160. Big feet, bagpipes & bullfights

5th August 2011. Finding shoes in my size here in the Pays Basque is a constant struggle - most shoes top out at size EU 44 or 45. My feet, however, continue on beyond that to - but modesty forbids..! You know what they say: "Big feet?             Big socks..!"

Whilst over in Seattle for work in the '90s though I came across a Florsheim factory outlet store and found some business shoes made to a quality unobtainable in the UK at the price - and they were available in my size. I dust them off now and again and they still look good. Desperate times call for desperate measures and so a week or two ago, before we left to go to the mountains, I clicked on the Nordstrom web site (a chain of department stores across the US equivalent to John Lewis in the UK). As luck would have it they were having a sale and - lo and behold - they had some Florsheim shoes that fitted both my feet and my pocket. I ordered a pair as the price was still attractive (just) even with the postage from the US to France.

I picked them up from DHL at Biarritz airport yesterday morning only to find that I had 33€ (almost US$47!) outstanding to pay in VAT.. ouch..! Then when we got home and I tried them on, I noticed some small print under the tongue - Made in India.. Now, I have nothing against shoes or any other products from India or anywhere else for that matter - but I think any product description should include a statement of exactly where it was  manufactured. I was labouring under the misapprehension that Florsheim shoes were US-made. Florsheim are not alone in this - many major brands have re-located their manufacturing operations to Asia and elsewhere..

I'm a big fan of L.L. Bean who sell products with that quintessentially American look via mail order and trade on their Maine heritage.. but look at where some of their range originates. It's the same story for Lands' End - they too sell clothing with that relaxed All-American look. Their products used to be 100% American made at Dodgeville, Wisconsin - but in recent years the word 'imported' has crept in more and more. It appears that Florsheim has gone the same route. One of the reasons for buying a distinctive brand is for the perceived values that it uniquely offers - part of which lies in where it's manufactured. For example, would you consider buying a Greek Volkswagen, a Taiwanese Rolex or a Brazilian single malt whisky? No, I didn't think so - which is why companies like L.L. Bean and Lands' End avoid being too specific and use only "Imported" in their product descriptions. As manufacturing is increasingly out-sourced to low labour-cost regions of the world, it makes me wonder how the US - and other major western economies who do likewise - are ever going to manufacture their way out of recession.

Right - enough of that - time for a tingle! If you can tell me that this next clip honestly has no effect on you, then to my mind you need to think about seeing your medical professional! Was it the Duke of Wellington who said: "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."

This is a clip of a Scottish massed pipe band leaving the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - I like the way they segue into the "Black Bear" at 00:36.. it always gives me a shiver.. Crank your volume up:

With the Rugby World Cup starting to loom larger on the horizon, I reckon if the NZ "All Blacks" (a great side even if they were fast asleep in deck chairs) feel the need to pump themselves up prior to a match with the aid of their 'Haka', then the Jocks should be allowed to return the compliment with a rambunctious "in yer face" pipe band rendition of the "Black Bear".. And I say that as an Anglais! If you believe in a level playing field, let's have it level!

Let's have one last look at them - they show the rest how a proud military unit should leave an arena..  Straight off into the "Black Bear".. and turn that volume to max again - and wait for the goose pimples! Listen to the audience reaction that the "Black Bear" generates!

  Just noticed - not much about the Pays Basque in this post.. Never mind - rescue is at hand! Here's a segment of Jean-Luc Petitrenaud's cookery show: Les Escapades de Petitrenaud. And yes, you're right, J-L P is annoying!

6th August 2011. Ab-so-lutely knackered this afternoon! Went down to the river this morning and had a long outing in an VIII sculler.. Rowed virtually non-stop to Villefranque where we turned around. It was very warm out there and there were more than a few red faces when we returned.. My T-shirt was wet through. Did 18km. (Running total: 906km) Back home and after a long cool shower, we fired up the plancha and had a few sardines out on the terrace with some sangria.. and a Turkish coffee and my last cigarillo.. Now I think a tactical snooze might be on the cards!

As the day approaches l'heure bleue - it's one of the day's pleasant little rituals to set out the olives and the nuts, break out a handful of ice-cubes, drop them into a couple of glasses and pour out the sangria. Garnish with a slice of orange and/or lemon. The first one hits the spot.. Sometimes - but not always - there might be a second. Never a third.

6.45pm. I'm writing this as the bullfight takes place about 300m away.. I can hear the jeers, the applause and the stupid triumphalist music as the poor beasts are tormented one by one. Then, 5 minutes ago, after grey clouds blew in from the Bay of Biscay and the wind freshened, there was a sudden downpour and yes! I thought.. all those ghouls who watch the bullfight will have been soaked. And better still - the bullfighter's enemy - the wind - is blowing in gusts - all the better for the bull to see the matador hiding behind his cape. Disgusting practice, doesn't belong in France and should be banned. And some parents take their children along to the bull ring.. 

159. From the Pays Basque to the high Pyrenees

2nd August 2011. Arrived back home yesterday after a long weekend (Fri-Mon) up in the high Pyrenees to the south east of the Pays Basque. We stayed at a small hotel at Luz-Saint-Sauveur (French version here) next to a rushing mountain torrent..

Luz-Saint-Sauveur (left) lies an hour by winding road (52km) to the south of Tarbes. We were surrounded by mountains that ranged from 6-9,000ft and the winding roads in the valleys between villages took us through much breathtaking scenery with some vertiginous drop-offs. No place to drive if you suffer from vertigo..

The first place we visited was the famous Cirque de Gavarnie and the cascades (waterfalls) which are some 422 metres (1380-odd feet) high.. It was clear why the Pyrenees had, for so long, provided a natural barrier between France and Spain. Mountains rose sheer from the fast flowing streams that roared their way through the tight valleys and the steeply sloping hills were closely covered in mountain oak and pines - or, as I like to call them - trees. 

Cascades, Gavarnie

Difficult to convey the sense of space and grandeur - but, to give you an idea,
the waterfall dwarfs the Eiffel Tower by almost 100m!

This is where the dog drank his own weight in water!

Lac de Gaube

 

View from the summit of the Col du Tourmalet

This last picture (above) was taken from the summit of the Col du Tourmalet looking west back towards the start. This is a mountain climb that's often been used as a stage in the Tour de France. It's staggering to think that these racing cyclists are not only able to ride a bicycle up this road - but to race up it as well. From Luz-Saint-Sauveur, it's a continuous climb for 19km up to the summit which is 2115m - 6939ft - high. Remember, too, that the air at this altitude contains much less oxygen than at sea level so, in addition to the effort made by the legs, their lungs must be bursting by the time they grind their way to the top. There were more than several cyclists doing exactly this during their summer holidays.. each to their own! In fact, we spotted one guy running up it..

This is definitely an area we'll be returning to as it's only a two hour drive from Pipérade Towers here in Bayonne. Highly recommended - even at the height of the tourist season it was still far from being crowded. I fell asleep on one 7,000ft high mountain top (as you do!) up in the clouds while waiting for the cable car - with the result that my face now resembles a beef tomato.. and I could probably serve as a danger to shipping!

I almost forgot: one evening we had a bottle of Chateau Bouscassé Madiran.. It's been a long time since we enjoyed a red wine so much as we did this one. Well worth hunting one (or more) down. I must see if I can find it around here.

PS. Many thanks to S&B for their comment below.. I had a look at their link (edited in 2019 to add the link no longer works) about the Chateau Bouscassé Madirans and I wouldn't argue with a single word. (Edited in 2023 to add another review: https://www.reversewinesnob.com/chateau-bouscasse-madiran) Forget the great Bordeaux wines (for a few moments) and beg, borrow or steal a bottle of this. I must be honest - we'd been drinking a Buzet red at the hotel .. and while it was OK at the price, it was nothing spectacular. They ran out of it one evening and our waiter substituted a bottle of the Bouscassé for it at the same price as the Buzet. The difference in quality screamed out of the glass at me.. I checked the price via the net when we returned and it retails for more than I usually pay for a bottle in a restaurant. Multiply by at least 2 for the restaurant price and it's clear that our waiter did us an enormous favour! I used to look for Madiran in England but I was never able to find anything this good. I'm no good at describing wine in the way the critics do - "cigar boxes, pencil shavings, liquorice and red fruit.." All I can say is that it was like velvet on the tongue and it lingered long in the mouth - but not long in the bottle! A truly memorable wine.

PPS. "Is it me..?" Department. I thought I'd share this with you.. While we were away, we were sitting in a café somewhere and I was tearing the end of the paper tube of sugar for my coffee. I tore the end of the first one, poured the sugar in my coffee and crumpled up the paper and put it in the ash tray. I then took the second one - tore the top off it and poured the sugar straight into the ash tray.. How did that happen? Have I now reached the age when I'll open my eyes one day to find I'm standing in my pyjamas in a shopping centre? Please tell me I'm not alone!

Finally, on the theme of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Napoleon III used to visit the area and he apparently said one day that he'd like a bridge to be built to span a local gorge. Four years later, in 1863, it was duly completed. Nowadays it's used for bungee jumping or saut à l'élastique as it's known here. Here's a clip that shows what it's like to fall 90m.. Did we try it? Er no..

3rd August 2011. I mentioned Woody Allen's new film "Midnight in Paris" a few posts ago - hands up all those who've seen it...? This is "Bistro Fada" - a catchy little swing jazz guitar number from it..

4th August 2011. Every now and again, a moment comes along that reminds us why we like it here so much. For example, this morning we took the pooch for a walk around Lac Mouriscot at Biarritz. Even at the height of the tourist season, we were almost the only ones there. There's a shaded walk around the lake and the cool waters were just too tempting for Chibby - he didn't waste any time in getting wet and muddy. On our return, we had lunch outside on the terrace - Madame had bought some fresh crab legs and sardines. We had the crab legs with a salad and then we fired up the plancha to cook the sardines with her patent Piment d'Espelette marinade. I served some cold Sangria - and afterwards we had some fruit. Then, a Turkish coffee and a cigarillo.. under the umbrella in the heat of the afternoon sun. Perfect.. The thought crossed my mind - could we do any of this back in the UK..? Answer? Regrettably no..

158. Bayonne goes bananas!

25th July 2011. If you'd like to watch the start of the Fêtes de Bayonne this coming Wednesday evening, don't forget to make a note that it starts at 10pm Pays Basque time (9pm in the UK, 4pm EDT in the US). You can then work out when to drop everything you're doing to watch the madness!

Stop Press! To see the video link direct from the Place de la Liberté in full screen, click here and then click on the small blue & white symbol on the video link under the umbrellas on the lower right of the picture.. 

This clip from last year will give you a flavour of the event..

They like their fireworks noisy down here - this is a shortened version of last year's display filmed from across the river - which is the best place to watch them from in my opinion. The first year we were almost underneath them and it was painful!

Confession time: I must admit that, on the basis of her turbulent private life and her slightly bizarre appearance, I'd always pre-judged Amy Winehouse as a hyped-up media creature - without ever having heard her sing. I was wrong. It's clear from this clip she had a remarkable voice and a lot of talent.. I must listen to more of her.

157. Foreign food in the Pays Basque

Place de la Liberté, Bayonne

22nd July 2011. Back from a walk through town with the dawg.. Stopped for a coffee at the café on the Place de la Liberté outside the Town Hall and noticed that the former shoe shop across the road on the corner of the Rue du Port-Neuf (Newport Street doesn't have the same ring to it does it?) is being revamped. It's receiving the beauty treatment - the stonework has been cleaned up so it's now gleaming white. There's a sign up outside showing that it will be a Sushi shop. Not convinced that will work here - this is Basque heartland and restaurants serving foreign food (ie, anything that's not Basque!) are in short supply. Certainly there's nothing like the profusion of foreign restaurants here that you might see across the channel. No Greek or Indian for example - and I'm not sure there's even an Italian. There are a couple of Chinese across the river in St Esprit. Maybe this Sushi shop is aimed at people working in town.

23rd July 2011. Out in an all-mec VIII this morning - it's a fairly new carbon fibre boat that's a pleasure to row in.. We did 18km (Running total: 888km) and all of it was enjoyable. We rowed a mixture of starts and sprints (series of 10 and 20 at full pressure), followed by light and firm. Someone pointed out a cyclist riding by on the riverside path - it was explained to me that he'd ridden (on a bike) from Paris to Beijing for the last Olympics. Took him 6 months apparently. Next year he's doing Beijing - London. We had an impromptu apéro after the outing and the Johnny Walker Black Label came out.. As I'd never tried this before in my life (true!), I had to have a second one to confirm my view - this is one good whisky.. (but, as my Scottish neighbour used to say, "There's nae sich thing as a bad whusky..")

24th July 2011. A long time ago I was told in all seriousness by a Frenchman that whisky was made from potatoes and hence couldn't seriously be compared with cognac distilled from wine (from the more noble grape). I heard a similar misconception yesterday. Talking to Y at the club, the subject of English cooking came up and she described her idea of  English food as "boiled beef with mint"! I think she was half-joking but clearly the persistent legacy of the former barren years of English cooking is still around and hasn't totally been erased. I've heard this before - although the quote has usually been the "boiled beef and carrots" one.

I've never been offered "boiled beef" in my life - let alone tasted it. Maybe it dates back to what sailors would have been fed in the days of sail..? That would be my guess. As for the "mint" part - I think she's confusing that with the practice of eating roast lamb accompanied by mint sauce. Now that I have had - and many times. No apologies necessary!

It's one of the great English dishes - roast leg of Welsh lamb (gigot), with mint sauce, new potatoes and either fresh garden peas (petit pois) or green beans (haricots verts). That's a dish that can stand comparison with any other. The taste of Easter.. For the ultimate nostalgia trip, try listening to this old signature tune while a leg of lamb is roasting away in the oven.. This will soon have you swallowing large lumps! Click on this link and under Contents at the left, click on "Take It From Here", then scroll down until you see the old fashioned radio marked "Another Audio clip". Here's another classic - this one reminds me of listening to the BBC World Service news on HF fading in and out in the wee small hours while flying red-eyed way up north of the Faroes in my previous life.

My mouth's watering watching this next video..

It took a while for my dear old Mum to get used to the French custom of studding a gigot with slivers of garlic - I think she initially thought that was heresy! Or the culinary equivalent thereof.. In my opinion, roast lamb is best served rare.. ie, very pink. I grew up eating it over-cooked - no hint of pinkness, dry and eminently chewable.. (Remember Phillips Stick-a-soles?) My Dad liked his meat cooked beyond the point of any possible resurrection! Plus another 5 minutes. This (below) is my idea of how roast lamb should look:

Here's how it's cooked in France. And here's a recipe for Marinated Lamb (believe it's a Jamie Oliver one).. I should add this is untried at Pipérade Towers.

1 leg lamb, boned

1 large bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 large bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

17 1/2 ounces (500 grams) natural yoghurt

1/2 (14-ounce/400 gram) can chickpeas, drained and mashed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, juiced

Tray Roasted Vegetables:

Baby carrots

Quartered fennel, with its own leafy tops

Quartered red onions

Whole baby turnips

Butternut squash, cut into chunks

Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and halved

1/2 (14-ounce/400 gram) can chick peas, drained

Ground cumin

Coriander seeds

Nutmeg

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lamb: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Crush the coriander and mint together and mix with the yoghurt, garlic, and seasoning. Reserve half to use as a sauce once the lamb is cooked.

Score the lamb pieces, season with the salt and pepper and mix with half the marinade and the chickpeas, so it is all coated.

Transfer the marinade and lamb to a plastic bag and seal. Place in the refrigerator until required.

To cook, place the meat directly on the oven shelf above the tray of vegetables for approximately 45 minutes.

Vegetables: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place all the vegetables in a roasting tray, add the chickpeas, cumin, coriander seeds, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil and toss together.

Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes then remove the foil and continue roasting for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and golden.

Serves 10 to 12.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

What a great drive by Lewis Hamilton to win the German Grand Prix..! If only McLaren could find some more speed in qualifying. Well done Lewis and the team.

156. The Fêtes de Bayonne - the clock's ticking..

16th July 2011. Things here at Pipérade Towers are returning to normal today after Madame's brother O and his wife F left us this morning after visiting us for a few days. They took us for lunch yesterday to our favourite restaurant in that village tucked up against the Pyrenees - the very one we used to come to every summer. They enjoyed it as much as we did.. Last night, we ate out on the terrace here and stayed out there till late.

After saying goodbye to O & F, I went down to the river this sunny morning for what turned out to be a hard outing in a coxless IV. We did 14km (Running total: 870km) and I have to say I felt every one of them this morning. I know - I have only myself to blame..! Must make another trip to the bottle bank now - say no more..!

I was talking to one of the guys at the club a few weeks back about coffee and I mentioned that I liked Greek coffee but I was unable to find a local supplier. He told me that a friend of his travels regularly to Athens and if I told him what brand I was looking for, he'd pass the word on. Well, I'd all but forgotten about this conversation until this morning when he delved into his sports bag and presented me with a large packet of Loumidis "Papagalos" coffee.. That should keep me going for a good while. Many thanks Aïtor!

The brand I was really looking for is Charalambous "Gold Mocca", a Greek-Cypriot coffee that, in my view, has slightly more depth of flavour than "Papagalos" plus it has an indefinable hint of something slightly exotic - cardamom perhaps? If anyone knows of a supplier in France, please let me know by a comment at the end of this post.. Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ εκ των προτέρων.. 

With just 10 days to go before the start of the Fêtes de Bayonne (27th July => 31st July), wire barriers are being erected all over town on roundabouts, central reservations - in fact anywhere where a car could be parked or a tent set up. With well over a million visitors expected to our town of 40,000, there simply aren't enough beds available and many camp at sites provided by the council around town. Sleeping in cars is also a favourite. If you have no idea what the Fêtes de Bayonne are about, click on this link and look at some of the videos there..

17th July 2011. There was some welcome rain during the night. The patch of grass (formerly known as the lawn) at the back of the house took a real hammering when we had temperatures of 39°C (102°F) a few weeks ago and sections of it were completely toasted and burnt. I thought it might never recover but all is not lost though - I've been watering it most evenings and we might just be able to save it. There's more rain forecast for this week too.

I was deleting some old files on my PC when I found this clip gathering dust somewhere on my hard disk.. the famous Bogart "hill of beans" speech from the closing scene of "Casablanca"..
Call me a sentimental old fool - but who didn't feel a frisson* during that..?

* a shiver..

19th July 2011. The forecast for the south west for the last few days has had us sat here under a deluge of rain. Well, they're partially right. We have had rain but it's mostly been overnight and only for a few minutes. I woke up early on Sunday morning, Monday morning and this morning to the sound of the house going through a car wash - at least, that's what it sounded like. However, once the rain has blown through, it soon reverts to sunshine again. As I sit here now looking out of the window, the skies have cleared and the pavements are drying off quickly under the hot sun. In fact, the forecast for the Côte Basque is invariably wrong. We are influenced by the sea and the mountains here so when the forecaster (the ever-fragrant Évelyne Dhéliat!) says that it's going to rain in the south west, she might be right for Aquitaine (the region) but not for here. 

Went down to the river this evening intending to have an outing in a pair or a IV but there was a strong westerly blowing right up the river and the incoming clouds were heavy with rain - so yes, we wimped out! I'd not long been home when there was a sudden gust of wind followed by a swirling torrent of rain that lashed down for a few minutes. Glad I wasn't on the river! Pity those poor souls who are down here camping..

20th July 2011. More rain this morning.. at this rate the green bit at the back of the house will be doing lawn impressions again before long. You have to feel some sympathy for those camping down here or on holiday with kids..? What do you do? I remember those family holidays of long ago spent squelching around various places in Wales in the rain - or eating sandwiches in the car watching rain running down steamed-up windows..   

21st July 2011. Here's a film that slipped under my radar.. I must try and search it out:

155. San Fermin - Hemingway's legacy..

7th July 2011. In Pamplona, down in the Spanish Basque country, it's San Fermin time again!! ("What..?") Yes, it's that time of the year when thousands of normally sane chartered accountants and other unlikely heroes from all over the world head towards Pamplona, just across the border in the Spanish Basque country to prove that their manliness extends beyond a remarkable ability to crush a paper cup or to flick a rubber band at the lovely Miss Rochester in Overdue Accounts (Unpaid). They try and achieve all this by running through the streets of Pamplona with their butt cheeks pressed hard together - a laudable feat in itself! - closely followed by several tons of prime beef - in the form of half a dozen Spanish fighting bulls - that just happen to be moving at the gallop a few steps behind and that are just itching to slip a stray and extremely sharp horn into the nearest pair of trousers they can find.. or to stomp on anything that moves within range.

This guy never expected to sing soprano again.. (let alone being able to hold high C for over 10 seconds!)

This one below doesn't look good.. he's a definite candidate for the "You can run but you can't hide" competition. He's got about ½ second to decide what his options are.. and he's dropped his rolled-up newspaper.. Meanwhile the bulls look like they've been practising this move all winter - and they're not taking any prisoners!

I don't know about you but I'd say that this is about as up close and personal as you'd ever want to be to a fighting bull. I think our man here would agree as well that tapping the bull on the nose with that rolled-up newspaper was not the best idea he ever had! (and hey! I thought LL Bean said their T shirts were rugged!)

Hemingway (in the white trousers)

Hemingway put the Fête de San Fermin on the world map of the imagination with his stunning first novel The Sun Also Rises (published as Fiesta in the UK). Based on a trip he'd recently made to the fiesta at Pamplona in 1926 with a group of Anglo-American friends, it can't be bettered as an introduction to Hemingway's oeuvre. Even though the young bull (right) has the tips of its horns padded, it would take considerable courage (and perhaps a drink or three) to persuade anyone with an ounce of self-preservation to step in front of one as Hemingway did here. Yes, he can be criticised but before you do - first try and persuade your legs to jump over the barrier into that ring.. Not so easy now is it?

Another novel down the tubes! I'll definitely start writing tomorrow..

This is what I like to see - a porky guy who has suddenly discovered that - hell yes! - a sub-10 second 100 metre dash is well within his capabilities! Who are you calling fatso!

I reckon releasing a fighting bull behind the sprinters should be allowed as an experiment at the London Olympics next year.. Think we'd see the first 8 second 100 metres!

This clip will give you a taster of the madness that descends upon the town for about 5 days.

9th July 2011. A very rewarding row this morning.. in a wooden shell coxless IV. The boat was going so well we carried on as far as Villefranque without anyone asking when we were going to stop and turn around (always a good sign). Did 18km (Running total: 856km).

12th July 2011. Thinking about Hemingway while having a shave this morning, it struck me that, perhaps in order to avoid his writing impulse being desensitised by the prosaic nature of everyday life, he'd sought to experience strong sensations as often as he could. There has often been a suggestion made that he had a death wish - one that he consistently denied - but I think that the process of getting close to many of these sensations was inherently risky. He attended a number of wars, went big game hunting, drank copiously all his life, was serious about catching big sporting fish, was an aficionado of bull fighting, he enjoyed multiple marriages (but did they enjoy him?) and travelled widely. I imagine that an adventure loving lad like our man would have felt confined in the leafy suburbs of Oak Park, Illinois. Now I don't know if this is an original observation about his need for sensation - but it's the first time I've thought of it! I think today he'd be described as an adrenalin junkie..

13th July 2011. Sometime in the wee small hours we had another "the house is going through a car-wash" moment.. There was a white flash and a rumble of thunder - closely followed by the pooch jumping up on the bed (any excuse!) - and then the hiss of rain that in a few seconds turned into a steady roar for a good few minutes.

154. Lunch in the Pays Basque..

28th June 2011. Just back from a very pleasant lunch to mark the passing of another marital kilometre stone. We returned to 'our' old restaurant where we'd spent many happy holidays in the past. They have a nice new set menu now that includes 2 glasses of wine.

Today, we started off with a celebratory glass of champagne before the food arrived.. Madame had chosen to start with a delicious salad with St Jacques (scallops) while your scribe had foie gras. Despite the menu offer of 2 glasses of wine, in typically generous fashion Bernadette (the owner) brought us a 50cl carafe of Colombelle white wine instead (must try and find where to buy this locally).

For the main course, we'd chosen the pièce du boucher (for 2) fully expecting a quivering chunk of juicy beef. However, when Bernadette brought it, the oval serving platter was covered with slices of v rare beef.. (just as we like it!). And somehow, between leaving the kitchen and arriving at our table, the two glasses of red that we were expecting were transformed into another 50cl carafe of rouge..!

We were surrounded by dog lovers and Chibby (our cocker) was in his element. A couple at a neighbouring table asked - "Does he like sausage..?" (Was the Pope Polish? Do bears.. etc etc) It reminded me of when we went to the Jura last year and we had lunch at Madame's cousin. Pooch had the charm cranked up to max and, after 2 minutes at the table, we had the classic question - "Your dog looks hungry - don't you ever feed him?"  (he should get an Oscar!) Here he is with his famous impression - "The light's on but there's nobody in.."

And then to cap it all - with the coffee, Bernadette offered me a large complimentary armagnac. According to a 14th century cardinal, armagnac has forty virtues: 

"It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralysed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits."

I've said this before but they really spoil us..

Afterwards, we went around to the kitchen and met J-M, the great stalwart in the kitchen, who's been there for years. Built like a rugby prop forward (which is not surprising since he was one), he's a superb chef and we were surprised to hear that he's retiring next year. He always looked after us well. Needless to say, we had a prolonged walk around the village before setting off for home.

Here's a nice evening shot of the 'our' village with the restaurant in darkness just below the church. 

30th June 2011. There were surprisingly few down at the river this evening - just enough to put together a coxless IV and a pair.. I was out in the IV and it went quite well.. we did 16km. (Running total: 823km) There was enough of a wind blowing up river to form waves. However, boats like ours don't ride waves, they just cut through them and with their low freeboard they are vulnerable to shipping water at speed! Most of us were well & truly soaked by the time we got back to the pontoon!

 

I was just deleting some old files when I found this old clip.. Now, be honest, who amongst us hasn't ever tried to dance the syrtaki when on holiday in Greece..? 

I was once quite a dab hand at it.. late at night, with a few ouzos onboard, by the light of the silvery moon etc etc.. Hup-haaaa!

Not long after we were married, I took Madame to what was advertised as the last unspoilt Greek island. Walking barefoot along the beach there one evening, just as I was about to put my foot down, I caught sight of something glittering in the sand right where my foot was going.. Aargh! A hypodermic syringe.. Talk about a mood-shattering moment.. What with that and the late night bars for the tourists (young N Europeans mainly) selling 'slammers' - cheap spirits guaranteed to put them straight into an instant coma - well, yes - I thought the islands had changed greatly since I lived there in the sixties.

2nd July 2011. Hot morning on the river - felt like 24° or so.. Had a very forgettable outing in a coxless IV - which actually got worse as we went on. Lack of concentration, timing all over the place, sloppy bladework, untidy finishes, rushing on the slides - where to start! Did 15km (Running total: 838km).

The DSK affair rumbles on.. I must admit to finding it slightly strange that a poor black woman in New York who reportedly has $100,000 in the bank was still working as a chambermaid! It's odd that no-one has mentioned this so far. Think there's much to emerge still in this case.

In the meantime, I think a restorative armagnac could well be on the cards this evening.. bearing in mind all the benefits I can expect according to that list above!

153. Thoughts on midsummer

21st June 2011. We've arrived at the longest day of the year.. and no doubt Stonehenge will have been well & truly hugged this morning by touchy-feely New Age crystal gazers et al. There's a good cross-section of them here on this clip as well as the beginnings of that old hippy stand-by - the circle dance. (Where did I put my cloak..?!)

My reliable old BS Detector flicked straight into the RED zone and almost burnt out when I saw what Father Christmas gets up to in the above clip between January and November..! It keeps them off the streets I guess.

I visited Stonehenge about 20 years ago and it was a curious experience. Over the years these ancient stones have challenged us to come up with a convincing explanation for their purpose  and, standing as they do at the side of a busy main road, I found it difficult to separate them from the mundane everyday world that passes by. However, they continue to exert a fascination over us and they have intrigued each successive generation. Today, their mute silence seems to appeal more to those who hold more alternative views. So now we have druids there in some make-believe ceremony greeting the sunrise by chanting their mantras and accompanied by - and I'm guessing here - flutes and bongos at the very least..

There's another site at Carnac in Brittany with rows of standing stones that remains mysterious to this day. 

Another hot outing this evening in a beautifully built wooden shell coxed quad sculler.. I must admit to being glad to see the clubhouse again afterwards! 13km (Running Total: 779km).

There's the Fête de la Musique tonight in Bayonne.. and on Saturday, there's the Marché Montmartre where local artists exhibit their work in the streets around the cathedral.

22nd June 2011. We drove up to Condom in the Gers today to meet up with A & I for lunch (A is an old colleague and was on holiday up near Bergerac). France is a big country and that was brought home to us (I mean me!) as we had a long drive (almost 3 hours) in the rain to Condom (which hadn't looked that far on the map!) past vast fields of rustling corn - which, curiously, despite the rain, were still being watered. There were fields of sunflowers too, all focused on where the sun should have been. And then there were the vines. Row upon countless row of vines.

After driving through a largely empty landscape, we entered the small village of Montréal and there was a sudden clustering of a large number of creatively parked cars.. and the slightly surreal sight of a crowd of people who were all engaged in playing boules or pétanque (is there a difference?) - in the rain.

It was good to see A & I again and we enjoyed a nice little lunch here.. Tried some of the local white wine - Domaine de Monluc - which I'd like to be able to find locally but I don't think there's much chance of that. 

We went for a walk around Condom afterwards and visited the Musée de l'Armagnac - but not the Musée du Préservatif which celebrates the product for which Condom is perhaps better known. (I've kept you waiting a few paragraphs for this - in Condom, even the buses come in threes..!) If you really must, scroll down this link for an idea of what awaits you there if you decide to visit.

Finally, we hove upon La Librairie Gourmande (3 Place Bossuet) which is a bookshop-cum-tea shop on three floors and highly recommended! The menu featured page after page of various teas, coffees and hot chocolate - none of us had ever seen such a variety and choice. The friendly owner also serves her own cakes - which were moist and delectable - and the customer is invited to graze from the surrounding bookshelves at the same time. I needed dislodging with a pointèd stick! 

23rd June 2011. Another sultry evening on the river in the same boat we had on Tuesday.. 14km (Running Total: 793km)

24th June 2011. Went to Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the afternoon - which was girding its loins for celebrating its Fête.. many people in red and black.. with temporary bars set up in the streets ready for the evening. After, we called in at our friends' restaurant in 'our' village where we always used to stay. Had a sangria under the platanes outside and realised with something of a shock that it was 20 years ago this summer that we made our first visit there. Back then, we were staying at another small hotel in the village but it was quite noisy at night there as it overlooked the fronton.

Back then, we asked in the restaurant if they knew of anywhere else in the village where we could stay and next minute, the chef (the father of P, the current owner) emerged from the kitchen in his whites and his tall chef's hat and said he'd take us somewhere.. He jumped in his open-topped 2CV (right) and, with his chef's hat poking out through the roof in the breeze, he careered off at speed through the village - with me sticking to him like glue - before pulling up outside a white painted Basque house 5 minutes away. (only in France!) There, we were offered a spotless chambre d'hôte room (ie, B&B) for £10 a night - and this was in the height of the season. Many happy memories of summer holidays in that village.

25th June 2011. Warm out there on the river this morning - did 14km in a coxed quad sculler. Not the best outing of the week. (Running total: 807km)

It was hot out on our west-facing terrace last night so I made a couple of caipirinhas.. which really hit the spot. The Met lady is forecasting temps of 36C for here today and tomorrow.

26th June 2011. I've mentioned Tiens! before here - it's a privately produced free online magazine about South West France that, in my view, has set the standard for fascinating content, design & beautiful photography - and all accompanied by great music. Produced by Perry & Caroline Taylor (a creative Anglo-Dutch couple) in partnership with Marc & Jacqueline Receveur-van der Grinten as a labour of love, Tiens! reflects their view of life in la France profonde by scratching below the surface to reveal the old values, habits, customs and traditions of a rural France that are in danger of disappearing in the face of the relentless advance of modernity. As far as I know, no-one 'out there' is doing anything remotely similar that portrays these aspects of rural French life so lovingly.

Alas, no-one stepped forward to support their worthy endeavours and so they had to cease publication of Tiens! after Issue # 3.  

152. Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the late afternoon sunshine

18th June 2011. Late yesterday afternoon we decided to zip down to Saint-Jean-de-Luz (25 mins from Pipérade Towers) for some retail therapy (hold me back!). As we drove the few km south down the autoroute, the horizon opened up at one point to reveal a great expanse of the not-so-distant Pyrenees shimmering in a misty blue heat haze - this view never fails to inspire us.

The car said it was 27°C and it certainly felt like summer when we arrived at Saint-Jean - the beach was quite crowded and a few people were swimming. We stopped at the Glaces Lopez concession on Boulevard Thiers - difficult not to - and 'people-watched' for a few minutes while we ate our ice creams (chocolat noir and stracciatella). We noticed that shop windows were full of red & black pants, shirts, foulards etc and, sure enough, it wasn't long before we saw a sign for the Fêtes Patronales de Saint-Jean-de-Luz. (above left)
It all kicks off next weekend when it's more or less de rigueur to wear red & black. The Fête Patronale usually combines all of these - dancing the fandango, confetti wars, strolling bands, eating, singing, sangria and usually the toro de fuego* to finish up with - which is totally bonkers!                               * It's not a real bull!

We had two English girls visiting us down here years ago and, at the height of the high jinks (the bands, the drums, the toro de fuego (!), the confetti wars etc etc) one of them turned to us and asked - a little plaintively - "Is it always this lively?" (that phrase has entered our vocabulary!)

Boulevard Thiers still runs along the sea front but it no longer looks like this (left) - only a couple of these elegant seaside villas remain - unfortunately the remainder were demolished long ago to be replaced by 60s-style multi-storey apartment blocks. And nowadays, both sides of the boulevard are lined with parked cars.

After finishing the shopping, we returned to Boulevard Thiers to stop off at the newly re-juvenated 'Bar Basque' (right) for a sangria. All the tables and chairs outside have been replaced with swish new ones, there's a new menu, the waiters are friendly and if you're ever at a loose end in St Jean, there are many worse places to twiddle it in than the 'Bar Basque'. Sitting with a drink under the trees in the late afternoon sunshine watching the world go by, I'd be hard-pushed to think of anywhere else I'd rather be. All the elemental colours of the Basque flag were there - the white of the buildings, the Basque red shutters and doors, the green of the trees under a burning blue sky. And while you're contemplating all that, their drinks list features some classic cocktails too..

The Boulevard Thiers runs through the chic part of St Jean de Luz. If your S.O. (significant other) feels her "Shopping Low Level Warning Light" come on, you could always volunteer to park yourself at the 'Bar Basque' thus leaving her free to ramble and roam without that nagging feeling that two steps behind her lurks Mr Grumpy who's got half an eye cocked on his wrist watch.

Boulevard...

..Thiers

And if you ever find a large bunch of keys to an apartment anywhere on Boulevard Thiers jangling in your pocket, you'll know that you've landed on your feet. Lined with well-groomed evergreen trees (I'm not sure if they're eucalyptus or magnolia - or neither), a few steps from the beach and handy for all parts of town, Boulevard Thiers really is the ne plus ultra as far as I'm concerned.   

Went down to the river this morning under heavy grey skies - it had rained overnight - and no sooner had we got out on the river in an VIII than it started raining again.. Ah well, it's only water (it says here). Did 14km (Running total: 766km).

A propos of nothing - this sign from European trains advising passengers not to lean out of the windows always used to amuse me - not entirely sure why though. The German phrase sounded to me as though it should be shouted, whereas in French it sounds like something a Frenchman might whisper to his girlfriend last thing at night. The Italian one comes straight from a menu.. "I'd like the pericoloso sporgersi and a bottle of San Pellegrino per favore." That's the danger of national stereotyping for you!

19th June 2011. The window's wide open, there's not a cloud in the sky and the birds are twittering (not tweeting!) outside.. Going to be warm today.

No lawn or hedge has been harmed in the writing of this post. 

Here are some tips for travellers dated 1937 - how times have changed:

151. An English lawn in the Pays Basque

As it was

15th June 2011. It's been a quiet week in the Pays Basque (with apologies to Garrison Keillor!) Starting a lawn from scratch here has proved trickier than I ever would have believed. When we moved in here in February 2008, the 'lawn' (such as it was) was a mess - it was choked with weeds and dandelions (pronounced by Madame in her own inimitable fashion as dan-delly-ons!) with many bare patches of hard-packed earth. I started pulling the weeds out one by one but, after I'd done a small area, I realised I would be wasting my time as there was hardly any grass remaining after the weeds had gone. After looking at the price of turf, I thought it would be cheaper to re-seed. This meant double-digging the whole area all over, putting in fertiliser and a lot of new soil, leveling it and re-seeding.

So - it was out with the spades and the forks. Digging it over took me a week as just below the surface lay a tangled web of roots from the surrounding trees and bushes. Heaving out as many of the firmly-entrenched roots as I could manage filled ten 50 litre sacks - and lopped 5 years off my three score years and ten.. I put in a lawn edging strip to try and contain the lawn neatly at the borders and then I started building up the level with soil. I've long lost count of how many 50 litre sacks of earth and fertiliser I've put in but it's well over a hundred. I seeded and then stood back to watch and wait.

Lawns flourish in England's mild & well-watered climate but that of the Pays Basque is more challenging with its fierce summer sun and infrequent but torrential downpours of rain. 

Early results were illusory (right) - the lawn looked promising but it gradually faded and we ended up with dead burnt patches. I think the tree's roots were sucking up much of the water and so a couple of years ago, we decided to have it removed. As it came down, we discovered that it had been dying on us - much of it was rotten. After re-seeding with different grass and achieving mixed results I bit the bullet and turfed the half at the far end. Madame has been raking it all and putting liquid fertiliser on it and I think we must be doing something right as this year it's finally starting to look pretty good. We've also been making good use of the water barrel to keep newly sown patches well-watered. The birds remain a problem though. For some reason, they keep pecking holes in it. The little treasures!

Did a search on YouTube for a suitable clip about mowing lawns and came up with this.. (don't ask!)