Looking down the Rue de la République towards the Maison de Louis XIV.
The raised wall at the beach end of the street is the seawall which protects the city from sea storms.
Rue de la République. The stone house with the tower is the oldest building in town - all the earlier ones were burned by the Spanish, who ransacked the town over and over again before the peace was made between the two countries in 1660.
The towers on these houses were built by the owners of the fishing fleets so that they could see when their boats were coming into port, laden with codfish or whale blubber.
At the end of this street (where I live) you can see La Rhune, the craggy mountain which overlooks both Spain and France.
The wooden beams of Basque houses are traditionally painted red, because in ancient times the farmers coated them with the blood of cows and pigs, to protect them from the elements, which give them a dark red colour. Blood was cheaper than paint!
Visitez le Restaurant Txantxangorri, soit, en basque, l'oiseau rouge, le bistrot préferé de Lorenzo et sa petite famille, à un pas du Marché de Saint Jean de Luz http://www.txantxangorri.fr/
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