Things have been hectic here in the Pays Basque this month. We were away at Lake Annecy for the first week (still haven't had time to download the photos) and then with only a day or two's break, we were honoured to host three generations of an American family who had come all the way from Columbus, Ga, on a sentimental journey. I'll explain later.. First though, to the pale green waters of Lake Annecy. Having deposited Nutty at the kennel (he's not to be trusted in company at the moment) we set off, aiming to break the journey at this hotel near Le Mont-Dore, about 6,000 feet up in the Auvergne. It was here that we made the mistake of ordering truffade.. a heavy cheesy potato dish (here's the description) If you'd spent the day digging ditches, or were planning on doing so - then this would provide the ideal way of replacing those lost calories. As it was, we both felt as if we'd been depth-charged and we lurched off to our room, both riding very low in the water for a disturbed night's sleep.
The next day we headed east for Annecy. This involved a circumnavigation of Lyon - and it was here that I discovered (the hard way) that it might have been a good idea to update the car's GPS software prior to leaving home - as we found ourselves adrift on roads that, according to the GPS, didn't exist!
Wondering how Nutty is? He's taken to stationing himself by open windows to survey 'his' territory.. This was him (above) yesterday evening..
The "Rocade"
All too soon it was time to head back to the south west. We had initially planned on doing the return journey in one go - but as Nutty's kennel closed at 6.30pm, it was too much of a gamble to plan on a trouble-free and speedy passage around the Rocade - Bordeaux's notorious ring road that frequently has mammoth tailbacks.
So it was that we decided to give ourselves a treat on the way home by having a stop-over at a Logis Hotel at Perrier, in the Auvergne (It was called la Cour Carrée). The owners had converted an old farm with a courtyard into a small "Designer" hotel with 3 bedrooms. Wherever we looked, there was evidence that someone with excellent taste and a keen eye for design had been at work. It was run by a couple - and the cooking was wonderful..(step through the photos here) If you ever find yourself south of Clermont-Ferrand and in need of a great place to stay, look no further.
Long-suffering readers of this blog might recall that I'm involved with an association concerned with commemorating a WWII evasion network (the Comet Line) set up to repatriate Allied airmen shot-down in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. They were taken in charge, housed, fed, clothed, issued with false papers and guided down to the Pays Basque from where they would be led over the Pyrenees to freedom. Some 288 Allied airmen (and others) passed through the Pays Basque and only two lost their lives while in Comet's care. On the night of 23rd December 1943, a 10-strong group of guides and evaders (four of whom were B-17 Flying Fortress aircrew) attempted to cross the river Bidassoa, the river that separates France from Spain. Due to a number of cumulative factors, 2nd Lt James F Burch, USAAF, and Count Antoine d'Ursel (former head of Comet in Belgium) were carried away by the strong current and were assumed drowned. We erected a memorial on the riverside to Jim Burch 2 years ago.
2nd Lt Lloyd Albert Stanford, USAAF
One evader who did manage to make a successful crossing of the river that night was 2nd Lt Lloyd Albert Stanford, USAAF (right). Prior to the inauguration of the riverside memorial, I spent hours in a nugatory search for his descendants in the hope that they might be able to attend the ceremony. Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue a few months ago, I was contacted by Martha, his daughter, 75 years after the events of that tragic night and after exchanging a few emails, I was delighted to hear that she, plus three generations of family members (10 in total), were planning to travel from Columbus, Georgia all the way to the Pays Basque to see first hand where her father had walked. (And, in the ultimate irony, she told me that she had been in France on holiday when we had the inauguration ceremony in April 2016!).
The Memorial site
We in the association put a programme together that would show the family as much as we could of the father's passage through the Pays Basque in the time available. Unfortunately, we hadn't counted on Mother Nature! (more of which later)
Mr Michel Hiriart, Mayor of Biriatou
We met the Mayor of Biriatou at the Town Hall, after which we drove along a narrow circuitous track to the well-hidden memorial site (left) - where we had a very moving ceremony of remembrance. There is something about this location that speaks to me and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner" and the "Marseillaise" there brought the goose bumps out in spades - I don't think I was the only one either!.
The plan for the following two days was that we would walk over the same route across the mountains that the evaders had taken that fateful night and on the following day we would show them the inland route that was developed in 1943 following a wave of arrests. Enter Mother Nature.. for those 2 days we had rain in all its guises - from light showers through straight-forward downpours to monsoon-like conditions. Plan B was quickly dusted off and away we went. Despite the wet weather, I think Martha and her family went away having seen as much as the conditions allowed. We had hoped to have them take part in a river crossing but it was raging in full spate with standing waves and a strong current and so it was not to be.
It was a wonderful few days, full of laughter, emotion, songs and memories and a reminder, if one was needed, of the strong ties that unite our countries.
As they say in Scotland - haste ye back!
