Saint Jean de Luz
The port of Saint Jean de Luz, from neighbouring Ciboure. The two towns are divided by the Nivelle River, which has its source in the Pyrenees.
Fishing boats, with two large "thonniers" for tuna fishing, moored in the background.
In the distance, the westernmost pinnacle of the Pyrenees, La Rhune. You can ride there on a small cable-car and look out over both Spain and France.
The fishing port is in the mouth of the Nivelle River, which empties into the bay of Saint Jean de Luz.
This harbour was created in the 19th century by dredging the bottom and embanking the sides, to give shelter from the great ocean storms which invaded the bay.
Before, when the river flowed wild, the estuary we see here was a vast marsh which often flooded.
This explains the meaning of the name Saint Jean de Luz, which is a mistranslation of the original Basque "Donibane Lohitzune". Doni means Saint, Bane means John, and Lohizune means marshes.
The correct translation of the name, therefore, is Saint John of the Marshes, rather than Saint John of Light, as the Spanish translation, San Juan de Luz, suggests.
On the left is the wholesale fish market, "la criée", and on the horizon, behind the lighthouse, is the jagged range called Les Trois Couronnes - The Three Crowns, on the Spanish side of the border.
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