Day 6 - Biarritz


It's time to leave Lourdes but before we do, we go and take a look at the Grotte that this place was built on (and the grot that it makes its money on). The grotto itself is open 24/7 and is free, as is the water you can take home in Virgin Mary shaped plastic bottles, and should you wish, the baths that will wash away your sins and ailments. 

 Given that this place has only been going 150 years, and that the church only ratified the miracle in 1933, it's amazing at how classic the basilica and all the surrounding buildings look. The grotto itself is only unusual for the crowds  around it and the queue to visit it. The stone walls on the way in have been worn smooth by people passing by and touching them. An entire city built on the vision of a malnourished 14 year old... No wonder its so tacky.

 Anyway, after breakfast, we're off to Biarritz in cloudless clear skies. The roads are stunning and although we get lost a couple of times and end up with an impromptu lunch at a hotel that was initially shut, we arrive in Biarritz in good time to go down to the beach for a chance to watch the world go by. Then off for a fab seafood dinner on the harbour wall right at the edge of the ocean, a couple of bottles of rosé and it's off to bed.

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