Biarritz: Balancing Basque Headiness
A silver necklace of sand along the blue of the ocean, it does what it was always meant to do. Bask in the bright sunshine and unfold its myriad charms. There is a certain savoir foire in this town that begins where the Atlantic Ocean ends. To say that it’s a rather special place is to state the obvious, but it is special. Biarritz was made for holidays! It was the whales and not the elegant 19 th Century ladies who were the first sea-bathers here. A tiny fishing port in the Middle - Ages, it saw dramatic change with the new craze for sea bathing. The Empress Eugenie exalted the town, turning it into Europe’s most fashionable resort. Converging here were the crowned heads of the entire continent, to throw themselves into the waves and into an endless round of sophisticated soirees, romantic promenades and glittering balls. Following them were the stars of the arts and high society who played hard on the green grass of the golf courses and the green baize of the gam...