On day 15, we traveled from Labouheyre to Dax and St. Paul de Dax. Last night, we went to bed early, which turned out to be a good idea. The small castle Arnuadin, named after a distant grandfather of the owner, who was apparently a world-famous photographer in France, was incredibly cozy, and each of us had a spacious room. However, the electricity was a problem as there was only one socket per bedroom for a nightlight, making it challenging to charge our devices without stumbling in the dark to find the old, 70-year-old round sockets in the walls.
Even though the castle had beautiful decorative lamps and lampshades everywhere, they were not functional and couldn't be plugged in, which felt a bit surreal. Downstairs, two sockets were used to charge our bikes, leaving few available for other purposes. Floky didn't even have access to a socket.
Labouheyre: plenty of space in Arnuadin castle with the beautiful castle
Nevertheless, the charm of the old castle, the immensely beautiful garden with the centuries-old Lebanese cedar and many other magnificent trees, and the kindness and hospitality of Gabriel made up for all the inconveniences. The owner, Richard, was also friendly but appeared to be always tipsy, which was forgiven.
We shared a bathroom and one toilet with four other rooms, but since no one else had booked, it wasn't an issue. Everything was clean and adorned with beautiful furniture and small trinkets, making us feel a bit like castle lords ourselves.
We had breakfast at 7:30 am, and everything was neatly prepared: two types of bread, jam, yogurt, butter, fruit juice, a whole melon cut into pieces, coffee, warm milk, sugar, and even some leftover cookies and Russian cigarettes were laid out on the table. However, there was no toaster as there were no available sockets. After breakfast, I had to pay, as Magda had found their contact information in a booklet from the French pilgrim organization Le Pélerin and made a phone reservation. They only accepted cash or old-fashioned French checks, which are mostly rejected even in France nowadays. Fortunately, there was a bank office just a 3-minute walk away, so it was easily resolved.
We were invited to make a voluntary contribution for the electricity used to charge the bikes. Since I didn't have anything smaller than a 10 euro note, as a gesture of thanks, I was invited to write something in the Livre d’Or (Golden Book) of Château Arnaudin for the next generations of pilgrims.
The Landes with the endless pinewoods and wood industry
At 9 am, we set off and made our first stop at the nearby Intermarché, which was open on Sunday, allowing us to buy lunch and extra drinks for the entire day. Fortunately, it was open because we couldn't find any other open shops that day, not even in Dax, except for a Tabac (newspaper and tobacco shop) where we bought an extra refreshing drink.
Later, we rode towards Dax along the D10e, a small road parallel to the highway, heading towards Lesperon and Taller. Throughout the day, we continued through the Landes region, which was monotonous with endless pine trees, but still had a cozy atmosphere due to the abundance of greenery and flowers. The road was quiet as most people had either left or arrived the day before.
Lesperon is known for its timber and pine resin, "la gemme," as you can see in the local Gemme Museum. The importance of the timber industry is evident from the heaps of felled pine trees and the beams ready to be used in the construction of new houses. The area is very touristy in the summer due to its proximity to the coast and is particularly beloved by cyclists and mountain bikers.
Floris went ahead, riding through the forests on his favourite sandy paths, while I continued on the asphalt. We agreed to meet and have lunch together in Taller, the next town on the Via Turonesis after Labouheyrie and Lesperon. Taller has a beautiful old fortified church with a heavy tower and shooting holes on three sides. The church is dedicated to St. Bartholomew, symbolized by a flaying knife. He was flayed as a form of torture and is often depicted holding his own skin. Taller is known for an important battle in the 10th century when a Gascon commander, from the region known as Gascogne, successfully defeated the Normans.
Taller: Bartholomeus church with glass-stained window with the Annunciation to Mary, the old lavoir
Inside the church, there is a beautiful 15th-century stained glass window depicting the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary message to Mary. Nearby, there's an old lavoir (washhouse) where women used to do the laundry together and gossip.
Floky arrives at our meeting point, and we have lunch together, enjoying the wraps we bought earlier. After lunch, we continue towards Dax, which is only 24 km away. We've made good progress in the morning as it was overcast and relatively cool. Now the sun comes out, and it gets warmer. We also pass through the pilgrim village of Gourbera but decide to keep riding until Dax, as it's getting too hot. Finally, we arrive at the apartment that Grandma rented, and the owner gives us the keys. There's a bike storage, which is excellent. We need to charge the bike batteries in our apartment, but it's spacious enough for us. I settle my belongings inside, and Floris takes a break while I cycle 5 km back to St. Paul de Dax to visit a unique church. I prefer going alone since Floris is already suffering from "kerkitis," even though he hasn't visited many churches yet.
The Romanesque apse of the church dedicated to Saint Paul the Hermit was built around 1120-1130. Later, a Gothic nave was added, and finally, the freestanding 14th or 15th-century tower on the west side was connected to create a relatively large church. The unique feature of the Romanesque choir is that all the decorations are on the outside of the choir. You can see beautiful capitals with monsters and plants, as well as biblical stories like the Last Supper and the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The large relief panels are especially remarkable and exquisitely beautiful.
St-Paul-de-Dax: St. Paul's church with Romanesque choir and decorations outside
The Romanesque apse of the church dedicated to Saint Paul the Hermit was built around 1120-1130. Later, a Gothic nave was added, and finally, the freestanding 14th or 15th-century tower on the west side was connected to create a relatively large church. The unique feature of the Romanesque choir is that all the decorations are on the outside of the choir. You can see beautiful capitals with monsters and plants, as well as biblical stories like the Last Supper and the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The large relief panels are especially remarkable and exquisitely beautiful.
St. Paul-de -Dax: St. Paul's church with reliefs and capitals on the outside of the building
On my way back, I pass by the large Notre-Dame Cathedral, mostly from the 17th century, in a classical style, as the earlier Gothic church collapsed. It's closed, but I'm not too bothered as I don't find it attractive. I simply ride around it and take a brief tour through the city to admire the Roman hot water fountain. Thanks to the Romans, Dax is a city of thermal baths where people come for their health, and it's covered by social security. The fountain, La fontaine chaude, on a square, is genuinely hot. There are also Roman ramparts and an arena. Dax is known for its bull runs, not bullfights, as no bulls are killed. Brave men must snatch ribbons from the bulls' horns to win a prize.
Dax: Notre Dame cathedral and Roman baths.
After spending two hours exploring, I feel tired and return to our apartment where Floris continues to chill. Together we go out to buy two pizzas for dinner since most places are closed on Sundays. I quickly do a laundry of underwear and socks and hope it will dry in time. Tomorrow, we'll continue our journey towards the Pyrenees. The pizzas are delicious, and we finish them entirely. Now, I'll send my blog text to Magda and the photos to Peter. My post is complete, and I'll go to sleep. Floky stays in touch with his friends at night, but he always wakes up on time and cycles around during the day.
Dax: Roman hot water fountain, monument for the bull runs and the Roman ramparts
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