A pre-wedding weekend AU PAYS BASQUE.
A pre-wedding weekend AU PAYS BASQUE.
Eating lemon-y sardines in San Sebastián and inviting exactly one French dog to our upcoming wedding. Also: what was on the menu at the chic, vintage NYC restaurant, La Côte Basque.
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My Substack writings can be pretty word-heavy because I have trouble condensing my excitement (and I am not mysterious at all).
writes these quick-form posts from time to time that show timestamps as she’s whisking us off on a little trip around her days living in Milan. I spent a spirited weekend in the Basque Country very recently that reminded me of the excitable speed of Jenny, so, I’m doing a little bit of copying!(I hate copying, so I am trying not to cringe at myself here!!!)
Saturday, 10:53am - Driving through the Pyrenees under a slight rain in our Saab 900, admiring how lush everything is this time of year, and how prehistoric the mountain shapes look.
11:05am - Arriving in idyllic-as-ever Aspet, a little earlier than expected. We can only blame the fun of the turbo engine. We’re here to create a marriage contract with our very cool notary man. Oh, the romance—deciding how to split/share our assets! I suddenly feel like I hit a new level of grown-up.
11:06am - My usual mini-hobby of admiring shutters and shutter stops. We stop by the farmer’s market to eat some very green soup under a tree. It’s still drizzling rain, but in a charming Saturday-morning-in-the-south-of-France way.
11:25am - We were beware-ing of the…dogs.
11:30am - Our notary makes a joke about eating the cat we spotted through the window. I unfortunately understand more French than I wish to in this moment, so I am slightly horrified.
12:04pm - Walking to our favorite lunch spot in Aspet and distracted by every gate, door, window, etc.
12:11pm - Buying flowers for Jb’s mom before heading into the restaurant.
We eat a massive and delicious lunch. Unfortunately I take no photos of it because it is devoured way too quickly! And then, we’re off to finish the remaining 1.5 hour drive to the Basque coast.
3:00pm - Picking up Jb’s wedding ring in Saint-Jean-de-Luz with his parents.
4:06pm - We drive to a pastry shop that we love because it was 4pm, which is the *hour of the snack* in France. Our car twin follows us into the parking lot (ours is on the left), which gives everyone involved some huge smiles! We buy mini chocolate Gateau Basque, which are smaller than the size of my palm, but much mightier in the happiness they bring.
4:11pm - The winding, coastal drive to his parents house. Thinking about how beautiful the sun is and how WE ARE GETTING MARRIED HERE in a few weeks?!!?!?
We spend the rest of the afternoon/night eating (the little Basque cakes) and talking at his family’s house.
***
Sunday, 12:02pm - Visiting a town square to watch Jb’s mom practice Basque dances with her dance group and other people who live in this village. Some of her friends are surprised when I open my mouth and French comes out. “Oh, tu parles français !” Oui, hey, I am still surprised when that happens too!
12:48pm - He and I sneak over to San Sebastián for lunch and exploring. I constantly hear the city’s name thrown around, so I feel in disbelief that it took me this long to visit. Instantly, I am making comparisons to Barcelona and Paris. I didn’t expect the city to be so grand, and also to have the most stunning nature and architecture in such close proximity to each other. I am still trying to think of a more beautiful place than here, but nowhere is coming to mind. Just, wow!!!! I wish photographs captured it well.
1:11pm - Still freaking out about the scale and beauty of everything.
1:16pm - Internally screaming, “I love old buildings, and I love boats!!!”
2:02pm - Eating a massive plate of lemoned sardines and some Basque cheese after. My heaven. Attempting to take a photo of my 80(?)-year-old style icon at the table next to me, but instead I only capture fish bones. I guess this is one of the rare times when I photograph my meal.
Okay wait, Jb is sneaky and got her and her faintly rose-toned hair. I wish you could see her embellished trench and the metallic of her angular heels! The man she is with is wonderful too, but she’s the star of today’s show.
2:30pm - Walking through the historic, narrow streets. Everyone is abundantly happy.
2:39pm - Paying a quick visit to the San Telmo Museoa’s gift shop. I am happy to be here because I just completed a licensing project at work with them. The world feels impossibly small for a moment—in a comforting way—since most of the people I love are on the opposite side of it.
2:50pm - Hiking up the ultra-steep mountain just behind the city, while saying “what the heck” and “holy moly” probably one million times each.
4:52pm - We start heading back to France and stop by a seaport town that Jb adores, Pasaia. I am randomly incredibly nauseous, so I’m a little wilted while walking through the tiny cobblestone passageways. Honestly, I am too busy trying to think of where I’d throw up if my body decided it was my time to do so, but my only logical answer is “nowhere” because everything is too pretty. We stop in a little antique store and buy some vintage postcards, a couple of Basque choir records, and a Basque tablecloth/napkin set. 30 euro for it all! This would have been around $250 minimum if this were LA. Suddenly, this makes me feel less nauseous.
5:08pm - Hoping that the final cure to stomach sickness is ice cream. Weirdly, it is.
5:26pm - We arrive at the petite chapel where we’re getting married, to meet with our priest and do a practice run of the ceremony. I desperately need this meeting because I still have almost no clue what to do with my body and language skills during this important life event.
6:30pm - I feel way more reassured now.
7:09pm - A sneaky quick visit with our post-church restaurant, since it’s next door.
7:39pm - Eating some spicy olives with the company of the only dog who is invited to our wedding, Riva!!!
Monday, 8:34am - Dropping off our marriage paperwork in the town hall and touring the room where we’ll legally be married (France has two ceremonies). It’s happening, it’s real!
Lastly, we’re speedily heading back to Toulouse so that I can get back to a very busy season of work. We feel full of Basque cake and ice cream, but also lots of hope for our present and future. Thanks for letting me gush. ❥
Related Notes:
The National Geographic on “How the Basques became an autonomous community within Spain”—and France!
The vintage NYC restaurant, La Côte Basque, is perhaps the reason why so many Americans seem to know the Basque Country by name? Vogue called it “the Ultimate See-and-Be-Seen Restaurant for New York City’s Ladies Who Lunched.” A great coincidence is that the restaurant’s founder/chef, Jean-Jacques Rachou, was born in Toulouse, the city I live in.
Peter McGuire’s writing on La Côte Basque detailed that “every meal was a ceremony and a celebration.” He continued, “Rachou’s attention to detail was unmatched. He spent thousands each week on beautiful cut flowers, used only the finest linen, and his dining room staff was the best in New York City. The ingredients that we used were the finest that your hands could touch.” My favorite scene to imagine: “Toward the end of our dinner, Jean-Jacques emerged from the kitchen. With his trademark pencil mustache, custom-tailored blazer, and shirt, he cut a very dashing figure. After he kissed the women’s hands, he shook mine.”
Somebody from Substack sent me a note asking for northern France travel tips for an upcoming trip with her mom. I somehow lost track of the email, and can’t find the lovely sender! If this is you, can you reach out to me again, please?
xx
With lots and lots of muxu (kisses, bisous, etc.),
Kelsey Rose
My friend Katie is stealthy and noticed that my Spanish Style Icon is wearing shoes that were made by the nephew of Rem Koolhaas. So this woman just gained a thousand more style points. https://unitednude.eu/products/rockit-run-ss24
I love love love San Sebastián and want to go back! Those old restaurant menus are endlessly fascinating to me. Like little typographical and cultural works of art onto themselves. And big congratulations!!