- published: 07 Oct 2014
- views: 31517
Coordinates: 43°28′54″N 1°33′22″W / 43.4817°N 1.5561°W / 43.4817; -1.5561
Biarritz (French pronunciation: [bjaʁits]; Gascon Occitan: Biàrritz; Basque: Biarritz IPA: [biarits̻] or Miarritze) is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers.
The town lies in Basque territory, and Basque flags and symbols are prevalent throughout Biarritz.
Biarritz is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Aquitaine region. It is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 kilometres) from the border with Spain. It is in the traditional province of Labourd in the French Basque Country.
Biarritz is a Basque name with locative suffix -itz (cp. Isturitz) attested Bearriz in 1170, Bearids in 1186, Bearritz in 1249.
Biarritz has long made its fortune from the sea: as a whaling settlement from the twelfth century onwards, in the 18th century doctors recommended that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments.
Eight miles high
And when you touch down
You'll find that it's
Stranger than known
Signs in the street
That say where you're goin'
Are somewhere
Just being their own
Nowhere is
There warmth to be found
Among those afraid
Of losing their ground
Rain gray town
Known for its sound
In places
Small faces unbound
Round the squares
Huddled in storms
Some laughing
Some just shapeless forms
Sidewalk scenes
And black limousines
Some living