Saint Jean Pied de Port has been watching pilgrims go to Santiago for more than 1,000 years. Some are getting nervous because one of the hardest and most complex stages of the entire French section of the Camino, los puertos de Cize, awaits them. You have nothing to fear because, although the town hides a few slopes, we’ll calmly show you the cobbled and medieval streets of Saint Jean, the Romanesque cathedral, the stone bridge over the River Nive and the 17th-century citadel.

The river Nive will lead us to our new destination: Bidarray, with its medieval church built of the pink stone characteristic of this area, rising up in the highest part of town and characterized by its portico. Why a porch? So that the faithful can meet for chats (before or after mass), covered and safe from the rain so frequent here (whence comes the lush green landscape…).

Espelette would be just one more adorable town in the south of France, with its cobbled streets and white houses with brightly colored picture windows, if it weren't for a distinguishing fact: in the 16th century, someone brought small peppers from South America and discovered that the climate of the area was ideal for their cultivation. Little by little, Espelette chilis were introduced into Basque-French cuisine, replacing other spices that had to be bought abroad, such as paprika and black pepper, and turning the town's balconies into makeshift drying rooms. Where shall we go? Very simple: to the restaurant where we’ll taste delicious French specialties, family-owned and operated for five generations (since the 17th-century!), and where we’ll discover why they bless the Espelette pepper.