so many things... so much time...

it's been more than 30 days since i visited here to write? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??? lots has happened and i've been on quite a whirlwind - perhaps i should set a spell and actually explain - yes that sounds like a bit of a plan (or the beginnings of one)

I've been here, home, to see the littlest person related directly to me, to Spain, to France and home again...

To Spain to be part of someone dear's wedding - one of Son the Younger's best friends was marrying his best friend in Spain at the end of July - and asked if we (me and the OH) would attend.. i know it made S-T-Y happy to know we were there. I know it made the groom and the bride happy to know we were there. It made us happy to be there... And it was a wonderful wonderful way to see the Basque countryside as tourists don't always see it. The people were lovely, the scene was gorgeous and we had just the best time with families and friends. I will post a few pics here i am sure...







then... as only i would do, speaking not a whit of french, we traveled by car from Spain along the coast to France - Biarritz to be precise - where we stayed a few days so we could do a trip to Lourdes. We stayed within walking distance of "La Grande Plage" in Biarritz and took some pretty photos of sunsets on our evenings there, sipping strong coffee and enjoying the people going by. We did not venture into a lot of sightseeing in Biarritz, because to be honest, we really enjoyed the peace of the ocean.



Lourdes was a holy place and you felt it from the moment you stepped near the grotto. I was a bit taken aback by the carnival atmosphere outside the gates to the shrine, but then i guess i was not really thinking. of course there would be places to buy every souvenir possibly related to Christianity outside a place that attracts millions of pilgrims a year... of course there would be - i wasn't thinking...



but there was the cathedral built on the grotto - and to see it there was just amazing




On our way back from Biarritz to Bilbao in Spain, we took one more side trip to a lovely little village named St. Jean De Luz. but... since this is looking pretty long as it is.. perhaps i will continue tomorrow with the market, the cheese, the bread, the chorizo chiffonade and lunch by the marina... lol

mta: the photos i've lifted from flickr are a bit too big for the parameters of the blog... please forgive