As my last excursion while in Europe, I went couchsurfing outside of a small city called Dax in southwestern France. I stayed with the most wonderful couple Sylvie and Stéphane at their home for three nights. First, on the long train ride there, I stopped in Toulouse for a few hours to walk around the city a bit. It was really beautiful and warm and it was of nice to see a new French city. Toulouse is known as the Ville Rose (Pink City) because all of the buildings are made out of a specific local stone that is a pink color.
A building in Toulouse under a bright blue sky
I got to Sylvie and Stéphane's house on Friday evening and we all ate dinner together. Sylvie had to work on Saturday, but Stéphane and I drove alone the coast of the Pays Basque in France starting with Bayonne, Biarritz, et St. Jean de Luc! It was soo so beautiful and I learned a lot about the culture of the region. The weather was also really nice and warm, and i tried a gâteau basque (cake from the basque area - so delicious by the way).
Bayonne, a very Pays-Basque city with red, green, and white buildings.
First sight of the ocean in 9 months and a beautiful one at that!!! Baby, it had been too long.
sooo beautiful, near Biarritz
Rocks at the Biarritz beach
Marina at St. Jean de Luz
The next day all three of us went to Capbreton, a coastal city with some very expensive homes, especially around a lake near the coast. It was a bit cloudy, but still really cool to see the coast and another beach.
Homes at the Capbreton coast
On Monday morning before my train left, Sylvie and I went into Dax and walked around for a while. It is a nice small city that is famous for healing hot springs and regional bull fighting. I had such a nice weekend with the two of them learning about the culture, seeing new things, and just talking in about whatever. They are both such kind people and I feel sooo lucky to have had my first couchsurfing experience with them! They also have 3 goats, which I thought were really adorable.
The bull statue in Dax, just outside the bull fighting ring
Stéphane, Sylvie, me, and 2 of their 3 goats right before I caught the train to Montpellier
I caught the train to Montpellier to meet Patricia and her boyfriend and a couple of his friends. I stayed there for two nights and spent a good amount of time at the beach. Honestly the beach was beautiful, but I think that I prefer the beach at Biarritz because of the sand a beautiful rocks everywhere. At Montpellier I actually had the opportunity to go swimming and just lay out on the beach for a few hours. At the end of the afternoon, we played a little bit of volleyball and then made dinner together at Patricia's boyfriend's place.
beautiful, clear blue water at the Montpellier beach
Perfect day at the beach on the Mediterranean
Overall, my trip to the south and the beaches was a perfect conclusion to my time in France. I couldn't have asked for a better week!
