A meander through Bayonne

A wet day meant the streets were much quieter and we enjoyed a lazy morning before braving the rain to walk to Halles de Bayonne, the covered markets that were just a block away.  We perused all the food options and made a commitment to return for lunch provisions after we had explored the town.  

Due to its strategic position on the confluence of the Nive and Ardour Rivers, Bayonne had a long history as a military city. This was evident as we crossed the river to the Royal Belvedere Bastion which overlooks the city and is surrounded by a small green park.  Opposite was the La Tour de Sault which played a role in controlling the passage of boats on the river and was next to a rugby field that had been built in the former moat. 

We passed the Chateau Vieux, the old castle of Bayonne, a medieval fortress built in the 12th century to house the governors of the city and now used as a mess hall by the army. From there we could see the twin towers of the Cathedral which dominates the Bayonne skyline.   We followed the early 16th century walls into the Botanical Gardens and for a moment thought we were back in Japan. 

Reentering the old town through the restored gateway, we decided to find ourselves an Easter treat on “Chocolate Street”, a pedestrian street lined with some of the town’s oldest chocolate makers. Bayonne’s chocolate industry began in the 17th century when Portuguese Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition settled in Bayonne and established the first chocolate factories with Bayonne port receiving cargoes of cacao from South America. 

 It was approaching lunchtime so we returned to the markets and stocked up on provisions and some extra dinner supplies, all requested in our best French.  Fortunately, one of the other customers intervened as we almost bought turkey breast instead of chicken.  Otherwise, we were quite pleased with our attempts.  

The skies cleared in the afternoon and we ventured out for an afternoon stroll across the river into Petit Bayonne - as opposed to Grand-Bayonne , the area around the Cathedral where we were staying.  The imposing Chateau-Neuf was built in the late 1400s and is now part of a university and home to the campus library.  We had a brief wander through the DIDAM contemporary art space to view the Kardesch Exhibition, Traces and Tracings which was designed to take visitors along “paths of life” – though much of its significance was lost on us as we struggled to interpret the French information.  

We crossed back across the river and past yet another carousel, through the Jardin Leon Bonnat and into the old town where the streets were again full of people.  As we returned to the apartment to make dinner, we realised our accommodation backed onto the cloisters of the cathedral which looked very tranquil in the late afternoon light.