Jaizkibel

Our good friends Nicole & Daniel live in Anglet near Biarritz and on our route back into France, so we couldn't resist a stop-over and a catch-up.

First day there, what do we do? Why, head back over the Spanish border of course!

Our first view: very pastoral with tan-coloured cows...

...and punky sheep!

Once again the coast was very rugged. Here the birds enjoying a bath in fresh water from the stream.

My trusty companions, Tine,

Nicole

and Daniel

We found a picnic spot perched above this inlet

I wonder how long it will take for the sea to destroy this knife-edge

Further along, amazing weathering in the rocks...

...and Superman, of course!

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

Another off-the-beaten-track destination (merci, Nicole) and our final port of call in Spain was San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

It's an islet linked to the mainland by a man-made causeway

These were our first views, and you can imagine our reaction!

The coast is particularly rugged in this area...

...and you can only marvel at the difficulties in constructing the bridge.

It's a long way up...

...but with resting points at the stations of the cross.

Our goal:

the church dedicated to Jean the Baptist.

It's quite a dizzying sight looking down...

...but we survived!

Around San Vicente de la Barquera

We woke up to a much brighter day and took the opportunity to explore the coast around San Vicente.

That's the town in the background...

...the mountains not far behind.

The weather was glorious and we could imagine the beaches far busier in full summer 

Further to the east the turquoise waters at Arroyo del Capitan 

More turquoise rias to the west too

A real paradise!

Les Machines de l'Île

We don't really go to Nantes very often these days but last year Vics & Ste visited les Machines de l'Ile and said how much they enjoyed it. So, when Kate & Silv said they fancied going, who was I to disagree?!

It's all a bit Leonardo da Vinci meets Jules Verne: fantastic mechanical creatures in an industrial setting.

First off, the spider...

...with fully articulated movement.

Next, the caterpillar

A heron...

...and an ant

A magnificent man in a flying machine...

...complete with fake snow.

A happy trio of sisters-in-law

The star of the show: the Grand Elephant, 12m high and 8m wide

Take care if you're in firing range

Finally an old-fashioned merry-go-round...

...but this time with creatures from the deep.