Jeannine & Roger's French Cheese Odyssey

Protest Tuesday - Bayonne 6th June

It may look like Chris Hipkins was campaigning in the wrong country, but no, it’s protest Tuesday in Bayonne. The photos below are only a small representation of the protestors; there were hundreds in the long procession chanting for the end of Macron. Protest marches in France are well organised events with the protestors ensuring that the rally is held in work time and ends at 12.00pm by the cafes, just in time for their two hour lunch.

We quickly skirted around the other side of town to get a café seat in the shade before they arrived.

Cheese Experience No.46 - The Unconventional Croque-Monsieur Per a previous post, a croque-monsieur is a ham and cheese toasted sandwich, with a cheesy béchamel sauce grilled on top. The following is the Bayonnaise version; a filling of ham, sheep’s cheese, lettuce and sweet chillies, with a slice of sheep’s cheese semi-grilled on top, why would you mess with a tried and proven 19th century recipe?
My lunch was a Bayonnaise tart, also not to be repeated.

Lunchtime entertainment: You can’t quite see clearly in the next photo, but there is a net fisherman. The fisherman starts at the top of the river near a bridge, drops one end of the net in on one side of the river and motors to the other side to spread it across the river. He then drifts downstream with the net and before he gets to the next bridge pulls it in, voilà fish, well driftwood and other crap.

Today is a rest day from driving so we went into Grand Bayonne to complete a two hour geocaching walk, including lunch and drink stops of course, below is what we found on our travels:

• The Tower of Sault: In Roman times the tower was at the city walls and to strengthen their defences they put chains from the tower across the river to hinder the enemy. [Ed: The tower does actually taper]

• The Fountain of Saint Leon: Leon was the first Bishop of Bayonne, sent to do good work by the Pope. The Vikings didn’t like him converting people so they beheaded him in 890AD. Legend has it that he continued to do his work, carrying his head around with him. When he finally collapsed a spring sprang up and the water was used to cure people’s ailments. Today it is no longer accessable, but you can view the memorial which looks like a giant pizza oven.

• The Postern of the Ramparts: The 17th century postern was a hidden door or passage holed in a wall for discreet entry or exit from a fortified city. In the 19th century the tunnel was made longer for better defence, and access in and out of the city. In the 1980s some idiot thought a new reconstructed entrance way over the older one would make a nice ornament.

• An old pulley system to open an ancient gate; the gate didn’t last as long as the opener.

• The last two photos are a sports ground built against an ancient wall and a shot of the car park under the sports ground; that’s smart thinking, way better than an ornamental entrance way.