It was off to Biarritz this morning, a short journey on the excellent T1 tram bus from just along the street to pretty much on the Grand Plage in Biarritz. The tram bus is electric and I saw it top up the battery from an overhead connection at the Biarritz terminal before my return journey. It has a combination of dedicated roads and dedicated lanes and travels through the less scenic parts of Bayonne and Anglet before passing the Biarritz rugby ground and then it is posh houses to the city centre. Very relaxing if a little aromatic on the way back mid afternoon on a 27ºC day. Remember that is a notional shade temperature but as you can see from the photos there was not a lot of shade and this is the South of France. It was great to see the Atlantic Ocean and some decent waves for the many surfers on this Sunday morning. The beach was pretty empty when I arrived but had filled up before I left. I basically walked an arc with the end points in the South, Rocher de la Vierge and in the North the Lighthouse, a solid 9km with stops for coffee and beer along the way. Here are some pictures from South to North but I will start with a couple of photos from my arrival at around 10 am. The headline picture is on the promontory where the lighthouse is with these wonderul old conifers. The Rocher de la Vierge, not suprisingly, has a statue of the Virgin Mary and commands a great view South to San Sebastián in Spain. On the South side of the Vierge is what seems the main tourist shopping part of Biarritz behind the Place St Eugenie, one of Europes most scenic squares. Watch out for the bears and enjoy a nice little beach and a good place to have a coffee. Place St Eugenie is built up on three sides with the fourth open to the ocean and is lined with restaurants, bars and hotels and indeed has is same named cathedral to boot. I resisted the special offer €10 coffee and croissant. The view is impressive though. As you head North along the promenade there is, of course, a carousel and plenty of surf action. There is a mixture of old and new buildings as you approach the lighthouse but one thing that binds them is that I do not imagine they are cheap. The lighthouse dates from 1832 and there is a human sundial, which is cleverly designed to have monthly standing positions. Of course daylight savings time means a one hour error. There was a book reading by the lighthouse but my French struggled although it seemed to be about cooking and recipes. I may be wrong! Naturally it commanded views down the Grand Plage which by now was filling up. A little lizard decided to say bonjour. Merci. Back to the centre past the Russian Orthodox church for a last look at the Grand Plage and the impossing Palais Hotel and then up hill to a shady cafe for a beer, past the Casino and then back on the Txik Txak Tram Bus back to Bayonne. I could not have asked for more appropriate weather to visit this oceanside resort.