Marché de Pau
1866
What I like best about traveling is taking that
unplanned turn and discovering all the secrets that await on the
unknown road. My husband and I were driving from the Périgord area to
Dax (just north of Biarritz) to visit a friend, when we spotted a small
sign reading Pau. What a funny name, we thought, so on a whim we
decided to check it out as it really wasn’t that far out of our way. Pau
is located in the southern most département of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Situated high on the banks of the Gave de Pau
River, near the Pyrénées, it has a beautiful panoramic view of the
mountains. The British discovered Pau in the early 19th century, and
many of their customs linger to this day (fox hunting and afternoon tea
are two examples). A stroller’s paradise, Pau has many attractive
flowered squares with fountains and palm trees. Once the capital of the
Béarn region, the land of the kings of Navarre, Pau is now the most
cosmopolitan city in the western Pyrénées-Atlantique region. As
luck would have it, we arrived on a market day! Ahh…I just love French
markets–the colors and smells are so alive. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have much time to dawdle, so I took lots of photos for studio
paintings. Moving on, we discovered the pedestrian streets of rue
Serviez and rue des Cordelières, with a wonderful array of boutiques
and Basque antiques. Pau is home to some of the best antique shops in
the region, and the area around the château is well known as the
“antique center” of town. Every Saturday, Sunday and Monday you will
find a huge antique/flea market on the place du Forail, very near to
the château. One of the best known shops in Pau is La Féerie Gourmande
at, located at 48 rue du Maréchal Joffre. Owner M. Miot has been voted
“Best Jam Maker in France” as well as “Best Candy Maker in France”….
now this was my kind of shop! The
old quarter has lovely architecture and winding little streets. The
Boulevard des Pyrénées houses many cafés and restaurants, most of which
offer spectacular views of the mountains. Even if you’re just passing
through, as we were, you must go along Boulevard des Pyrénées, erected
on Napoleon’s orders, for the panoramic view. But we were also
impressed by the château. The
Renaissance-style Château de Pau sits at the western edge of town.
Dating from the 12th century, it was home to the bold Marguerite de
Navarre, and Louis IX ordered the bridge that connects the château to
the town; the great tower is the Tour de Gaston Phoebus, built in the
14th century. The château houses many historical souvenirs, including a
crib made of a single tortoise shell for Henri IV, who was born there.
There is also the National Museum of Pau, which features an exceptional
collection of tapestries from the 16th to the 18th centuries. If you
visit the château make sure that you see the grand staircase hall that
was commissioned by Marguerite and the() Salle aux 100 Couverts, which
was the site of enormous parties that were held in its heyday. Another
must-see in Pau is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, on rue Mathieu-Lalanne. It
houses an excellent display of European paintings, including Degas, El
Greco, Boudin and sketches by Ruben. During
May there is the Grand Prix de Pau, in which racecars compete for speed
records, similar to, but on a much smaller scale than, the Grand Prix
in Monaco. And from mid-June to mid-July the town hosts the Festival de
Pau, featuring frequent theatrical, dance and music performances all
over town as well as in the château. But
it was getting late. My friend Hugette (in Dax) was expecting us for
dinner so we had to leave. We really only had a chance to “wet our
whistle” when it came to exploring Pau. But it had been a nice break to
wander in a town that boasts 80 square meters of garden per inhabitant
(a national record). This is one town I definitely want to re-visit
when we have a few days to devote to a proper exploration. — As
a young girl, all Debbie ever wanted to do was go to Paris; she
thinks perhaps the movie “GiGi” might have had something to do with it.
Her art has won many awards and been accepted into many juried
shows and competitions. She’s completed two pastel series, “The Gardens
of Paris” and “The Flower Markets of France” (12 pieces in each
series). She is contemplating an upcoming series, perhaps about the
gardens at Versailles.
- SUBSCRIBE
- ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?
BECOME A BONJOUR PARIS MEMBER
Gain full access to our collection of over 5,000 articles and bring the City of Light into your life. Just 60 USD per year.
Find out why you should become a member here.
Sign in
Fill in your credentials below.
What I like best about traveling is taking that
unplanned turn and discovering all the secrets that await on the
unknown road. My husband and I were driving from the Périgord area to
Dax (just north of Biarritz) to visit a friend, when we spotted a small
sign reading Pau. What a funny name, we thought, so on a whim we
decided to check it out as it really wasn’t that far out of our way.
unplanned turn and discovering all the secrets that await on the
unknown road. My husband and I were driving from the Périgord area to
Dax (just north of Biarritz) to visit a friend, when we spotted a small
sign reading Pau. What a funny name, we thought, so on a whim we
decided to check it out as it really wasn’t that far out of our way.
Pau
is located in the southern most département of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Situated high on the banks of the Gave de Pau
River, near the Pyrénées, it has a beautiful panoramic view of the
mountains. The British discovered Pau in the early 19th century, and
many of their customs linger to this day (fox hunting and afternoon tea
are two examples). A stroller’s paradise, Pau has many attractive
flowered squares with fountains and palm trees. Once the capital of the
Béarn region, the land of the kings of Navarre, Pau is now the most
cosmopolitan city in the western Pyrénées-Atlantique region.
is located in the southern most département of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Situated high on the banks of the Gave de Pau
River, near the Pyrénées, it has a beautiful panoramic view of the
mountains. The British discovered Pau in the early 19th century, and
many of their customs linger to this day (fox hunting and afternoon tea
are two examples). A stroller’s paradise, Pau has many attractive
flowered squares with fountains and palm trees. Once the capital of the
Béarn region, the land of the kings of Navarre, Pau is now the most
cosmopolitan city in the western Pyrénées-Atlantique region.
As
luck would have it, we arrived on a market day! Ahh…I just love French
markets–the colors and smells are so alive. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have much time to dawdle, so I took lots of photos for studio
paintings. Moving on, we discovered the pedestrian streets of rue
Serviez and rue des Cordelières, with a wonderful array of boutiques
and Basque antiques. Pau is home to some of the best antique shops in
the region, and the area around the château is well known as the
“antique center” of town. Every Saturday, Sunday and Monday you will
find a huge antique/flea market on the place du Forail, very near to
the château. One of the best known shops in Pau is La Féerie Gourmande
at, located at 48 rue du Maréchal Joffre. Owner M. Miot has been voted
“Best Jam Maker in France” as well as “Best Candy Maker in France”….
now this was my kind of shop!
luck would have it, we arrived on a market day! Ahh…I just love French
markets–the colors and smells are so alive. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have much time to dawdle, so I took lots of photos for studio
paintings. Moving on, we discovered the pedestrian streets of rue
Serviez and rue des Cordelières, with a wonderful array of boutiques
and Basque antiques. Pau is home to some of the best antique shops in
the region, and the area around the château is well known as the
“antique center” of town. Every Saturday, Sunday and Monday you will
find a huge antique/flea market on the place du Forail, very near to
the château. One of the best known shops in Pau is La Féerie Gourmande
at, located at 48 rue du Maréchal Joffre. Owner M. Miot has been voted
“Best Jam Maker in France” as well as “Best Candy Maker in France”….
now this was my kind of shop!
The
old quarter has lovely architecture and winding little streets. The
Boulevard des Pyrénées houses many cafés and restaurants, most of which
offer spectacular views of the mountains. Even if you’re just passing
through, as we were, you must go along Boulevard des Pyrénées, erected
on Napoleon’s orders, for the panoramic view. But we were also
impressed by the château.
old quarter has lovely architecture and winding little streets. The
Boulevard des Pyrénées houses many cafés and restaurants, most of which
offer spectacular views of the mountains. Even if you’re just passing
through, as we were, you must go along Boulevard des Pyrénées, erected
on Napoleon’s orders, for the panoramic view. But we were also
impressed by the château.
The
Renaissance-style Château de Pau sits at the western edge of town.
Dating from the 12th century, it was home to the bold Marguerite de
Navarre, and Louis IX ordered the bridge that connects the château to
the town; the great tower is the Tour de Gaston Phoebus, built in the
14th century. The château houses many historical souvenirs, including a
crib made of a single tortoise shell for Henri IV, who was born there.
There is also the National Museum of Pau, which features an exceptional
collection of tapestries from the 16th to the 18th centuries. If you
visit the château make sure that you see the grand staircase hall that
was commissioned by Marguerite and the() Salle aux 100 Couverts, which
was the site of enormous parties that were held in its heyday.
Renaissance-style Château de Pau sits at the western edge of town.
Dating from the 12th century, it was home to the bold Marguerite de
Navarre, and Louis IX ordered the bridge that connects the château to
the town; the great tower is the Tour de Gaston Phoebus, built in the
14th century. The château houses many historical souvenirs, including a
crib made of a single tortoise shell for Henri IV, who was born there.
There is also the National Museum of Pau, which features an exceptional
collection of tapestries from the 16th to the 18th centuries. If you
visit the château make sure that you see the grand staircase hall that
was commissioned by Marguerite and the() Salle aux 100 Couverts, which
was the site of enormous parties that were held in its heyday.
Another
must-see in Pau is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, on rue Mathieu-Lalanne. It
houses an excellent display of European paintings, including Degas, El
Greco, Boudin and sketches by Ruben.
must-see in Pau is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, on rue Mathieu-Lalanne. It
houses an excellent display of European paintings, including Degas, El
Greco, Boudin and sketches by Ruben.
During
May there is the Grand Prix de Pau, in which racecars compete for speed
records, similar to, but on a much smaller scale than, the Grand Prix
in Monaco. And from mid-June to mid-July the town hosts the Festival de
Pau, featuring frequent theatrical, dance and music performances all
over town as well as in the château.
May there is the Grand Prix de Pau, in which racecars compete for speed
records, similar to, but on a much smaller scale than, the Grand Prix
in Monaco. And from mid-June to mid-July the town hosts the Festival de
Pau, featuring frequent theatrical, dance and music performances all
over town as well as in the château.
But
it was getting late. My friend Hugette (in Dax) was expecting us for
dinner so we had to leave. We really only had a chance to “wet our
whistle” when it came to exploring Pau. But it had been a nice break to
wander in a town that boasts 80 square meters of garden per inhabitant
(a national record). This is one town I definitely want to re-visit
when we have a few days to devote to a proper exploration.
it was getting late. My friend Hugette (in Dax) was expecting us for
dinner so we had to leave. We really only had a chance to “wet our
whistle” when it came to exploring Pau. But it had been a nice break to
wander in a town that boasts 80 square meters of garden per inhabitant
(a national record). This is one town I definitely want to re-visit
when we have a few days to devote to a proper exploration.
—
As
a young girl, all Debbie ever wanted to do was go to Paris; she
thinks perhaps the movie “GiGi” might have had something to do with it.
Her art has won many awards and been accepted into many juried
shows and competitions. She’s completed two pastel series, “The Gardens
of Paris” and “The Flower Markets of France” (12 pieces in each
series). She is contemplating an upcoming series, perhaps about the
gardens at Versailles.
a young girl, all Debbie ever wanted to do was go to Paris; she
thinks perhaps the movie “GiGi” might have had something to do with it.
Her art has won many awards and been accepted into many juried
shows and competitions. She’s completed two pastel series, “The Gardens
of Paris” and “The Flower Markets of France” (12 pieces in each
series). She is contemplating an upcoming series, perhaps about the
gardens at Versailles.
Related Articles
