Les Grottes d'Isturitz et Oxocelahya

We went to a cave (grotte) in the Basque country of France. There are lots of steep rolling hills here. In the cave, the ground was rough and wet. The water drips down through the limestone. The water collects minerals and leaves them on the ceiling of the cave – these are called stalactites. The minerals that collect on the bottom of the cave are called stalagmites. Some of them were very big. It was dark in the cave but they had lights so we could see. The Frenchman showed us around the cave. He used a little hammer and played music on the stalagtites.

After we left the cave, we saw the sheep. The sheep were grazing. Their hair was long. One had a black nose. They had colored spray paint on their backs. We think the shepherd did that so he could tell how old they were. We read that the shepherd walks the sheep up the mountain for the summer grazing – it is like migration.