The Comet Line

Over the past several hundred years, the Basque people have been divided between north central Spain and southwestern France. As a result of the international border that divides them, they have become adept smugglers of both goods and people. During the time that Franco ruled Spain (1939-1975), for example, the Spanish Basques often smuggled animals across the border into France where they could obtain better prices, and brought back goods that simply could not be purchased in Spain. 

But, it was at the very beginning of the Franco period, during WWII, that the Basques were able to use their smuggling skills to great effect by helping allied pilots who had been shot down over Nazi-occupied Europe escape to Spain and ultimately return to England for further action. As you can imagine, a trained pilot was extremely valuable, and worth taking the risks involved in moving them through France and across the border. In addition, but to a lesser degree, a number of Jews were smuggled out of France into Spain with the ultimate stop being England.

The path that these people took was known as The Comet Line. For our tour of The Comet Line, we drove to a small village very near the French/Spanish border where we saw a number of safe houses that were used in the process of transferring people to relative safety in Spain. These safe houses were the end of the line of a number of safe spaces throughout France that were used to move pilots from where they were shot down to this point. From there, the final step was a 26 km (about 15.5 miles) trek over the mountains, across the Bidasoa River into Spain, and then to a safe house in Spain. This journey, which the pilots/smugglers had to complete overnight in darkness, we did part of on a beautiful October day.

As we hiked up into the hills on the French side, we encountered a number of beautiful horses, but could never figure out who they belonged to or where they came from. They mostly ignored us, although they would not let us approach too closely.

As we reached an early peak. we got to relive the first view of Spain that the pilots would see on their journey (of course, they would mostly see lights because it was dark). You can see the Bidasoa leading away from the ocean - everything on the other side of that is Spain. Unfortunately, this view came just a few miles into the trek and it was a long and dangerous way before the pilots and their Basque guides approached the river.

Slightly further along and higher up, our guide Georgina (kneeling), friend Carol and I take in a view back toward France:

Georgina is a real expert in the Comet Line and had a lot of great stories about the people involved on both sides of the border. One of my favorites was about two children who were involved, one in a safe house on the French side and another whose house was a safe destination in Spain. These two had never met until Georgina organized an introduction for them just a few years ago.

It was a beautiful (but windy) day as we walked, and when we reached the summit of the hike, we could see where the pilots and their guides would head down the mountain toward the river. Of course, what was not there was the Vichy French/Nazi patrols that had to be avoided as everyone moved as quietly as possible along the trail. In order to enhance the quiet, everyone wore traditional Basque espadrilles, which were quiet but also terribly uncomfortable and even painful over such a long distance. This type of cloth and rope shoes weren't made for this type of hiking.

Georgina drove us along the river and showed us some of the crossing points that were used depending on weather and patrols. Even there, pilots and guides still ran the risk of being caught. Once on the Spanish side of the river, the risk was reduced but not eliminated as Franco's national police, the Guardia Civil, patrolled the area.

Even though we walked far short of the total distance of The Comet Line, when we were done we treated ourselves to a celebratory drink in a small village, Biriatou, on the French side of the river, sitting outside and looking across to Spain:

Biriatou played a role in the story as well. The Nazis laid out the corpses of two men who drowned attempting to cross the Bidasoa as part of a smuggling operation as part of a threat to anyone who was collaborating with the resistance. The people of Biriatou, rather than be intimidated, decorated the two men's bodies with flowers as a sign of support for the resistance. 

We had a fascinating day learning about The Comet Line and the role the Basque people and their smuggling abilities played in this important part of WWII history.

Hasta luego,

Jeff and Shana

 

Lunch at Donamaria'ko Benta

When we planned our trip to Pyrenean Experience, in addition to relaxing and enjoying our time hiking through the villages and hills around Georgina's house, we also planned two outings. The second, which we will talk about in a later post, was to tour the Comet Line, the smuggling route through which allied WWII pilots (mostly British) were brought from Nazi-controlled France into Spain so that they could return to England (through Lisbon and, more frequently, Gibralter). But first, as our loyal readers will appreciate, we had lunch at a local restaurant, Donamaria'ko Benta.

Donamaria'ko Benta is no normal restaurant. Despite being on the edge of the tiny town of Donamaria (population 433 (yes, seriously)), the restaurant has declined a Michelin star due to not wanting all the responsibilities and hassles that come with the designation. Donamaria'ko Benta is, like so many businesses in our area, a family-run business that is now being managed by the daughters of the founders.

But, before we even got to the restaurant, we knew this would not be a normal lunch because we hiked to the restaurant from the largest town in the area, Santesteban (population 1,726), through the countryside filled with both beautiful scenery and animals of many sorts, including these curious cows who came to say hello:

And, a black-headed sheep:

In addition, although we somehow failed to take a picture, a local dog adopted us about a half mile from the restaurant and led/followed us there before disappearing to head home (we hope).

Lunch itself was, not surprisingly, fantastic. Five seasonally-based courses, including a bottle of wine matched with each course except dessert. Unfortunately, given the amount of wine we were consuming (Georgina and Carol did not pull their weight in this regard), we only have decent pictures of two of the courses: a lovely smoked-cod dish, and a pasta that included some foie gras because, well, it's Spain.

The following two dishes were both seasonal: wild boar and pigeon (squab). We knew it was pigeon-season because we heard the sound of hunters' gunshots echoing around the valley all week, and we even saw a hunter out with one of his dogs during a hike (no pigeons though). The food was fantastic, and we tried some very good, and unique Navarren wines (one of the great things about Spain, much like France and Italy, there are good wines made in many parts of the country). Finally, of course, there was dessert, although by then I am not sure that we were fully tasting the food and, fortunately, there was no additional bottle of wine with dessert.

After lunch, a slightly tipsy Shana made a new friend in the field next to the restaurant:

Finally, we finished our culinary experience by walking from the restaurant, which was in the valley south of Georgina's house, back up to the house itself, where we relaxed and went to bed early, there being no need for any further food that day. The hiking to and from lunch totaled nearly 8 miles -- so we earned every bit of that amazing lunch!

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana

A Week in the Pyrenees

We had the good fortune of spending the week of October 18 in the Pyrenees high on a mountain that has more sheep than people. It was a terrific way to get away from it all. You might ask, how did this come about amid the pandemic? Well, it is a good lesson in taking advantage of unexpected opportunities.

A week or so before, Carol, a friend of mine from yoga, mentioned she was spending the weekend at her friend’s mountain place and we might like it. She sent me the link to Pyrenean Experience, and I thought it looked terrific. So, I asked her to find out if there was any availability in early November. She replied that there was availability in mid-October – which was less than a week away! It turned out that a couple from the UK had just cancelled due to the UK quarantine requirements. After all the cancelled travel plans this year, we enthusiastically said “yes, we’ll do it!” And Carol even agreed to come along too.

So that’s how we ended up driving with Carol the hour or so ride to Ameztia, a small mountain in Navarre (in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees), and spending a week with Georgina (the owner) at her fabulous mountain hideaway, just as the territory was showing off its fabulous fall colors. Here is the view from the dining room – with the morning fog and without:

There is a guest house with 5 bedrooms (each with a bathroom), a dining room, kitchen, library and sitting room. And we had it all to ourselves! (The owner has a separate house on the property.) Georgina has mapped out more than a dozen, mostly circular, walking routes from the guest house that allow guests to explore the mountain, along with the various little towns in the valleys on either side. In addition, there are various cultural, culinary, historical, and language activities to enhance the experience. We elected to visit a local restaurant that has rejected a Michelin star and to visit and walk part of the Comet Line – the smuggling routes used during WWII to transport Allied pilots out of Nazi territory to safety (blog posts on each to come).

While we consider ourselves to be “city mice,” spending time learning to be “country mice” is never a bad thing. We spent the first full day hiking with Georgina to get the lay of the land, learning to use her topographical hiking maps, and seeing what the mountain had to offer:

Food and wine were included. Each morning we put together our own breakfast, lunch depended on the day’s plans, and dinner was a group affair. We disconnected from the news, went to bed early (not much to do once it gets dark on a mountain top), slept in, and slept well because it was so dark and quiet.

It was an incredibly relaxing week, the scenery was amazing, and we learned a lot about the local Basque culture as well. Of course, the week went by too quickly and we were sorry to leave. More posts and photos coming soon!

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff