May 12, 2025
Bérenx to Saint-Palais
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Today we had a “why we tour” kind of day except for one weird thing I will get to later on.
I had a bit of a tough night because I couldn’t fall asleep due to my shoulder itching like crazy. I wound up taking a sleeping pill in the middle of the night to help me sleep. We have a tiny supply we use for jet lag and nurse them carefully because our primary care doctor hates prescribing that stuff.
In the morning we were happy to get going. The breakfast was charming with a cute well presented breakfast. The entire bill for the room, breakfast and dinner was 190 euros. That helped us keep our budget in check which was greatly needed after our expensive week in Provence!
We had a short day ahead of us with 35 km and only 260 meters of climbing. Our destination was Saint-Palais (pop. 2100) which was the only town where I could find accommodations, hence the short day. The weather was predicted to be perfect: low 60s, sunny and no chance of precipitation. Because of that we could take our time as we are not trying to beat any afternoon thunderstorms.
The ride was along two local bike trails and then some small country roads. At the beginning of the ride we rode through a lengthy tunnel. Clearly this was a former rail route converted to a bike trail. We saw some information about the bats that live in the tunnels.
After that we swung into the town of Salies-de-Béarn, which is a bath and casino resort town. It would have been a good place to stay. It looked like it had had some prior glory days with big fancy houses.
We continued along another bike greenway that included placards providing information on the local flora and fauna. A number of people were using it to walk or run. It was in the forest so was pleasantly cool.
As we rode it became clear we were in a new part of France, the Basque region, with its signature house design (red shutters) and it’s alphabet with lots of x’s and few vowels, a few berets, pelota athlete fields (see discussion below on pelota). We would quickly see the differences in food as well. Suddenly there appeared lots of peppers in the food, pipenade (Basque sauce that resembled a salsa) and different local wines.
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We arrived in Saint-Palais, a town of about 2100 just before 2 pm. My google research had suggested options for lunch were unlikely, but as we arrived we saw an open brasserie. Its kitchen closed at 2 pm but the waitress was willing to serve us lunch when we arrived at 1:55, and we settled happily outside to keep an eye on the bikes and enjoy the sunny weather. We split a poke bowl with chicken which sounded odd but was actually very good. There was no Asian flavor and it was just veg, salad fixings, rice and a freshly cooked piece of breaded chicken.
We then went down to a pharmacy that was open after their lunch break. Dave had taken a photo of the offending bites on my back but the very-concerned pharmacist insisted on a personal evaluation so I pulled my shirt up so she could inspect. Right away she asked if we had been on the Camino and where were we staying etc. She thought I had bedbugs……Yikes! I was totally freaked out.
So, if you ever read anything about walking the Camino with all the pilgrims sleeping every night in dorms and hostels, there is an ongoing discussion about the bedbug problem. And of course, if you travel a lot and stay in hotels, there is the same discussion. Check under your mattress, keep your clothes in the shower, don’t put your gear on the bed (etc). We don't do those things, except keeping our bags off the bed, and had never had a bedbug encounter. I guess there is a first time for everything.
When the pharmacist suggested this possibility, right away I thought it was that dumpy place we stayed in Toulouse. But then I remembered I had first felt the sting while sitting on the train on the way to Toulouse. The seven previous nights we had stayed in Gordes in a fancy villa? Bedbugs there? Really? In our 5* villa? We wondered then if they were in the seat on the train. Charming.
I could tell from the pharmacist’ sympathetic demeanor that she sees a zillion travelers with the same problem. Probably 90 percent of her practice is prescribing for bed bugs!
In any event the pharmacist sold us an antihistamine, cortisone cream and and antisceptic spray all for a mere 14 euros. I slunk out of there past a longish line of people waiting for help. I will add this to the long list of other minor humiliations I have suffered in European pharmacies over the years. Later of course, this development dominated our dinner conversation and I think the low-grade flu feelings I had were the result of a reaction I had. (I am already feeling better - except for the embarrassment….)
We checked into the Hotel de la Paix, which was the nicest place in a town without a lot of choices, a recurring theme as we delve deeper into rural France and Spain. Christina, who checked us in had actually read the message I had sent earlier, and promptly showed us where to park our bikes which was an empty conference room off the lobby. It was perfect, no stairs to negotiate and we could charge our batteries in place. She also acknowledged our request for a dinner reservation. Our room was plain but nice, with a good tub, no a/c but it was cool enough that Dave was okay. We were right over the town square with a little balcony. A very cute place.
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It was early enough that we took a stroll after cleaning up and found the town's pelota field - a Basque game that's a cross between handball and jai alai but it’s played outdoors against a wall. When we looked it up we learned the origins of the game started in the Basque region in the thirteenth century by priests who used a church wall to play and it evolved from there.
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Dinner was a “why we tour” dinner. The menu was suddenly different. I had a leek starter, Dave had fish soup and we split braised lamb ribs which was delicious. Most fun of all was discovering different local wines. The most famous wine from the Navarre is Irouléguay. The AOC is described as the smallest in France and the largest in the Basque region. The reds are typically a blend of tannat, a varietal grown primarily in southwest France but is also a principal grape of Uruguay, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We had a wonderful 2019 red from the Domaine Brana. For us the variations in the dining and food scenes is a part of why we love touring.
Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 582 km (361 miles)
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