Bayonne

After our weekend in Toulouse, we continued on to see our friends near Bayonne and Biarritz, since we were "in the area" (read: only 3 hours away instead of 11). 

I wasn't familiar with the Aquitaine region at all, but I loved it, especially the houses.

Many houses have names rather than street numbers:

We stayed in the "Gernika" (the Basque spelling) house where our friends live.

And admired the other houses in town:

When we went out walking, we came across some pottoks, or Basque ponies.

And then we found the kids' favorite part of town... the playground, of course.

In the afternoon, we went to Spain to do some shopping.

And thanks to our contrary GPS, we also visited the French town of Espelette, known for its hot peppers (which aren't all that hot, though the French think they are).