Bayonne, like the other towns we visited in southwestern France, is in the Basque Country.  Its history stretches back more than 2,000 years, so it is full of culture, beautiful architecture.

Built along the intersection of two rivers, it is located quite close to the Spanish border and has a population of more than 53,000 people.  My favorite part of its history is that it became the unofficial chocolate capital of France in the 17^th century.  Cacao beans were first brought home to Spain by the Spanish colonists upon their return from South America.  Since Bayonne was right next door, they got in on the action when Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition relocated in nearby Bayonne and started producing chocolate. Back then, there were 60 chocolatiers that all worked together to grow the industry, but each one had its own specialty

Currently there are about ten high-end chocolatiers in town, including Chocolat Cazenave, which has been making chocolate since 1854.  I enjoyed stopping in at a few of the chocolatiers to look at their beautiful creations but took a pass on purchasing their pricey masterpieces.

An interesting part of Bayonne’s history began in the 1930’s when the Basque people sought autonomy and started a separatist movement.  Although it culminated in a statute of autonomy in 1936, Spain’s dictator, Francisco Franco, abolished it when he came in power in 1939.  The struggle continued for another twenty years until a faction of the Basque’s National Party broke away and launched a campaign of terrorism against the Spanish central government, making Basque regionalism one of the most destabilizing forces in Spanish political life.

During our walking tour the morning following our arrival, we stopped by an ETA clubhouse and saw some of the political murals nearby, which were explained by Tom, our tour leader:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

The views of the colorful half-timbered buildings along the rivers were charming and quite photogenic, especially in the late afternoon sun:

More scenes from around Bayonne during our two days in town:

Coming up next: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #6: BEAUTIFUL BAYONNE