One year old, but still a little too young to understand how to open presents
La Concha Bay in the background, family in fore: Tonton (uncle) Mat, Manou (grandma), and Papa with Sprout and Rosalie the Cow.
At the aquarium, in the tunnel:
In front of Basílica de Santa María del Coro:
Eating her first birthday cake on the lawn of Miramar Palace:
The cake she found so-so, but the pear we gave her afterwards met with her whole and fulsome approval:
The beret met with less approval. She is not a hat baby, more's the pity.
And a final frolic on the beach before heading home because Beaches = Happy Baby:
The weather was really on our side. With people swimming and sunbathing, it was hard to believe November is only a week away.
Then, Monday, it was J's birthday, and we headed south again, this time stopping in Basque Country* on the French side of the border. The weather was wet and blustery, though, so we didn't spend time outdoors, exploring, as I had planned. Instead, we ate lunch in Espelette, where eponymous chilis festoon white, white houses with pepper-red or Basque-green shutters. We then visited Edmond Rostand's mansion, now-museum, where his works, notably Cyrano de Bergerac, and life are featured. Photography is not allowed indoors, but you can visit the site here to see a little of the interior.
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* This being the area of France J would like to settle in on that distant day when we shall decide to put down roots.
