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Welcome to our 2003 International Workshops adventure in Biarritz, France! As
you know, during our workshop, we have scheduled two "Free Days," with no
classes. Pays Basque Privilege has planned a wonderful
variety of optional-cost excursions for you and family members.
Sunday, July 6
1. Ronceveau, St. Jean Pied de Port, Arnaga
 Discover the heart of Basque Country with a scenic drive along the Nive
river valley. Arriving in the mythic site of Ronceveau, it is hard to
imagine that in the Middle Ages up to 50,000 pilgrims passed by on their
way to Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of St. James the
Apostle. Ronceveau/Roncevalles is also the site of a great battle in 778
where Charlemagne, King of France, was ambushed and his nephew Roland
was killed. Special sites include the silo of Charlemagne, the Chapel of
St. James, The Collegiate Church cloisters, and the Chapter House where
King Sancho VIII of Navarre is buried. The tour continues to the
medieval village of St. Jean Pied de
Port, capital of the Basse Navarre,
where a delicious lunch will be followed by a tour of the village. A
panoramic view from the grounds of a 17th century citadel (interior not
available for viewing) offers a splendid view of the town and
surrounding mountains. The last great Basque King, Sancho the Strong,
founded St. Jean Pied de Port, in the 13th century. A military,
commercial, and religious crossroads between Pamplona, Bayonne, and the
north, this important site was also a stop on the pilgrim route to the
tomb of the Apostle Saint James at Santiago de Compostela, and is still
used today! The tour continues to the superb Basque mansion called Arnaga,
built by Cyrano de Bergerac author Edmond Rostand, and his wife
Rosemond Gerard, a poet who wrote immortal line "I love you more today
than yesterday but less than tomorrow." Their sumptuous villa is
surrounded by lovely French gardens, unchanged since Rostand designed
them at the beginning of the century.
Price: 95 euros. Tour includes:
- Motorcoach
- English speaking guide
- Entrance fees to Ronceveau
- Guided walking tour of Ronceveau
- Lunch in St. Jean Pied de Port
- Arnaga entrance fees
2. Bilbao: The Guggenheim and the Fine Arts Museum
 In October 1997, the doors swung open at architect Frank Gehry's
spectacular Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao in the Southern Basque country.
Five years later, the Guggenheim continues to amaze its visitors.
Architecture critics trip over themselves inventing new superlatives to
praise this modern art museum; many settle on the word "miracle."
Crafted in titanium, limestone, and glass it rises above the banks of
Bilbao's Nervion River, its restless form defying description. The
atrium soars to 165 feet, the "boat" gallery, which resembles the hold
of a ship, is a vast 433-foot cavern. The museum includes exhibition
space of 110,000 square feet. Gehry's achievement is as startling to the
eye as the Eiffel Tower or Frank Lloyd Wright's 1959 screw-shaped
Guggenheim. Gehry himself says, "It's really a miracle of collaboration
between the Americans and the Basques." Within walking distance from the
Guggenheim is the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts, containing one of Europe's
finest collections of Spanish painters from the 13th, 14th, 16th and
19th centuries. Among the most famous paintings from ancient art, Basque
painters, and modern contemporary artists are works by Gaughin, Zuloaga,
Goya, and Velazquez.
Price: 70 euros. Lunch cost not included. Tour includes:
- Motorcoach
- English speaking guide
- Entrance fees
- Audio headsets for the Guggenheim Museum
- Entrance fees for the Fine Arts Museum
July 9
3. Evening in San Sebastian (Tapas and Cider Mill Restaurant)
 Kings
and queens of Spain chose San
Sebastian as the royal seaside
resort just as Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie chose Biarritz. Today
San Sebastian remains a brilliant and seductive city, a cultural hub of
the Basque Country. The Old Quarter is the focus of this evening, with
stops at two of the most famous of the one hundred tapas bars offering
delicious local appetizers.
Small groups will be led by guides familiar with this very animated
cocktail hour. Dinner will be served in a nearby cider restaurant. San
Sebastian's history includes not only tapas, but hard cider as well. The
'cidreries,' or cider mills, range from very rustic to more reserved,
with three things in common: good food, good cider, and good fun! Guests
may serve themselves directly from large oak cider barrels during
dinner, which may include mixed salad (lettuce, tomatoes, onion, white
asparagus, tuna, hard-boiled egg and green olives) with vinaigrette, cod
Donostiara (salted cod with sweet green peppers), flame-grilled steaks,
apple/quince dessert, local cheese, and walnuts.
Price: 99 euros. Evening Tour includes:
- Motorcoach
- English speaking guide
- Tapas guides
- Two tapas bars
- Cider mill dinner
Thursday, July 10
4. Château di Abbadie, Fontarrabie, and St. Jean de Luz
 A lovely drive south to Hendaye, the last village on the French coast,
for a visit to the beautiful oceanfront Château
d'Abbadie, built in 1870
by Viollet-le-Duc and Edmond Duthoit. Commissioned by Antoine d'Abbadie
(1810-1897), an ardent defender of the Basque language and culture, a
scientific explorer (first to create a map of Ethiopa), world traveler,
and former president of the Académie des Sciences, the chateau has an
observatory which permitted astronomers to catalogue the stars at the
beginning of the 20th century. Chateau d'Abbadie is now a scientific
observatory center belonging to the Académie des Sciences. Each room has
its own harmony, color and language, with a mixture of neo-gothic and
Ethiopian oriental decor bearing witness to the travels and interests of
Antoine d'Abbadie. The science room with its books and telescope allow
guests to step back in time and imagine meeting this multi-faceted man,
an expert in geography, astronomy, navigation, geophysics, and geology.
The exterior of the château is guarded by monumental statues of animals.
The tour continues by small boat, crossing over the border to
Fontarrabie, a medieval village divided into two distinct areas, the
'high' and the 'low' city. Our visit will start below at the colorful
fishing harbor, before walking to the high city, which is surrounded by
a fortified wall, protecting the ancient dwellings of the local
nobility. A coffee break follows at the ancient palace of Charles V, on
a terrace overlooking the breathtaking bay of Txingudi and the French
Basque coastline. Here we will stroll cobblestone streets, admiring
beautiful ironwork balconies, exquisite stone carvings and intricate
facades. Next, we drive to St. Jean de Luz, for
lunch on our own. St.
Jean de Luz has an active fishing harbor filled with colorfully painted
boats and a sprawling bay area, with boutique-lined pedestrian streets
and art galleries making this town a 'must see' of the Basque Country.
In 1660, Louis XIV (the Sun King) wed the Spanish Infante Marie-Therese,
ending decades of war and defining once and for all the borders of the
two nations. We will visit the church where the wedding took place over
340 years ago, the most lavish Basque-style church in the region. St.
Jean de Luz also has a rich history of maritime activities, particularly
pirating which brought in enormous wealth as evidenced by opulent villas
dotting the bay and plaza where local artists paint during the warm
weather months.
Price: 62 euros. Tour includes:
- Motorcoach
- English-speaking guide
- Château d'Abbadie entrance fees and tour
- Bay of Txingudi boat crossing
- Coffee break at the Parador
5. La Bastide Clairence and Bayonne
 This
tour goes to the village of La Bastide Clairence, in the heart of
Basque Country. Built in the Middle Ages for the Kingdom of Navarre as a
port on the Adour river, it was populated by Gascons rather than
Basques, and its peculiarity is that Gascon is still spoken here today.
Half-timbered houses, dominating the village square, demonstrate the
'Bastide' style. The village has become a thriving arts and crafts
center, with a dozen craftsmen in weaving, enamelware, and painting
working daily, maintaining standards of the highest quality. The tour
continues to the historical town of Bayonne, at the junction of the Nive
and Adour rivers. A regional capital and port, this town was originally
a Roman garrison. Medieval Bayonne developed on the same site, under the
coat-of-arms of both France and England! A flourishing port for 300
years of English rule, originating in the famous marriage between
Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantaganet, Bayonne was often visited by
their son, Richard the Lion Hearted, who married a Basque princess from
Navarre. Stroll the narrow streets of 'Old Bayonne', lined with 18th
century houses, then stop at a famous chocolate shop to receive a
souvenir chocolate bar. Christopher Columbus was the first European to
discover the strange South American seed used by Indians as money and as
an ingredient in their rich, spicy drink. Conquistadors brought the
cacao seed to Spain along with the secret technique of making hot
chocolate, which rapidly became famous throughout the kingdom. Jews, in
particular, were renown for its manufacture, and, fleeing the
Inquisitions, took their expertise to southwest France, where Bayonne
become the first town to taste hot chocolate. The church frowned upon
this new custom, as chocolate was not only reputed as a health tonic but
also an aphrodisiac! This 'devil's brew' however became popular among
the wealthy and rapidly developed into one of Bayonne's most famous exports.
Lunch at a Bayonne bistro. A shuttle service may be available for those
wishing to stay and shop in Bayonne. The Bonnat
Museum, named after
artist Leon Bonnat, will also be visited while in Bayonne. In addition
to Bonnat's works, the Museum also includes drawings, portraits, and
paintings in the schools of Rubens, Van Dyck, De Vinci, Goya, Rembrandt,
and an interesting collection of bronzes. The renovated Basque
Museum is next, where our guide will bring Basque history alive in
this gem of a regional museum.
Price: 96 euros. Tour includes:
- Motorcoach
- English-speaking guide
- Entrance fees for Bonnat and Basque Museum
- Lunch in Bayonne
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