Europe: Pays Basque (resolution)

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NOTE: This is part of an ongoing series of articles concerning my Europe trip. See below for links to the previous articles:

Overview

Barcelona

More Barcelona

Zaragoza: Part 1

Zaragoza: Part 2 (Tapas!)

Zaragoza: Videos

San Sebastian (Pinxtos)

Pays Basque: Part 1
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The next morning, we woke up and toured around the small village of Hendaye, where JM and Sylvie live. It was a kind of gloomy, drizzly day, so we stayed close to home, and thus, no pictures. For lunch though Sylvie whipped up some "simple" potatoes and steak. Yeah. Amazing.

Cripsy, golden potatoes. Perfectly rare steak tenderloin, finished with a pan sauce. Mmmm-mmm good.

As you can see, this dish was quite clearly the most amazing lunch of steak and potatoes anywhere.

The previous day I had snagged some of the most delicious macroons from Biarrtiz. Sylvie mentioned they were good, and she was not kidding. They were completely different from the macaroons I have had as a Jew during passover, during which time we can't have leavened goods. The main difference was that these were good.

In the afternoon, JM and Sylvie drove us to the beautiful town of Bayonne, which is renowned for its wonderful architecture.

We browsed the loggia of the cathedral, meandering along pleasantly, tranquilized by our delicious lunch. It was a very tranquil visit.

I stopped at a chocolate shop for a hazelnut rocher- delicious. Very decadent, and much larger than it appears in the picture.

We stopped for some delicious hot chocolate, as the day was getting colder.

On the way out of town, I bought some roasted chestnuts. They were roasted made in front of my eyes. How could I resist!? We drove back tired, but deeply happy from a very peaceful and enjoyable day.

Back on the homestead, Sylvie whipped up some bread with pate, as my friend Kyle mentioned he had never had any.

Our main course was some delicious shrimp in the shell, very lightly flambeed with pastis. Probably one of the best new unique flavors on the trip was this dish. The shrimp was perfect, and the anise/licoricey flavor of the pastis was the perfect accompaniment.

For desert, Sylvie trotted out a fun assortment of French puddings. Amazing.

Here is the final state of the cheese tray:

Our stay in Pays Basque was unforgettable. I will never forget the beautiful towns I viewed, the incredible food I sampled or the un-paralleled hospitality Jean Michelle and Sylvie showed us. It was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.