La Rhune Mountain – French Story & Translation

Follow Don’s trip to the France’s Pays Basque region and practice your French with this French English bilingual story written in easy French.

Pendant mon séjour d’immersion en français chez Evelyne,  j’ai fait une excursion à La Rhune, une montagne au sud d’Anglet (Bayonne), sur la frontière espagnole.

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During my French immersion  residential stay with Evelyne, I took an excursion to La Rhune, a mountain south of Anglet (Bayonne), on the Spanish border.

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1 – Making a New Friend in France

Une amie d’Evelyne qui s’appelle Martine m’a conduit à la montagne, et ce que j’ai apprécié chez Martine, c’est la chaleur avec laquelle elle m’a introduit à ce coin du Pays Basque. Pendant le trajet, nous avons rigolé en discutant de la culture du Pays Basque, des politiques du monde et de nos familles. Je me sentais vraiment à l’aise avec elle.

A friend of Evelyne’s named Martine drove me to the mountain, and what I appreciated about her was the warmth with which she introduced me to this part of the Basque Country. During the drive, we laughed, talking about the Basque Country culture, world politics and our families. I truly felt at ease with her.

learn french in immersion france teacher home

2 – The Rhune Mountain

La Rhune est le premier sommet à l’ouest des Pyrénées. Elle a une altitude de 905 mètres, avec une vue imprenable sur la mer, sur les villes de la région, et sur les deux côtés de la frontière.

La Rhune is the first summit to the west of the Pyrenees. It is 2,969 feet high, with an unobstructed view of the sea, the region’s towns, and both sides of the border.

learn french in immersion france teacher home

3 – Boarding the Rhune Train

Pour y arriver, nous sommes allés au petit village situé au Col de St-Ignace où se trouve la gare pour «Le petit train de La Rhune», un train à ciel ouvert qui monte au sommet de la montagne.

 To get there, we went to the little village at the Pass of Saint Ignatius, where you can find the station for “The Little Train of La Rhune,” an open-air train that goes up to the summit of the mountain.

learn french in immersion france teacher home

Ce qui me paraissait formidable, c’était le beau temps. Le temps était parfait–ni trop froid, ni trop chaud, pas de nuages–et le train à ciel ouvert s’est ajouté au plaisir du beau temps.

What I found terrific was the beautiful weather. It was perfect–not too hot, not too cold, no clouds–and the open-air train just added to the pleasure of the nice weather.

learn french in immersion france teacher home
learn french in immersion france teacher home

Le trajet de ce train de collection, de la base jusqu’au sommet, a duré 35 minutes, et pendant l’ascension on a pu voir des brebis, des vautours, et des «pottoks» (chevaux semi-sauvages de la région).

The trajectory of this vintage train, from the base to the summit, lasted 35 minutes, and during the ascent, we could see sheep, vultures and “pottoks” (the region’s partially domesticated horses).

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4 – Reaching the Top of la Rhune

Au sommet, qui est sur la frontière espagnole, il y a des boutiques de marchandises espagnoles, mais elles étaient fermées, parce que ce n’était pas encore la saison touristique -du moins, c’est ce que nous avons imaginé, Martine et moi, parce que nous n’avons pas trouvé une meilleure explication.

At the top, which is on the Spanish border, there were shops carrying Spanish merchandise, but they were closed, because it wasn’t yet tourist season–at least, that’s what Martine and I imagined, because we didn’t find any better explanation.

Mais ce qui était vraiment beau, c’était la vue à couper le souffle! Nous avons pu voir les Pyrénées couvertes de neige au sud et à l’ouest, les petites fermes basques sur les collines dans toutes directions, la mer toute bleue à l’ouest, et les villes de Hendaye, St-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz, Anglet et Bayonne à l’ouest et au nord.

But what I found really beautiful was the breathtaking view! We were able to see the snow-covered Pyrenees to the south and west, the little Basque farms on the hills in every direction, the very blue sea to the west, and the towns of Hendaye, St-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne to the west and north.

Nous avons marché pendant une quarantaine de minutes, puis nous sommes redescendus par le train.

We walked around for about forty minutes, then we went back down by the train.

learn french in immersion france teacher home

Pendant le retour chez Evelyne, nous sommes passés par le beau petit village de Sare, où nous nous sommes arrêtés pour regarder à l’intérieur de la jolie église basque et son cimetière juste à l’extérieur.

On the way back to Evelyne’s, we passed through the cute little village of Sare, where we stopped to look inside the pretty Basque church and its cemetery just outside it.

J’ai bien aimé la montagne, la vue imprenable, le petit train et le village de Sare, mais ce qui m’a plu le plus, c’était que je me suis fait une nouvelle amie, et grâce à Martine, j’ai passé un après-midi inoubliable!

I liked the mountain, its unobstructed view, the little train and the village of Sare, but what pleased me the most was that I made a new friend, and, thanks to Martine, I had an unforgettable afternoon!

If you liked this article, why not consider a stay at Evelyne or Myriam homes in Pays Basque to better your French? Here is more info about the French Immersion Residential courses recommended by French Today.

If you enjoy learning French in context, check out French Today’s downloadable French audiobooks: French Today’s bilingual novels are recorded at different speeds and enunciation, and focus on today’s modern glided pronunciation. 

Myriam

I am a certified French teacher who used to offer immersion homestays near Bayonne, Pays Basque, France. I’m passionate about my region and its culture, and I'm happy to help you discover it through my articles on French Today.

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