Mammendorf to Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Road Trip Iberian Peninsula 2013

29.03.2013 | Travel Photography | Drive-by Snapshots

Crossing France

Oberdiessbach to Saint-Jean-de-Luz

An early breakfast and start from Oberdiessbach, where I spent the night at a friends house after collecting the car from Mammendorf the day before. A winterly day with sprinkles of snow and 1.137 km to drive via Switzerland and France to the destination in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

Winter 2012/13 has been the darkest winter with the least amount of sunshine since weather reports have been recorded. Quite a depressing stretch of months with nothing but grey sky, rain, fog and some snowfall. I really needed to see the sun and therefore immediately jumped on the chance to shuttle a car to Portugal and join a buddy on a road trip along the coast of Portugal. The drive across France was rather uneventful and dull on deserted Autoroutes like the A20. Once again I was convinced that my usual routine of crossing this beautiful country by means of taking more time and driving small country roads is the better option. Nearing Bordeaux the sun finally came out and the sky turned blue. Never have I been more happy to mark the end of winter in my personal calender.

It didn’t last long and as darkness fell, the Autoroute A63 was covered in rain with strong westerly wind gusts. By the time I reached Bayonne I was really tired and just wanted to arrive at the lovely Chambre d’Hôtes reserved for the night, get something to eat and strech my legs.

St. Jean de Luz

As it was well out of season, they didn’t serve dinner and I had to go downtown for a bite to eat and something to drink. As I didn’t feel like driving I asked for a plasic bag to cover my camera, ignored the rain and set off on foot. Being tired from the long journey I didn’t remember that there is no bridge and had to walk the long way all the way around the harbor – twice. Nevermind, it felt good to walk and breathe the fresh air of the Atlantic Ocean. Unsurprisingly the city center was deserted and not many restaurants open, but a good meal can always be found in France.