Bridge in Biarritz 🇫🇷

Dearest Readers,

Robin and I had the privilege of spending 7 days in the coastal city of Biarritz last week, in southern France near the Spanish border. We flew from London's Gatwick Airport for a weeklong bridge tournament. Two of our US bridge partners traveled over to play with us on a team of four.

But instead of bridge stories, how about some photos of this lovely beach town! With the bridge games taking place only from 4:00 - 8:00 PM each day, we had plenty of time to explore, sample the food, and just enjoy being on the French coast for the week.

"Espace Bellevue" bridge site

Espace Bellevue from beach

Biarritz beach early morning

same beach not so empty!

charming building

watched thousands of runners

our Biarritz neighborhood

evening in Biarritz

church near the market

We loved the July weather: mostly in the low 70's and the ocean warm enough for swimming! I sipped coffee at a beachside cafe one morning, watching about 10,000 runners go by for an annual 15K road race. Another aspect that did not disappoint was the delicious food. Supposedly known for its cuisine reflecting the Basque region (part of both France and Spain), I personally enjoyed everything that was straight-up French, from the fries and crepes, to the sweetest market strawberries and pastries.

Fries always so good!

Excellent Basque cider

a hearty stew

sweetest berries

raspberry tart ooh-la-la!

plain crepe - Robin's fave!

can't go wrong with ice cream

As for the bridge playing: I have little experience with European tournaments, so I don't have much basis for comparison. It was bigger than any game we've attended in England, with around 100 tables in play. Our competitors were mostly French, but we met players from Spain and other European countries too. For the most part they were friendly, and their English was usually better than our French (!), so communication was no problem. I think however that to travel all that way and only play one session a day was, in the end, disappointing to our team. It was nice to have free time for beach-going, etc., but after the first few days, we got a little antsy to get to the card tables.

The hall where we played

My fellow bridge devotees can relate, can't you? Meanwhile, I'm happy to say Robin and I have diversified our interests this year and haven't spent TOO much time playing bridge!

But I look forward to the games back home, and to resuming my bridge teaching job in September. I already have plans to play at the North American Bridge Championships in Las Vegas in December. Meanwhile, for those interested in my Fall bridge classes, the schedule is ready! Click here for all the details.

I hope you are staying cool wherever you are! Here at our place in Somerton, Oxfordshire, it's sunny and mild, the laundry is wafting in the breeze outside, and we're resting up for our next adventure. Coming in August: Ireland!

♦️ ♣ ♥️ ♠