Biarritz

5-6 March 2007

Biarritz, who has not heard of beautiful Biarritz? And on a sunny day it is majestic, dramatic and the most beautiful city we have seen in France.

From beautiful 19th century buildings like the Palais Continental



and the Villa Eugénie constructed in the 1850’s by Napoléon III for his wife, the Empress. Burnt in 1903 the Villa was rebuilt and today is the expensive and aristocratic Hôtel du Palais.

To maintain the continuity of the ocean-front promenade and the privacy of the Palais, a walk has been constructed under the cliff. But with any surf running and a high tide it can be a wet and sometimes hazardous place.

Note the sand carried up and onto the walk by the surf that was breaking here and Roger’s wet footprints.

In the other direction from the Palais is a more sedate promenade, although in winter storms this could also be flooded.

At the end of this promenade, the walkway mounts to cliff height and the power and force of the surf can be seen as it breaks against the cliffs, islands and bridges joining them.
While not visible in this shot, there are people trying to surf just beyond this island.


The Rock of the Virgin has a small statue of Mary on its highest point. With a tunnel through it and a walkway around it this small island is worth the thrill of crossing the bridge and feeling the structure shake with the surf.

By the Middle Ages Biarritz was known for its inshore whalers. Harpooned whales would be dragged to the beach at high tide and then processed at low tide. Blubber would later be boiled to oil for lighting homes, the skin would be fashioned into seats and helmets, the bones would be used in clothing and furniture and the flesh would be eaten.

The “Old Port” is an interesting place in any kind of surf.

From a distance, while not benign, it doesn’t appear too threatening. But viewed more closely the immense power of the Atlantic surf is again evident.


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The Chappelle Imperialle provides a quieter note. Built in 1864 at the request of Empress Eugénie in a mix of Roman-Byzantine and Hispanic-Moorish styles, it is dedicated to the black virgin of Mexico, Nôtre Dame de Guadelope.

With its many famous royal and aristocratic visitors, Queen Victoria of England, Napoléon III of France, and the plethora of royal European families still in existence prior to World War I, it was inevitable that Biarritz would see the construction of many grand villas as it progressed from whaling town to international seaside bathing center.
And as the 20th century progressed, for the more plebeian amongst us – vacation hotels were of course built, like those on the left.