's incredible how quickly we've become such great friends since meeting just nine months ago. It's as if we've known each other for a lifetime, more like family than friends. Friendship is such a gift.
