After a wonderful breakfast in Parador Hondarribia, we got on the peage and were in France within minutes. We made several stops over the next eight hours. Our first was in Bayonne, where there was a running race. There were thousands of spectators in the streets cheering the runners on. We passed the old castle and rempart walls, started in Roman times and added onto for centuries. The gardens along the rempart walls are beautiful. We visited Cathedrale Sainte-Marie de Bayonne, in the heart of old Bayonne. Construction of the Cathedrale was started in the 13th century and completed in the 17th. A Gothic cloister is attached to the Cathedrale. We walked through the streets of the old city, and along the river, enjoying our quick stop.
We visited the former Abbaye D'Arthous, founded in 1167, in a quiet countryside location. Each of the 35 carved capitals is unique, some rather whimsical.
We drove just a few miles to L'Abbaye Saint-Jean a Sorde, located in a tiny village. Built on a Gallo-Roman villa paved with mosaics, Sorde Abbey is more than 15 centuries old. The mosaics are located in the Abbey church, in the nave. The Abbey has a long underground gallery that was not open when we visited.
We drove north about an hour, to Eglise Sainte Quitterie Aire-Sur-L'adour. The church was built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 18th century. It has several crypts, one with a sarcophagus covered with bas-reliefs.
Just across the village of Aire-Sur-L'adour, we also visited Cathedrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Aire-Sur-L'adour was the seat of the bishopric for fifteen centuries, which explains the presence of a cathedral in the city. Construction dates to the 11th century, but the cathedral was ravaged in the 14th and 16th centuries during the Wars of Religion. It underwent modifications until the 19th century. The interior of the cathedral was re-painted in 1860.
We arrived at home in Lectoure by 6 in the evening. After five days away, and having a wonderful time, it was good to get home!
