Crazy Little Thing Called Life: Vacation in Biarritz

Hello friends. I am currently on vacation in Biarritz, in the southwest of France. Although, the vacation is slowly coming to an end. After our 2 days in Bordeaux, we traveled further south to Biarritz. It is a beautiful beach town, combining the perfect amount of nightlife with family life. It rained (poured!) on us for almost one full week. It was funny (and disappointing) to see so many people on vacation walking around with rain coats and umbrellas. We did our best to get out and go for walks despite the rain, but we mainly lounged in our room, watched trashy television, and relaxed.

Finally, Wednesday we saw sun and took full advantage. There are a ton of amazing restaurants with verandas overlooking the ocean. We have been doing our best to cook in our very little kitchen (we both can't fit comfortably) as much as possible but we have been indulging in some good eating, too.

We have taken some day trips. We visited Bayonne where the famous Running of the Bulls is happening right now. Everyone is walking around in white outfits with red bandanas, red shoes, and red scarves for as many towns as we've driven through. There are so many more events than just the famous bulls running. There are concerts and carnivals and so much more. It started on Wednesday night and goes through Sunday.

We visited San Sebastian, Spain. It is a beautiful city on the beach. It was quite breathtaking. The narrow streets were lined with bars filled to capacity and restaurants serving up local cuisine and of course, paella. The streets were bustling with excited vacationers, students, and locals.

We visited St Jean de Luz two nights ago and decided then that there's where we would go to the beach yesterday. We drove the 15 minutes back there yesterday, rented a parasol and chairs, and basked in the sun for hours. It was so wonderful. We had a great time.

I made shrimp scampi last night (my dad's delicious recipe), and we enjoyed that while sitting on the balcony listening to the waves crashing and the jazz playing in the restaurant below while watching the surfers and the sunset. It was romantic and peaceful and such a fantastic moment.

We could see that there was a sand bar so we ran outside for a walk along the beach. We were so glad we did. The sunset was amazing. It was reflecting off the sand in the sand bar, too, which I loved. It was such a perfect moment... the sun setting, the reflection on the ocean, the surfers catching their last few waves, not wanting to give up on the day, the light of the lighthouse circling around, the beach full of drunken teenagers dressed in their white and red, and my guy and I putting our feet in the warm ocean while watching the perfect day unfold and our wonderful vacation come to an end.

As I write to you now, I'm lounging in bed, listening to the waves outside and the seagulls singing. Tonight is our last night. We have reserved an oceanside table and will watch the fireworks from there.

First things first, we're off to the beach in Hendaye which is said to be one of the best beaches in Europe. Can't wait! I'll leave you with some pictures!