1936 On the Continent

from the other provinces of Southern France.
    The whole length of the Basque coast is just a succession of smart resorts, full of society people from France and Spain. From Bayonne to the Spanish frontier the coast road runs along a whole series of magnificent estates, hotels, beaches, sport or pleasure grounds. In the first place, there is Bayonne itself, rather a big town of 30,000 inhabitants, the main attraction of which is the busy little port whence in the old days the sailors used to set out whale-hunting. Then Biarritz, the most famous of the Basque resorts, which stands in the same rank as Deauville or Cannes for smartness and popularity. The town has several casinos and a mass of hotels of every class. The most elegant part of the town is to the right of the Rochers de la Vierge, along the immense beach. Just before you come to these rocks you should turn in at the fascinating Musée de la Mer, which has been recently reconstructed and contains an aquarium full of the strangest and most exotic fishes. Among the welter of good hotels you couldn’t do better than to stay at the Hotel Biarritz Salins-Thermes, Avenue de la Marne, behind the big casino. The prices are moderate, and you will find the rooms extremely comfortable, even luxurious, and the cooking excellent.
The Basque Country
    You should make the excursion from Biarritz to the Spanish frontier either by car or by the picturesque little tramway which runs along the coast road. The trip will take you through Saint-Jean de Luz, which in my opinion is the most pleasant of all the Basque resorts. At the Grille Basque you will think yourself suddenly transported into some strange land, when they serve you their Basque-Spanish dishes.
    But if you really want to feel the profound charm of the country, you must go inland and stay a while among the little white peculiarly shaped houses, scattered over the green hills planted with apple trees. But perhaps you have not got the time to stay in one of the small Basque villages? In that case you must at least make an excursion eitherby car or by the auto-cars that leave Biarritz every day, up the Nive valley, through Ustaritz, Cambox, and Saint-Jean Pied de Port, right across the whole country into Bearn, or through Mauléon and Oloron, two lovely little sunny towns with steep winding streets, to Pau.
    Pau, the former capital of Bearn and in the old days the residence of Henry IV, who lived in the beautiful château dominating the town, has rather gone out of fashion in recent years. But many visitors still come to it, either to see the château or attracted by its mild and sunny climate. There is a wonderful view of the mountain ranges from the Boulevard des Pyrénées. The clear waters of the “Gave,” at the bottom of the town, are full of fine trout, and with the “garbure,” a kind of cabbage soup, these trout form the gastronomic speciality of the region.
    The best hotel to stay at is the Hôtel Beaumont, 5 Place Royale, and although the cooking is good, I should advise you to take your meals at the Restaurant Café Royal, a few steps away.

LA CHAMPAGNE
    The Champagne district of France has attracted many English visitors since the War, and although the majority originally came for sentimental reasons, they “discovered” the Champagne in the process. Nowadays Rheims, the chief city of the region, is not the only place foreign tourists include in their itineraries when travelling in this part of France, which is not to say that Rheims in itself is not a worthy goal. On the contrary, its world-famous cathedral is still one of the most notable sights of its kind in the country, despite its “war wounds,” while its wine cellars also deserve a visit.
    However, as far as wine cellars are concerned Epernay has the avdantage over Rheims, in that it contains the cellars of the world-famous Mercier brand of champagne. These cellars constitute a veritable underground city, entirely hewn into the rocks. If you can spare the time when in Epernay, communicate with the proprietors, Maison Champagne Mercier, 75 Avenue de Champagne, who will be pleased to let you see this noteworthy sight at any time, both on weekdays and Sundays or holidays.
    The Mercier cellars are perhaps the only new thing the writer can tell you about the Champagne, for nowadays, largely owing to the “publicity” given it by the War, the region is very well known. You have no doubt heard of the wonderful vineyards stretching for miles in