“Follow your instincts.” It’s possibly the best piece of travel advice around.
This summer in France, I was rewarded many times over for heeding this call. One particular instance occurred as I was exploring the Basque town of St. Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees mountains. I had been wandering up the Rue d’Espagne, one of the town’s main streets, with its charming houses and shops. Basque linens, espadrilles, gourmet food items, local wines, souvenirs, and berets were the main items on offer.
Mid-way up the road, it appeared that the interesting boutiques and sights were tapering off. I was on the verge of turning back toward the center of town—when something told me to press on.
A few yards further ahead, I came up a small, unassuming shop not much wider than its doorway. Though the sign read “Sandales,” its specialty was espadrilles. The canvas shoes in solids and stripes of every color lined the shelves.
But as I browsed, I noticed a small workshop in the back. A woman was seated at her workbench, and wonderfully enough, she making the colorful espadrilles by hand. What a find! It turned out that I had stumbled upon an authentic bastion of Basque culture. Madame Arangoïs and her family have carried on the tradition of hand-made espadrilles for generations. Madame Arangoïs learned the technique from her mother who learned it from her mother. It is Monsieur Arangoïs and their daughter who manage the shop.
On the spot, Madame Arangoïs gave me a private demonstration of her craft. All her espadrilles are faites main (made by hand), or more specifically, cousues main (sewn by hand), according to traditional methods. Though a quiet, patient woman, you could tell she was quite proud to demonstrate her creative expertise.
First, she selected a pair of hemp and rubber soles from the stock that she had pre-prepared. Next, she took the colorful cut canvas and glued it around the edges of the soles.
The third step was to sew the edges down on the exterior with beautiful looping stitches. Her practiced hand was lyrical in its movements as she completed a pair of espadrilles in minutes.
My next question was obvious. Could I order my own custom-made Basque footwear? “Bien sûr,” she responded. Of course! We do orders sur mesure. So I set about selecting the canvas for espadrilles that Madame Arangoïs would make especially for me. Uni (solid colors) or rayons (stripes)? The colors were fabulous—comment décider? How to decide? I ended up choosing a marvelous multi-colored stripe with red accents and also a black solid as black goes with everything. And my size–je chausse du 39. I wear an 8 and a half shoe size.
Hmmmm, what about the timing? My train for Bordeaux left at 3pm le lendemain (the next day). Could she have the two pairs of espadrilles ready by lunchtime? Again, another robust “Bien sûr!” ensued.
So on Wednesday after a lovely final Basque lunch with my husband, I stopped by the Arangoïs shop to pick up my espadrilles. Sure enough, my shoe treasures were waiting—and what a bargain. The two pairs together were 20 euros, or about $26. J’ai vivement remercié Madame Arangoïs (I enthusiastically thanked Madame Arangoïs, or “Madame Espadrilles,” as I now call her.) And for a marvelous cultural experience—and for just a few euros, I had a tangible, chic souvenir of Basque culture.
For your own custom-made espadrilles, be sure to visit the Arangoïs shop when in the Basque country. It’s located at 42, rue d’Espagne, in St. Jean Pied de Port. Madame Arangoïs and her family are delightful hosts and would be happy to share the legacy of their livelihood.
And in case espadrilles for the feet aren’t enough, you can pick up a key-chain version at one of the many souvenir shops in town. Vivent les espadrilles (long live espadrilles)!
