Showing posts with label LGV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LGV. Show all posts

Tuesday 21 December 2010

103. AVE trains

21st December 2010. It was announced during Télé Matin (France2's breakfast TV) this morning that Spain has become the European leader in high speed train technology. With the opening of the Madrid - Valencia line last Saturday, Spain's AVE High Speed Rail network now operates over 2,000km of track compared to ~1900km of TGV in France and Spain's high speed rail network is set to grow further in order to meet the target of ensuring that all major cities in Spain are no more than 4hrs from Madrid. This clip (apologies for the 'iffy' quality) shows the space age looking RENFE AVE train..

And another one:

Meanwhile, here in SW France, there is much local opposition to the further extension southwards of the French LGV (Ligne Grande Vitesse = high speed track) through the politically sensitive Pays Basque. It is planned to be completed by 2020 but a lot can happen in the intervening years. I've noted elsewhere that the Basques have an almost visceral attachment to their houses, farms, land and their 'Pays' and I don't think that the central planners in Paris have quite hoisted this fact on board. It's my guess that future opposition will take a more concrete form. The debate is far from being over.

The long term strategic vision is clearly to put in place a high speed rail network that will straddle Europe and link up all the major capitals. A laudable enough ambition you might think. However, the southern extension of the LGV through the Pays Basque will generate even greater opposition than we've seen so far. Looking at it from the point of view of those directly concerned, ask yourself the question - how will this new line benefit them? Are these the sort of people for whom a shorter rail journey to Paris is a boon?

I'm reminded of the story of the contribution to an egg and bacon breakfast from the point of view of the chicken and the pig. By providing an egg, the chicken has an interest but in providing the bacon, the pig is committed. In the case of the Pays Basque, we stand to lose far more than we'll gain.

As far as I can see, while the spread of LGVs across the map of Europe might convince our elected representatives in Paris and beyond that they are achieving something and that they are doing us a favour, the reality is that no-one here wants what they're offering. Opening up this blessed corner of France to an increased level of mass tourism is not something the people here need or want. The new line will cause local property values to take yet another upward hike thus making it virtually impossible for locals to keep a foothold in their patrimoine. It's estimated that 1300 homes will be touched by the LGV. Unfortunately though, in matters like this, it's usually the "big battalions" that win the day. If anyone needs a reminder of the ties that bind the Basques to their homes, take a look at this poem by Gabriel Aresti that I featured in an earlier post.

I despair of reading about high speed trains in the UK. Our politicians - of all colours and persuasions - are incapable of looking further ahead than next week and investing in long term infrastructure plus they seem to lack the political will, imagination, drive and competence to bring in a major project on this scale. So far, the only winners appear to be the plump legions of rail consultants who, for years, have been making a nice living out of advising successive British governments. All that's on the table at the moment is a nebulous project to join London and Birmingham with a high speed rail link but, yes, you've guessed it, the Transport Minister has his long screwdriver out and is fiddling around the edges with the routing. The history of high speed trains in the UK makes for sorry reading. How many decades are we behind? Our current main line express trains (built 20 years ago) have been re-branded as InterCity 225.. the "225" element being its top speed in kph.. which is intended to sound faster to the long-suffering travelling public than 140mph. I know from bitter experience that trying to drink coffee on an InterCity train whilst dressed for a business meeting is not to be recommended (unless you have a good dry cleaner). In contrast, the TGV is rock steady at 300kph - or 186mph - whichever you prefer. And just to drive the point home, the TGV entered service between Paris and Lyon in 1981.

PS Still no snow! Yippee! And the forecast for tomorrow (22nd) is for - you're not going to believe this - 17C!

23rd December 2010. I went to Cazenave in the centre of Bayonne yesterday afternoon for one last item for Madame's Christmas stocking.. I've mentioned Cazenave before here but each time I step over the threshold and enter what can only be described as a Temple of Chocolat I'm stopped dead in my tracks by my olfactory sensors going straight to Red Alert..! The intensity of the rich and all-pervading aroma of chocolate is astonishing. Normally, the shop is staffed by one or perhaps two ladies. Yesterday there were five in there.. 

At Cazenave, they make their own chocolate - from cocoa beans to the finished product. The window is decorated with beautifully made items in chocolate ranging from simple castanets to sculpted boxes - made of chocolate - for filling with chocolates. If it's a box of chocolates you want, they have a range of empty boxes on display from which you select the size you want and then your assistant will fill it with the individual chocolates that you select from the range on display.

Yesterday I was there to buy a box of Marrons glacés. Once the assistant had finished filling the box she weighed it (having first weighed the empty box!) and wrote the price down for me to take to the cash desk while she automatically gift-wrapped the box. While I was paying, the charming lady at the cash desk offered me a dish of dark chocolate pastilles. I once hit the jackpot with Madame with some marrons glacés I'd bought in Italy that had been dipped in plain chocolate - but I've given up trying to find some here in France. I found an online supplier in Spain but they wanted 35€ just to post them here..
I'm reminded of one of Woody Allen's old stories. He was telling a friend that he had a new job down at the local strip club.

His friend asked, "How much a week..?"

Woody replied, "Two hunnerd bucks.."

His friend commented, "That ain't much.."

Woody sighed, "It's all I could afford..!"

I almost told that story to the lady on the cash desk in the context of a woman working at Cazenave but I decided against it - there's nothing worse than a blank look. My ability to tell a story in French isn't up to it.

I must brush up my Ferrero Rocher pyramid building skills.. the centrepiece of all diplomatic receptions... apparently (!)

 

Wednesday 2 September 2009

3. St Jean de Luz & Biarritz

I think France has much to thank Napoleon for in laying down the basis of a well-ordered society. There appears to be a procedure, form, rule or a law for everything. If not, then Système Débrouille comes into play. Système D - as it's more commonly known - is the name applied to whatever it takes to beat the system. I was impressed by the efficiency of it all and the friendliness of everyone we came into contact with. It seemed that nothing was too much trouble for the mainly female staff we encountered. I can only put this down to my winsome charm, boyish good looks and casually windswept appearance.. (in my dreams!) However, I would make two recommendations to anyone trying to do what we did:

1. Make sure that at least one in your party speaks French..

2. Ensure you have multiple photocopies of everything* as they only accept documented evidence.

* = Birth Certificates, Passports, Marriage Certificates, Tax codes, P60s, Tesco Club Cards, Letters from Insurers stating No Claims Bonuses, inside leg measurements, etc etc..

What really made our life easier was the fact that, luckily, we hadn't put our printer/photo-copier in storage - we had it with us. Within the first few days, we’d started the daunting business of looking for a house. Why a house and not an apartment? For several reasons: control of maintenance costs; neighbours kept at arm’s length; the dog (he might bark if we left him alone at home for an evening which, in an apartment, would not be tolerated for long); plus we wanted a garden.

The three major towns in the French Basque country are in fairly close proximity to each other but, despite that, they are all completely different in character and appeal.
Starting from the south and working to the north, you come first to St Jean de Luz. After the hotspots of the Côte d’Azur (Nice, Cannes, Menton etc) and some chic parts of Paris, Saint-Jean-de-Luz comes a very close second when it comes to high house prices in France. Houses are advertised here by the agents as having so many square metres of habitable space (garages, hallways and landings are not included in this). If this is factored with the price, a price per square metre emerges.
The bay of St Jean de Luz

In Saint-Jean, it works out at a pretty eye-watering figure.. This price/sq metre can and does vary according to the perceived desirability of the property – but it’s a good starting point and it gives you an idea if a property is over- or under-valued. And they are seldom under-valued..!

If I had to show someone the Basque country and had only half an hour in which to do so, without question I would take them straight to Saint-Jean-de-Luz as it encapsulates all that is good about the Pays Basque. 

The town centre is compact, largely pedestrianised, flat and the main shopping street could hardly be closer to the sandy crescent of the beach. The market is a real treat for the senses - gleaming fish and shellfish fresh from the sea, yellow corn fed chickens from Les Landes, aromatic herbs, sausages, hams, crusty bread, cheeses - what a pleasure to browse the various stalls. (Rule No 1: Don't shop when you're hungry!)
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Situated at the mouth of the river Nivelle where it flows into the almost circular bay, St Jean de Luz is bordered by its beach on one side and its port on the other. The architecture is superb – an appealing mix of the traditional heavily timbered Basque properties with their distinctive overhanging roofs and some outstanding Art Deco buildings dating from the twenties and thirties. They usually incorporate an element of Basque styling as well.
Looking across to Ciboure (left) from the inner harbour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Across the bay is the little village of Socoa with its beach, a good half dozen seafood restaurants, a sheltered mooring and its Vauban-designed fort.
The sea wall bears the brunt of the Atlantic swells..
The sheltered inner harbour of Socoa
Houses are invariably painted white with doors, windows and shutters picked out in one of three colours; a blood red, dark green or dark blue. While this could sound a little 'Stalinist', the result is that it does have a pleasingly unifying effect. Private property and public buildings in the Basque country are, with very few exceptions, well-maintained and clean and road verges are largely litter free. St Jean de Luz is spotlessly clean and stylish, with all the shops and facilities anyone could wish for, plus it’s on the main SNCF line to Paris.
The high speed TGV rail link all the way through to Paris will be constructed one of these days and that will drive house prices up even higher. Understandably, there is some extremely vocal resistance to the plan to extend the special high speed track (LGV) through the Pays Basque. At the moment, the TGV runs at high speed (~190mph) from Paris to Tours and then at a reduced speed to Bordeaux and the South West. (Edited to add: There's now a TGV service - 2hrs 5 mins - between Paris and Bordeaux). As things stand at the moment, Paris (some 500 miles as the crow flies) is only ~5hrs from here by rail. (Edit: now 4hrs) Once the TGV track has been extended through to the Pays Basque, then I would guess the journey time will be 3 hrs or less. However, the current financial crisis and local political resistance could well cause the completion of the south-western extension of the TGV to slip to the right. The current plan is to have the new line in operation by 2020 - but a lot can happen in the meantime!
The ski slopes of the Pyrenees are only 1½hrs away by car and a 20 minute drive from Bayonne will find you in Spain. There, San Sebastian is the nearest major attraction and Bilbao, with its strikingly modern Guggenheim Museum, lies just beyond it.


(We've yet to visit the Guggenheim because of the dog.. we couldn't leave him at home all day and we can't leave him in the car.)

St Jean’s beaches are superb and some of the best seafood in Europe is here. All the traditional values of ‘old’ France are upheld here – people dress well and live well still. People-watching is highly enjoyable. Natives and tourists alike are generally of the well-heeled variety (with one notable exception!).
The inviting beach at St Jean de Luz
We read somewhere that property changes hands on average every 25 years in St Jean de Luz compared to every 7 years in the rest of France. While there's no shortage of apartments, there aren't many houses available – especially if, like us, you are looking for something in town with only 2/3 bedrooms and a garage. They like their houses large down here; houses with 6 to 8 bedrooms are not uncommon. It’s definitely a seller’s market in St Jean de Luz and so, if you must have a house there, be prepared to sit it out. Or, bite the bullet and think about an apartment.
La Grande Plage, Biarritz, with the Hotel du Palais (right)
Moving up the coast, we come next to Biarritz. Despite it being an international resort with many 4* hotels and luxury apartments, it's not flashy. Its main beach - La Grande Plage - is dominated by the supremely elegant Hotel du Palais, a Grand Luxe hotel that attracts the world’s rich and famous. Lunch there is buttock-clenchingly expensive at 110€ (at the time of writing). (Napoleon III built it as a summer villa for the Empress Eugenie in 1855, but it was destroyed in a devastating fire in 1903. It was subsequently rebuilt as a hotel and is now owned by the town of Biarritz.) 

That said, Biarritz is all things to all men. There is a whole spectrum of things to see and do and places to eat and drink. Property prices here are generally as sky-high as St Jean, and as one approaches the sea front they surpass the St Jean values. We quickly forgot about looking for anything with a sea view or indeed near the sea.

Rail passengers for Biarritz used to be able to descend at the Gare du Midi which was in the centre of town and built to serve the needs of the Imperial visitors. It has now been converted into a theatre and very splendid it is too.
La Gare du Midi as it was
La Gare du Midi as it is today

Jardin Publique
There are some very attractive areas in Biarritz that we looked long and hard at – the area known as St Charles which, although in town, has a 'village' feel to it, and also the area around Les Halles (the covered market) and the Jardin Public (right) opposite the theatre. Both areas are very desirable as you can shop for all you need here on foot without having to use the car. But, unfortunately, there was nothing that we liked in either of those areas that was both a. for sale and b. affordable. In a perfect world, we would have tried to buy something in the Avenue du Docteur Claisse, a leafy enclave we discovered that was only an easy 5 minute walk from Biarritz’s Grande Plage.. but this turned out to be one of Biarritz’s prime residential areas. Hmm.
La Grande Plage, Biarritz
Our fall-back plan if we couldn't find anything suitable on the coast would have been to look further inland at Pau. And if we'd had no success there, our third option would have been to look in the Jura, near the Swiss border. Happily for us though, someone 'up there' must have been guiding us - because we next decided to have a look at Bayonne..