Biarritz, France

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only badly dressed," goes a Scottish proverb. Whether or not the Basques have an equivalent proverb, they sure take the sentiment expressed by this one to heart.

The French Basque coast is a popular tourist destination for the French and Spanish alike. In the summer. Why did we decide to go in mid-November, in the heart of one of the rainiest autumns this region has had for years? For the trip of getting away for a weekend, visiting another country, hearing another language, trying something new; basically, for the hell of it.

The French border is a little over an hour away by car on the highway. (Actually, make that lack of a border; in today's Europe, the only way you know you've crossed from one country to another is that the road signs change language.) And though Euskal Herria (Basque Country) straddles that border, the French Basque country has a flavour quite distinct from the Spanish Basque Country.

Biarritz is a tourist town, no doubt about it. And not a seaside fishing village-a NICE tourist town, with high-class hotels ( though thankfully some low-end ones too!), a selection of fine dining, and lots of quaint, yet expensive shops. The winding streets of its centre are clean and orderly. The beach is omnipresent, right in the centre of town, and there are several promendades that let you walk out on the rocks that jut out from the coast. Though it was by no means a ghost town during our visit, you could just imagine Biarritz must transform into another place altogether come summer.

The air in Biarritz was one of a pretention of classiness. Though I won't go as far as using words like haughty or snobby, there was definitely a contrast with the vibe in Bilbao, which is quite down-to-earth.

But one thing that we observed from Basques on both sides of the border was a willingness to continue with their lives despite the grey skies and windy rain that hung over the weekend. As we made our way home on Sunday the Basque coast from Biarritz through San Sebastian all the way to Bilbao was full of people making the most out of their Sunday afternoon. "What's some torrential rain to keep us from our family Sunday afternoon walk along the shore? All we need is head-to-toe raingear and a couple of humungous umbrellas."

Must be something in their genes.