207. Recent happenings in the Pays Basque

14th October 2013. Just give me a minute while I blow the dust off the blog.. That's better.. (cough cough!) It appears there's been a bit of a hiatus with my McBlog.. almost 2 months since the last post.. But, as always, there are a number of reasons for my indolence (none of which would stand up in court however!). While I'm preparing the case for the defence, this is a piece I heard on the radio the other day - by ABBA of all people - I don't know about you but to me it has a real Highland feel to it.. I think Benny and Bjorn must have been interviewing Doctor Glenmorangie when they wrote it (but it's none the worse for that though☺):

Let's see.. what's been going on in this blessèd corner of France since the end of August? The choir I sing with gave a concert in the cathedral here which was quite an experience.. Every seat was taken and even standing room was at a premium. Madame was sat somewhere in the crowd and she told me afterwards that there were people around her dabbing their eyes as we sang.. (was I to blame?) It was a moving experience for all of us and it was one of the most rewarding things I've done in a loong time. The change in the acoustics from the rehearsal room to the vast resonating spaces of the cathedral took me by surprise - and this was enhanced by the swelling reverberations of the organ. We have some more concerts coming up before Christmas. I've surprised myself by how much I enjoy it.

The second weekend of September saw the annual commemoration of the Comet Line - the legendary WWII evasion network designed to repatriate shot-down Allied aircrew. (I've described this event in previous posts - check out Comet Line under "Labels" in the left hand margin) This year's event retraced the classic coastal route from Ciboure, Urrugne and then over the mountains, across the Bidassoa river that marks the frontier between France and Spain and on to Sarobe farm - and it was as inspirational as in previous years.

This year we were privileged to have with us Andrée Dumon (aka "Nadine") - a wartime Comète guide - and George & Janet Duffee. "Nadine" and George are seen here (right) laying a wreath at the Monument aux Morts, Anglet.

"Nadine" is a wonderfully charismatic Belgian lady who leaves a lasting impression on all those she meets.. I heard only today that she's written a book (in French) and I'm hoping it won't be too long before it's translated into English.

George - an RAF pilot - had the great misfortune to be shot down in his Halifax heavy bomber over Holland on his very first operation and, after making contact with the Comet Line, he was guided down to the Pays Basque, where he managed to make a 14 hour crossing of the mountains at night in the rain. Unsurprisingly, this experience marked him for life - so much so that he and his family have returned to the Pays Basque countless times over the years to revisit those who'd helped him in those dark days. It was the 70th anniversary of George's epic crossing this year. 

Jenny Grimes, "Nadine" and John (grandson)

We also had the pleasure of the company of the family of the late Col Robert Grimes USAAF (right), who were present for the first time. The stirring stories of both the Comet Line and Bob's long & arduous path to freedom are well told by Peter Eisner in his book "The Freedom Line" and it's well worth a read. In a story within a story, Peter tells how Nadine's sister Michou (aka "Lily") had nursed the wounded 20 year old Bob back to health in Brussels over a period of weeks - she'd found a doctor to remove a bullet from his leg (without anaesthetic). The picture above (above left) is a poignant reminder of the fragility of the threads that hold our lives together. Bob passed away in 2010 and his daughters Susan and Jenny, and their families, finally made the trip to the Pays Basque in honour of his memory. There's another excellent story - again by Peter Eisner - about Bob here.

Pierre and Michou Ugueux

Six members of the extended Grimes family arrived jet-lagged from the US but after only a minimal amount of downtime, they were soon scampering up and down the mountains like mountain goats..! (Poetic licence alert!☺ Only joking Jenny!) The first time any of us tackled the mountains most of us were in the same boat to be honest.. However, I've since found that one of the secrets of hill walking is not to look too far ahead or up.. Another is to make sure you have 2 good sticks. This may or may not work for you but it definitely works for me. Mine are both sturdy wooden jobbies and they enable me to use my arm strength - thus allowing me take some of the load off my poor old knees. When I first did this climb three years ago, I really struggled but with the sticks it was quite do-able.

The following day saw the group continuing the hike from the old station at San Miguel on the banks of the Bidassoa en route for Sarobe farm. I decided not to do the first part of this walk - instead I joined up with the walkers at around 11am for the leg to Sarobe farm and then on to Errenteria where we had a late lunch at a Basque dining society.
     

Saturday, 19th October 2013. We were away for a few days earlier this week - we had to go up to Chartres for a day and from there we continued on to Margency (to the north of Paris) to stay with friends for a few days. The journey north was long with more or less constant rain and poor visibility and we were glad to see the magnificent Gothic edifice of Chartres cathedral finally emerge from the mist and rain at the end of the afternoon. We found time to go inside the cathedral to marvel at what is one of the jewels in the crown of world, never mind European, architecture. How on earth was this building conceived, designed, calculated and constructed back in the twelfth century? Built at a time when many of the population would have been living in rude dwellings of wattle and daub, it's a monumental demonstration of the power, wealth and faith of the Church at that time. Here's a short film with some images that capture something of the mystical quality of Chartres - although I find the narration a shade too.. well, I leave that for you to decide:  

Where did the knowledge come from? It seems that a technical revelation must have occurred to the masons and architects at that time - a sudden fusion of all the various disciplines that allowed the construction of such a great structure to be contemplated.      

As an aside, on the way to Chartres, we skirted the forest of Fréteval - a name that should resonate with all students of the Comet Line. 

After a quick change we went into the historic centre to find a certain restaurant we'd visited previously.. but, since we'd last been in Chartres, the world had moved on - taking the restaurant with it! We stumbled upon La Casa Tropical - an Afro-Caraïbéens restaurant that specialises in food from "des Iles" - the islands in this case being the francophone islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion etc. A rum punch kick-started the system and we had an excellent meal there (worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Chartres). After sorting out some business in Chartres the following day we headed off to Margency. Finding our way there without the aid of the GPS would have been next to impossible. It was good to see our friends again - and the next day they took us to Pierrefonds which was about an hour away to the north (in the direction of Compiègne).

We drove through the forest of Compiègne and found the clearing where the two Armistices had been signed - arguably the two most significant events of the twentieth century in terms of the aftermaths in both cases. There was a definite sense that an event of some magnitude had taken place here. The first Armistice in 1918 marked the end of hostilities at the end of the Great War. The second in 1940 was signed at the moment when Hitler was at the absolute zenith of his power. There is a small museum that houses a replica of the original Wagon Lits carriage where the two armistices had been signed in addition to a multitude of other artefacts. Am I alone in finding the story of the carriage as seen by the French and the Germans to be more than a little bizarre?

From Wikipedia:

The armistice was signed in a carriage of Foch's private train, CIWL #2419 ("Le Wagon de l'Armistice"). 

It was later put back into regular service with the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, but after a short period it was withdrawn to be attached to the French presidential train. 

From April 1921 to April 1927, it was on exhibition in the Cour des Invalides in Paris. In November 1927, it was ceremonially returned to the forest in the exact spot where the Armistice was signed. Marshal Foch, General Weygand and many others watched it being placed in a specially constructed building: the Clairière de l’Armistice. 

 There it remained, a monument to the defeat of the Kaiser's Germany, until 22 June 1940, when swastika-bedecked German staff cars bearing Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Wilhelm Keitel, Joachim von Ribbentrop and others swept into the Clairiere and, in that same carriage, demanded and received the surrender armistice from France. During the Occupation of France, the Clairiere de l’Armistice was destroyed and the carriage taken to Berlin, where it was exhibited in the Lustgarten. 

After the Allied advance into Germany in early 1945, the carriage was removed by the Germans for safe keeping to the town of Ohrdruf, but as an American armoured column entered the town, the detachment of the SS guarding it set it ablaze, and it was destroyed. Some pieces were however preserved by a private person; they are also exhibited at Compiègne. 

 After the war, the Compiègne site was restored, but not until Armistice Day 1950 was a replacement carriage, correct in every detail, re-dedicated: an identical Compagnie des Wagon-Lits carriage, no. 2439, built in 1913 in the same batch as the original and present in 1918, was renumbered no. 2419D. There's also a granite slab that bears the following uncompromising inscription in foot-high letters:

"Here on the eleventh of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German Reich. Vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave."

I think Churchill's maxim was nearer the mark - and far more statesmanlike:

In War: Resolution,

In Defeat, Defiance,

In Victory, Magnanimity,

In Peace, Good Will.

At Pierrefonds we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the lake. Pierrefonds had the air of a village that had seen much trade from Paris in its heyday. - which was probably in the 1950s. Here's its château (don't overlook this link!):

We'd unfortunately picked the wrong day to return home because we got entangled with weekend half term holiday traffic - it took us 11½hrs to get home. Phew! We watched with interest as the outside temperature climbed as we headed south.. it was reading (according to the car) 24° when we arrived at Bayonne at 8.30pm. Apparently it had hit 31° at Saint-Jean-de-Luz that day! 

Sunday, 27th October 2013. Last Sunday a group of 12 of us from the choir went over the border (in the vicinity of Erratzu) for what was optimistically billed as a 3 hour hike..!

Xorroxin

Crossing the border south of Ainhoa, we picked up two more of our group at Dantcharia before heading into Spain proper. We drove through Erratzu before parking our convoy just outside the small hamlet of Gorostapolo. Setting off on stony old cart tracks we headed first for the sparkling falls at Xorroxin (above). So far so good. I think this more or less marked the end of the correlation between our knowledge of our position and the map. Still, we weren't lost - merely that the radius of the circle of uncertainty that described exactly where we were expanded to 2-3kms. No problem - the scenery was stunning and the company was good.

At midday, we stopped for vittles.. Forgetting this was a French group, I'd just brought a packet of dried apricots, a handful of energy bars, a pear and a bottle of water. However, it was a different story for the others! From the depths of various rucksacks and other hitherto unremarkable containers emerged the very welcome sight of a number of cakes - as only the French can make them - one of which was a complete Kugelhof just like this (right).. (& unsquashed to boot!) Someone else produced a bottle of red wine and flasks of coffee also appeared. Morale soared! After this lunch we continued to walk and walk until we finally returned to the realm of the known world. I think we did something like 15-20km. This clip shows the heavily wooded area (Baztan) through which we walked as it looks in autumn:

I'd left home at 8.30am and returned at 7pm! Madame was almost amused!☺

There's another hike planned in a few weeks time. This time I'll be prepared! This clip shows the quaint old Basque villages of Erratzu & Gorostapolo and the beautiful Baztan valley (in Navarre, Spain)..

Ramer en pointe or rowing

I went down to the river yesterday and before I knew it I'd been corralled into an outing in a sporty blokes VIII (en pointe) (Eng trans here). We took out a newly restored Filippi wooden shell eight.. and it was a real pleasure to row in it as we went steaming up the river at a rate of knots, ringing the changes with ratings, power and slide variations without any allowances being made for the presence of a pensioner in their midst - in spite of the occasional whimpering noises emanating from the vicinity of my position!☺

We went as far as we could up the Nive - to the rapids at Ustaritz - where we turned the boat around and committed ourselves to a hard row back to the garage (club house). We returned doing 'intervals' - 10 light strokes, followed by 10 normal then 30 "rapide".. Each time we started on a series of "rapides", the boat surged forward feeling rock steady as the power came on in the water.. Measuring it out afterwards it worked out at ~24kms (15 miles in real money). A great outing! 

I found this personality test the other day and I thought I'd try it - I came out as an ENFJ. (I was sure I'd be an RTFQ!). I tried it again a day later and answered the questions slightly differently (without bending the truth) and emerged as another personality type. I don't think the results have any great significance.

This morning I went down to the beach at Anglet with the pooch for some fresh air. The problem is that poor old Chibby, our 12 year old golden cocker spaniel, is now almost totally blind. He has cataracts on both eyes that, according to the vet, are inoperable as he also has macular degeneration of the retina. So now, sadly, his days of madcap racing on the beach are officially over as he has to stay on his lead.. here he is down there on a windy day in early 2010:

A great pity because in all other respects he's as full of beans as he ever was and he was itching to be let loose. Here he is in happier days surveying his territory before we left England: 

It was one of those October days when it was difficult to imagine wishing to live anywhere else.. it was warm - around 24° - and the cloudless sky was that burning blue that often occurs at this time of the year.

Looking south towards Biarritz, a silver mist hung over the beach as successive rollers reared up and crashed in an explosion of white foam on the almost deserted sand.

We were invited to lunch today by two of the most generous people we've ever met - who else but the owners of the gîte where we stayed for 5 months back in 2007. We arrived at midday and a USMC-sized glass of Ricard was put in my hand.. (Check out the link to see what other brands are owned by Pernod-Ricard - think you'll be surprised!) One of the courses was Ris de Veau (which might well give me nightmares tonight!☺) - that I ate while thinking of England!

We had a welcome change of gear after this with roast quail.. which were delicious. I'll have to tell you about a frustrating incident that happened at this point.. A bottle of 1994 Pomerol appeared but the cork defied all attempts to extract it.. (I did briefly contemplate biting the neck off the bottle!) My frustration can be imagined if I were to remind you that the legendary Château Pétrus is a Pomerol!!

By the way, I've added Ris de Veau to my list of dishes that I'll take steps to avoid in future. Already at the top of my "Not even at the point of a Gun" list are Andouillette and Tête de Veau.       

Tuesday, 29th October 2013. I forgot to mention that our hosts on Sunday had kindly given us a box of fresh farm eggs as we were leaving and yesterday Madame made an omelette from them. The yellowest, tastiest omelette we've had since we last had some eggs from the farm.

Wednesday. The local news has been reporting the reappearance of the monster wave known as Belharra just to the south of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. (this is not photo-shopped)

It's caused by the presence of an off shore reef and it apparently requires certain conditions (wind, tide, weather) to combine in order to make it form - but when it does.. this is the result: 

More videos of the Belharra wave here.

206. Sunday morning in the mountains

2nd August 2013. For most of July, heat and high humidity lay across the Pays Basque like a warm blanket and we retreated indoors behind closed shutters and stayed there. Fortunately, that spell of weather broke and now we're enjoying summer.

26th August 2013. I'm involved with an association down here that is concerned with the activities of Comète - the WWII escape & evasion network that actively helped repatriate hundreds of shot-down Allied aircrew shot down in the Low Countries and northern France. Over a long weekend in mid-September each year there's a commemoration here - the Friday sees us laying wreaths in various locations, a speech or two followed by vins d'honneur à volonté! On the Saturday & Sunday we walk over the same tracks across the mountains and into Spain that were used during the war, wading across the river Bidassoa that marks the frontier where these days, instead of being shot at by Franco's Guardia Civil, the Basques from l'autre côté welcome us with grilled sardines and cider.. Sunday sees us making an early start - a 7.30am scramble up what feel like a near-vertical hill rising up from the river before easing off. The goal this time is Sarobe borda, a remote old farm high up in the Spanish Basque country that sheltered hundreds of evaders throughout the war. Nothing has changed there - today they offer us the same welcome as they always did with the shattered aviators who used to stagger in exhausted and footsore at dawn back then - with beef broth, homemade hot tortillas and full-bodied Rioja - after which they slept in a hay loft.

Yesterday, a few of us had a dry run of the Saturday programme to show the route to a few new Basque mountain men who would act as guides next month. After leaving home at an ungodly hour, we all met up and set off at 8am.. The air was clean and fresh with the smell of wild mint in the air.

Here are a few photos to give you a flavour of the day..

Fortunately, the first line of hills obscures what lies behind..!

 Just when you thought you'd reached the summit, up ahead there was another daunting steep climb..

 Fortunately it was in the low 20s yesterday and this time I had 2 sticks to help me up the climbs..

 This is Hendaye (France) with Fontarribia (Spain) in the background..

Getting higher.. There's a vulture on this photo (above).. There's a v-shaped notch on the left hand side and the bird is just visible on the right of the vee.

We came across the skeleton of a small pottok.. a wild horse that lives in the mountains. Its bones had been picked clean by the vultures and all that remained was its tail.

Breath-taking scenery up there..

This is the summit where we bumped into a man walking his dog for an early morning walk on a mountain top.. (as you do!)

This was a working farm we came across on the descent.. she was living the life as it's always been lived there.. Fortunately we had 4 Basque speakers with us and she was kindness itself.

 

 This tranquil scene is the Bidassoa - marks the Franco-Spanish frontier. (full of good-sized trout) 

When the river was raging high and wading across in the dark wasn't an option, the evaders would walk upstream for 4-5kms to this former power station where a simple suspension bridge a couple of feet wide was rigged up in those days. Today, that's been replaced by a modern bridge. The walk along the bank - up and down the high bank on loose jagged footings was as hard as anything we did yesterday.. We were all drenched in sweat..

We finished up at a restaurant - where else.. (this is France!) - and this was the salad (très copieux as they say here) my neighbour was served with as a starter!!

205. Signs of life from the Pays Basque

Thursday, 27th June 2013. You'll be pleased to learn that I'm not going to delve into the rights and wrongs of the proposed abolition of the Winter Fuel Payment to British expats in the EU. Here's Matt's view of it!

Tuesday, 2nd July 2013. I realise I've not been keeping the blog up to date lately but, if it please the court, I will explain. Madame has been laid low these past few weeks - and as a consequence all her domestic duties have been picked up by your correspondent. I'd always thought we shared those tasks down the middle but I've come to realise that she'd been doing the lion's share - so blog maintenance has had to take a back seat to other, more pressing, jobs (such as the ironing!☺). The other main reason for dust gathering on the blog has been the weather..

The start of July usually sees us in summer mode. Normalement, this means that the neighbours should, by now, have become fully re-accustomed to the sight of their favourite Brit in his shorts; the plancha should have emerged from its winter storage to be manhandled up to the terrace and both of us should be well on our way to a becoming bronzage! Oh yes, and SaxMan™ should be in his customary place opposite the War Memorial playing endless riffs. I mean the same 10 second riff endless times. Alas, none of these things have happened. A month ago, the local TV was reporting that out of the first 149 days this year, it had rained on 100 of them.. We've hardly made any trips out and about and the plancha is still tucked away in the dark recesses of the garage. And I've only seen SaxMan™ once this year.

In the midst of all the recent dramas, Madame's laptop went on the fritz.. The warning signs had been present for a few months - but familiarity had bred contempt. It had started slowing down and it was taking longer and longer to do the simplest of tasks, even though I'd spring-cleaned its hard drive. Then one night it happened..   

Her laptop had steadily accumulated a number of irregularities over the years that I'd been unable to resolve. I think it served her well for 10 years so it'll be going to the final resting place (aka the top of the wardrobe) once she's up to speed with her new one. This could take some time as her new laptop comes with Microsoft's latest offering, Windows 8. The guiding principle that surely motivated the MS Software Development Team responsible for W8 must have been: If it ain't broke, fix it till it is. Software intended for domestic consumption should be highly intuitive and user friendly. (that's a statement of the obvious isn't it?) Very few of us are that interested in the whys and wherefores of software; for us a PC is a tool - the means to an end. It makes me feel better to imagine that these (below) are the Microsoft software engineers responsible!

You have to remember that these were the bright sparks who configured the display of all of their software prior to W8 such that to switch off your PC, you had to click on the START button. D'oh..

Enough of the Microsoft sadsacks - here's one of the most beautiful pieces of chorale music I've heard for a long time - it's Adon Olam sung here by the Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir:

The Fêtes de Bayonne kicks off in 3 weeks tomorrow.. Over a million people pour into Bayonne (Pop: 40,000) and in previous years this was all the encouragement we ever needed to head for the hills to escape the crowds. The recent storms however have devastated many of the roads and villages in the area of the high Pyrenees that we like - so I think we'll be staying here for the duration.

This was Lourdes two weeks ago:

This next clip gives you an idea of the sheer volume of water that tore through some of the villages in the Pyrenees:

Still on the storms: a couple of years ago we stayed at this hotel (left) at Luz-Saint-Sauveur in the Hautes-Pyrénées over the period of the Fêtes de Bayonne and every evening we ate outside on the terrace (right) listening to the trickle of running water (I can hear you thinking that's not a good idea at my age - and you'd be right!) Here's that very same scene again during the storms of mid-June (the white box being tossed casually around in the waves is a fridge). The terrace comes into shot at 00:17: 

If the above clip won't start, here's a link to it on YouTube.

Time for a good song - here's one I always liked - Nathalie (English lyrics here) by Gilbert Bécaud:

A favourite scene from Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown":

Finally, hold on tight to something, anything.. I feel ill just watching this..

Friday, 5th July 2013. This morning I had to go to the pharmacy around the corner to rent a wheelchair for a few weeks as Madame is getting cabin fever with having been confined to the house for the past month. Unlike many other places I can think of, it was very refreshing not to have to sign any forms in quadruplicate, produce an ID or leave a deposit (or a swipe of a credit card) - nothing. The pharmacist just asked me my name and address, wrote it on a piece of paper and that was that. This is one of the fringe benefits of having an honest face!☺

That done, we went out to Carrefour for a spot of retail therapy. They had a promotion on Coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops to you and me) so Madame said she'd do them in a creamy sauce with tagliatelle.. and 'erbs! The table's all set up outside, the rosé is chilling off in  the fridge, the temp is ~25°.. what more do you want! I think the best plan is for you to take a walk around town for an hour or so while I deal with these scallops! (and the wine!) At times like this, all the debate about the Winter Fuel Payment fades into insignificance..☺ 

Saturday, 6th July 2013. What a great win today for the British & Irish Lions against the Wallabies.. and what a great advert for the game: skill, passion, bravery, strength, aggression, emotion, fitness, teamwork, magnanimity and perhaps above all, respect. Both teams - take a bow. This was the must-win game of all must-win games.. After 2 Tests, the teams were separated by only a couple of points - and so everything was riding on this 80 minutes of rugby. Sit back and enjoy if you're a Lions fan. If not, have another cold one.. Here are the match highlights:

12th July 2013. OK, it's official - summer is here! Yesterday I heaved the plancha out of its winter hibernation in the garage down the bottom of the garden, up the steps (phew!) and parked it thankfully in its resting place for what's left of the summer! Then it was out with the teak oil to polish up the "chariot" that it stands on - followed by cleaning up all the metal surfaces.

Today, before the morning got too hot, I was out early & down to the local poissonnerie (fishmonger) where I bought some fresh sardines, a thick slice of fresh red tuna, a freshly-caught gleaming merluchon (hake), some crevettes (prawns) and finally 2 crêpes (pancakes) stuffed with coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops) in a rich creamy sauce. Then to the market building down by the river where Madame had phoned an order through for a roast of duck breast stuffed with orange - we have visitors on Monday.

At lunchtime (27° in the shade), the plancha was lit, brushed with olive oil and 5 minutes later it was ready to receive its first sardines of 2013.. They were quickly gutted and then placed on the sizzling plancha.. The smell could be photographed without too much effort I'm sure! Just before they were ready, Madame sprinkled some of this (left) over the fish which only heightened the anticipation of those watching (like me for example!). This was eased down with some dry Listel Gris rosé.. Then it was time for himself to make a couple of Greek coffees. Dis am de life - an' no mistake!

Techie question: If I launch the blog using Google Chrome it invariably "freezes" and ceases to respond - whereas if I open it with Internet Explorer 10, it's rock solid. Is it me or does anyone else have problems accessing the blog using Chrome? Let me know via the comments underneath or the email contact address in the left hand column. Thanks in advance!☺

Towards the tail end of the swelteringly hot afternoon I went out to a large garden centre to pick up a garden bench in kit form. I picked a shady spot down the bottom of the garden in which to assemble it and on opening up the packaging I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was made in Germany - not the PRC as China coyly calls itself.

The bench went together with a satisfying precision (Vorsprung durch technik) and an hour later I was admiring my handiwork - although as the humidity was way up there, I was dripping. The last few days have seen us wilting under high temps with humidity to match. This is not a problem that we usually suffer from. Let's hope normal service is resumed as soon as possible.

After a shower we sat out with a welcome drink.. Madame had a sangria while I made the most refreshing drink known to mankind - a caipirinha..

This is made with cachaça (Brazilian rum made from sugar cane), segments of limes that have been crushed, sugar to taste and .. well, watch the video..

Really - the perfect drink on an evening like this. Felicidades!

204. Prague Spring

10th May 2013. We're back home in the Pays Basque after a week in Prague and southern Bohemia. As it was a French holiday, the final leg of our journey - the drive back from Paris to Bayonne - took us 10½hrs with long queues on the roads leaving the capital.

Unlike rivers in some other cities, the Vltava is the core element of Prague.

Prague was a revelation to me - it was Old Europe set in aspic. A Europe that had developed in isolation from us in the west and, as it had been largely untouched during WWII, there were innumerable examples of ornate baroque architecture - overlaid with some monstrous examples of Mother Russia's brutal ferro-concrete buildings (think NCP car parks) erected during its 40 year tenure of Czechoslovakia.

The city centre was awash with groups of craggy-faced tourists mainly from Middle and Eastern Europe roving to and fro, all trying to follow their own guide through the masses. Each guide was holding up easily seen symbols such as umbrellas, inflatable lips and other imaginative markers. Throughout all this, smaller groups were gliding through silently on Segways..

Here are some photos we took.. (I found the images for the first 01:22 from the internet as the weather was really unsuitable for photos - grey and shadowless for the most part - but we're to blame for the rest!). That's Smetana's "Ma Vlast" in the background.  

While the cobbled streets of Prague were admittedly hard on the feet, I'm not sure I could have submitted my feet to this bizarre Thai foot treatment I saw in several shop windows there:

Some sections of the Czech population appeared to be doing well since independence: the streets were alive with the discreet sound of large 4x4s pattering over the cobbles - Range Rovers, Mercs, BMWs, Audis and there were more than several Porsche Panameras and Aston Martins (Nature's way of telling you that you have too much money!). I spotted one sole surviving Trabant (below) - that stuttering 4 wheeled anachronism that, in case you needed reminding, tells you all you need to know about socialism in practice.   

On one memorable evening, we had a cruise on the fabled Vltava..  

The programme noted that there was a "John Lennon" wall - and I was curious to see what that was all about. Apparently, during the Communist régime, a student had painted a stylised image of John's head on a wall opposite the French Embassy - much to the annoyance of Gustav Husak - and, as can be seen below, it subsequently became the focus for the expression of youth opposition to the Communist régime:

John would have been delighted!

We also saw the place in Wenceslas Square where that modern day martyr Jan Palach doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire on 16th January 1969 in protest against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia 5 months earlier. He succumbed to his 85% burns 3 days later. Was it really 44 years ago..? Did he choose that method of protest to draw a parallel with Jan Hus?

We encountered a group of Asian tourists one day - and I'm afraid I find it just as impossible to tell where they were from (Japan, China, Korea, Viet Nam?) as any group of Caucasians. Anyway, I was having a coffee outside a café near to lunchtime and a family of four sat at the next table. The waitress came and handed them each a menu which they looked at blankly. The menu was written in Czech, German and Russian and there were no photographs of the food to give them a hint. I often wonder what they ended up having for lunch. I found the Czech language completely unpenetrable - and knowledge of any other European languages is of no help whatsoever in trying to decipher it.

We visited Marienbad one day. If you're of a certain age the name will trigger a distant memory of a 60s cult film - "Last Year in Marienbad". I remember watching this at a film society back then and being totally confused and unsure what it was all about. I don't think I was the only one! It's a far cry from this to "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids"!

There was one drink that seemed to be omnipresent and that was Becherovka.. After seeing it all over the country I bought a bottle and I think I'll be saving it for those winter nights. (NB: 7 years later, it's still full apart from one nip taken from it)

So "Na zdravi!"..

While we're talking about drinks, I tried Pilsner Urquell - the beer that the Czech Republic is rightly famous for.. I seldom drink beer but this was one that would hit the spot on a warm day.

Changing the subject a tad, doesn't this look like an exhilarating way of going home from the office after a long day..? I'd love to try that.☺ Stay with it right to the end..

Sunday, 19th May 2013. A couple of days ago we went across the border for a spot of shopping at Dantxarinea in Spain. On the way there I noticed several vultures circling about in lazy circles. The supermarket we visit there - Venta Peio - has had its interior re-modelled and the drinks section has been significantly expanded - it now offers a staggering range (no pun intended) of various alcoholic drinks. I usually browse there while Madame prowls the aisles of the food hall. The whisky section alone is must be 15 yards long and 3-4 shelves high.. They even stock Yamazaki whisky from Japan.. Then there are all sorts of exotic apéritifs from across Europe plus some real rocket fuels. One such is Ströh 80°.. This is a spiced rum from Austria that's 80% alcohol by volume.. One glass would be sufficient to zero-ise your memory banks - a second would be enough to put you into a low earth orbit. Needless to say, these days I leave things like this well alone.

Before returning home, we stopped at nearby Zugarramurdi (still in Spain) where we had a spot of lunch.

Zugarramurdi

Zugarramurdi is a sleepy town of around 225 people, where little has happened in the last 400 years. Prior to that it was an entirely different story. The village was home to a coven of witches and warlocks who carried out pagan rituals in the nearby caves. Then, in 1610, the Spanish Inquisition arrived (unexpectedly!☺) to arrest many villagers - 11 were burned at the stake for crimes ranging from casting spells on crops, people and animals, to shape-shifting and worshipping Satan.

It's easy to see why they chose to hold their rituals in the Witch Caves of Zugarramurdi. They are truly awe-inspiring, the largest being 12m high and 120m across. Now, every year, a festival takes place on the Saturday before San Juan and the summer solstice to mark this history - it's a day known as El Día de la Bruja or "The Day of the Witch".

During the festival, the entire town is transformed to resemble a set from a Harry Potter movie, with local women in tight bodices (steady!☺); medieval games set up in the streets for kids; and a purple tent filled with messenger owls sitting on scraggly perches. Psychics sit at folding tables, ready to sell the future, while naturopaths prepare herbs to cure coughs or break spells. Thousands of people turn up for the festival, mainly from France and Spain, eager to learn about Zugarramurdi's dark past at the Witch Caves and the Witch Museum. The town's centre square hosts presentations on natural remedies and the history of witchcraft, honouring the wisdom of the "witches" - or healers - of yesterday.

The highlight of the event takes place in the main cave at night, when a ceremony depicting the village's diabolical past is presented around a crackling bonfire with 1,000 or so onlookers. It lasts about 30 minutes and might be followed by a live concert - a real treat, due to the cave's acoustics.

There's something going on with the weather here that's started me thinking that perhaps I should be considering building an ark..! I woke up yesterday morning around 7am to find it was raining large as they say - so no rowing. It didn't stop until 12-13 hours later. Through the day we had several surges in intensity of downpour coupled with violent gusts of wind - one of which was sufficient to bring down a tree in the garden. It's raining again now..  and it's not a gentle downpour either - it's the full "car wash" treatment. This is unprecedented - normally, we've been having lunch outside on the terrace for at least a month by now. I think we've eaten outside twice so far this year.

Sunday, 26th May 2013. Today looks like being a dry day at last - with wall-to-wall blue skies. It's still only a non-seasonal 14° though.. On the news last night, they said on the same day last year it was 31°! So still a long way to go.


We went to the Quintaou market at Anglet this morning.. and amid all the mouth-watering sights and smells there was a small café set up in the middle of it all. Seated at a table were two couples enjoying oysters and a bottle of rosé at 10.10am! And two tables away, another couple had just launched into a bottle of rosé. Such is life (for some) in la belle France! (but not, I hasten to add, for your correspondent)

Off to Biarritz now to walk along the sea front with the pooch and contemplate all manner of things over a petit café at the Café Bleu (above) overlooking la Grande Plage.

Monday, 27th May 2013. A few minutes ago I remembered that James Salter's latest novel All That Is is now available on Kindle. I discovered his work just a year or two ago and his novels have been a revelation to me. He has the uncanny ability of being able to distill the absolute essence of a moment, a person or a place with the barest minimum of words. In my opinion, he's the greatest writer in the English language today.

I've been looking forward to immersing myself in this latest - and no doubt, the last - book of his for some time and now that I've just downloaded All That Is, you'll have to talk among yourselves for a while.

Meanwhile, here's the great man himself:

Tuesday, 28th May 2013. Looking at the evening sky from the balcony this evening, I spotted the first two swallows of the year darting about the rooftops. If one swallow doesn't make a summer, what do two make?

Thursday, 30th May 2013. Last night on the France 3 regional news it was revealed that the Pyrénées-Atlantiques has topped the French rainfall charts this year with 100 days of rain out of 149..  And yes, it rained today too.

Friday, 31st May 2013. Another grey day this morning - overnight, gusts of wind rattled the shutters and there was the all-too-familiar sound of rain on the roof. Still raining this morning as well. Doubt I'll be on the river tomorrow. The current weather is on the right..

Thursday, 13th June 2013. Yesterday the temperature shot up to 30°.. but today the rain was back.. In the evening I saw a few more swallows. Still not convinced though!

I was out in the garden in the evening and it sounded as though the natives were getting restless.. From not far away came the rattle of drums as a local group practised for the upcoming Fêtes de Bayonne.



203. Ne'er cast a clout etc

5th April 2013. In common with the rest of western Europe, Spring has been late in coming down here in the Pays Basque this year. We've had many false dawns but here we are again with yet another chilly day in early April - a bracing 7° - enlivened only by an occasional shower whipping in from the depths of the Bay of Biscay. 

Yes, in March we were lucky enough able to set the table out on the terrace for lunch a couple of times but then the rot set in again - with more wind and rain! As for rowing - I don't mind too much if it starts to rain while we're out on the river but setting off in a downpour ain't my idea of fun. I think I've only rowed 3-4 times this year. 

(Unsure what the title of this post means? Try here - then scroll down)

What's new? A few weeks ago we went to a chorale concert by a local choir that the wife of one of the Comète group here was singing in. I've always had a hankering to sing in a choir so a couple of weeks ago I took the plunge. The director (choir master) asked me if I was a tenor, baritone or bass and I had to tell him that the last time I sang in a choir I was a soprano..! I found a place among the basses and after some lightning introductions we started some vocal exercises. Then some sheet music was handed out and off we went. The first time the whole choir sang as one I was surprised and impressed by the sheer volume of sound that 50-60 voices could produce. 

202. Coming up for air..

18th February 2013. I'm probably going to tempt fate here but.. I think we're just about done with winter - down here at least! After a very wet January and early February that left the garden totally sodden, we've had our first few dry days and over the weekend the temperature took a decided hike upwards from around the 10-12° mark where it's been lurking for a while. We went to Saint-Jean-de-Luz yesterday afternoon and we weren't the only ones to have had the idea..

It was a warm, if breezy, 18°.. and after walking through the throng we had a coffee in the sunshine at the Place Louis XIV (below)..

After 5 years here, we still relish the sights, smells and sounds of this blessèd corner of France. The white-painted Basque houses dazzled as they reflected the sunlight, and a silver mist hung lightly on the distant mountains - there's nowhere else that does it for us quite like the Pays Basque.       

I don't think it will be too long before we'll be ordering some of these - at which point I'll have to ask you to either join us or take a turn along the beach for half an hour or so while we do the necessary!

Sardines

So - what's it to be..?

28th February 2013. I spoke too soon! Yes, we've had blue cloudless skies and sunshine but in the mornings the temperatures have been hanging around low single digit values, warming up in the afternoons.

Went to see "Lincoln" the other day and I think that the Oscar given to Daniel Day-Lewis for the starring role as Lincoln was richly deserved. He is Lincoln.. Worth a look.

Last weekend was Le Big Crunch between England and France in the annual 6 Nations Rugby. This was a match where the result was always going to be more important than the manner in which it was achieved. Wesley Fofana of France scored a wonder try but it wasn't enough to hold out England who, in the end, looked good value for their win. I think the substitutions made before the last quarter decided the outcome. Anyway, see for yourself..

3rd March 2013. Into March now but we still have these low temps.. This morning it's still only 3°.. (at 1030am) having said that, the TF1 weather forecast last night said that we're going to be the warmest in France today at 17°! Think we're slowly creeping into Spring here. Can't come soon enough for me..

Meanwhile, there's a new film out here called "Boule et Bill" - the central character is an English Cocker Spaniel - golden of course (what else!). He's the spitting image of our pooch and so - being cocker daft - I think we might just invest in a couple of cinema tickets.

Here's a reminder of ours:

17th March 2013. On Friday night the rowing club had another soirée in an old vaulted cellar (right) built in the ancient ramparts that surround Bayonne. Great fun - good company, lots of wine, charcuterie and cheese..

Yesterday saw only my third sortie on the river since the New Year.. It took me till mid-January to shake off the flu and then we had more or less constant rain for a month. I'm always glad to see the back of the first three months of the year and this year will be no exception. I went out in an VIII - and it turned out to be a seriously vigorous sortie. We did ~20km and we were all fairly beat up at the end. 

Saturday afternoon saw the concluding round of matches in the 2013 RBS 6 Nations rugby tournament. The stage was set for a monster game at Cardiff between the hosts - a resurgent Welsh XV - and an England XV that was attempting to win their first Grand Slam for 10 years, having won all their 4 previous matches. In a depressing spectacle (if you're an England fan) it soon became clear that Wales would triumph as they played their ferociously competitive brand of rugby. 

I think England's problem was that, unlike the Welsh, they played without passion. I'm convinced that the English coaching staff had told the lads prior to the game to just go through their well-practised drills and the result would come. Played with passion, rugby can be a thing of beauty.. Without it, it just becomes a series of rituals.

We English have been brought up to be emotionally continent - unlike the French, the Welsh, the Scots, the Italians and the Irish - all of whom use passion to add that added sparkle, that extra dimension, the unexpected, the extra gear that helps them in extremis to raise their game. Very few English sides have had that ability - they just work harder and harder.. 

There were one or two moments yesterday when England played with some fluidity and pace and without sticking to the script.. Alas, they didn't last long before they were sucked in by a mighty Welsh side whose collective will-to-win was irresistible on the day.
 

When England trotted out on the field, they didn't looked hyped up to me - they looked calm. And I'm sure that comes from Stuart Lancaster - who is calmness personified. It's a great quality to have but there are times when passion and warrior spirit is called for. Yesterday was one of those occasions. That win will warm Welsh hearts for a generation! It hurts me to say it - but well played Wales!

Here's a short clip of the highlights - fortunately it was the only one I could find!☺

201. Réseau Comète on the map..

24th January 2013. As both my regular readers will be aware, since living in this region, I've taken a great interest in the Comet Line - a network that was set up in WWII by Andrée De Jongh, a 24 year old Belgian woman. Her noble aim was to assist evading Allied aircrew shot down over the Low countries to return to the UK via the Pays Basque and on to Gibraltar and home.

If this subject is new to you, then scroll down and look in the left hand column to where it says Shortcuts.. Click on Comet Line. A few minutes reading there should bring you up to speed. For quite some time I've been of the opinion that the activities of Comet during the war deserved a large scale map and so I've been busy the last few days populating an interactive map with sites of special significance to those interested in the Comet story. The map coverage extends from Spain, up through France to Belgium and a few sites in Germany.

Holding your cursor over any of the locations should bring up its brief description - and clicking on the location should bring up an image after a second or two's delay. To see the map in full screen, click here. If you wish to see a satellite view of the map, click on "Satellite" in the top left hand corner. Use the +/- signs at the bottom right to zoom into and out of the map. The locations are accurate in 99% of cases down to house level so it is worthwhile zooming in. If you wish to have more space for the map and get rid of the listing of all the sites of interest, click on the stylised arrows in the top right hand corner.
Please let me know if you spot any major omissions or inaccuracies. The images are a mix of my own plus those I've trawled from various places on the net. If I happen to have used one of your images and you'd rather I hadn't, let me know and I'll remove it.

31st January 2013. I've been busy lately working on things related to the Comet Line.. so I haven't had much time to scribble here. Just thought I'd mention that we had lunch outside today in Bayonne.. It's still January and it was 17-18°. There's a good little Italian on the banks of the Nive - we've been there before and it's worth a look if you find yourself in Bayonne. Tick VG!

2nd February 2013. It was a great afternoon for some serious armchair sport today - it was the first day of the annual 6 Nations rugby.. There were two matches yesterday - the first turned out to be a thriller in Cardiff between Wales (last year's Grand Slam winners) and Ireland. The lads in green held out to win 30-22:
The other match was England vs Scotland for the Calcutta Cup. This is always a fiercely competed fixture as this is the one that the Scots hate to lose. Yesterday's match saw a hard-fought win for England by 38-18. Some commentators have suggested that the 20 point margin of victory was not a true reflection of the game but that's how it finished. As always it was hard to watch - my legs were twitching constantly! Here are the highlights:

4th February 2013. Yesterday saw Italy squaring up to France in Rome - the final match of the first weekend's 6 Nations action. And what a game it turned out to be..! For the second time in 2 years, the Azzurri of Italy beat les Bleus of France in a - at times - ragged encounter. I have to say that there were times in the second half that France appeared to have lost all cohesion and they looked like a dispirited rabble. I think it was the worst display by a French team that I can remember. I don't think the sole answer lies in changing the manager either. England faced a similar situation after the last RWC and they appointed a new manager who rebuilt the team with many new faces. They now play a different game to the sideways crabbing tactics that they showed under Martin Johnson. I wonder if Guy Novès (manager of Stade Toulousain) will be offered the post?

I don't think it will be too long before Italy move up the pecking order in the international rankings table. Here they are winning 23-18.    

9th February 2013. It's been a wet week here in the Pays Basque - too wet for outings on the river - with only the 6 Nations rugby this weekend to add some sparkle. Today sees Scotland play Italy in what I expect to be a bruising encounter at 1430 UK time then France play Wales at 1700 UK time - with both sides there looking for their first 6 Nations win of the 2013 series. What could be better after a good Sunday lunch than Ireland vs England in Dublin. (at 1500). This promises to be a cracker of a match by two sides that are widely tipped to be the best this year. Too close to call in my opinion. All matches are being shown on BBC1. Watch it live via this!

10th February 2013. I mentioned earlier that I've been busy with the Comet Line lately. Here's a video I put together of some of the many courageous people who chose to involve themselves in what turned out to be an extremely dangerous occupation. If you click on the YouTube logo and watch it there instead of here, then look underneath the viewing screen and click on "Show More", I've written brief notes and in most cases included a link about each of the men and women.

200. Let them eat cake..

11th January 2012. As we seemed to have shaken off the worst of the flu bug we'd had over the Christmas period we decided to go out this afternoon for our first walk of the New Year around Biarritz. As usual, the intensity of the light seemed to crank itself up a notch or two as we drove through Biarritz's winding streets towards the sea. A few minutes later we were walking along the sea front and we did what pensioners do best - we found a seat in the sun!☺ 

Place Bellevue

We couldn't take our eyes off the compelling display of towering waves that were rearing up and crashing in thundering explosions of dazzling white foam against the rocks. It was difficult to estimate the size of the breakers but I'd put the highest of them up around 4-5 metres high. There were a few hardy surfers out there mixing it with the choppy waves, but the conditions didn't look ideal for surfing to my untutored eye.

After a while the dog became impatient for some action and so he led us along the front to the Place Saint-Eugénie before we turned back to walk up through town via the Rue Mazagran to the Place Bellevue where we stopped at the newly opened extension of the temple to the art of the pâtissier and legendary tea room (salon de thé sounds better!) - the Miremont* (above) - that faces the sea.

* Link to photos of cakes.. viewer discretion advised!

If you're going to stop somewhere in Biarritz in the late afternoon for a cup of tea or coffee, there isn't anywhere better. Then there are the cakes.. I'm not normally a great cake eater but I have to admit that these are pretty special:

A favourite watering hole for us in the centre of Biarritz is the well-situated Royalty in the Place Clémenceau - ideal for people-watching.

Another is the 1930s Art Deco Hôtel Plaza - which is ideally situated to watch the to-ing and fro-ing of daily life outside - or, in the case of adverse weather, there's a very comfortable bar and lounge inside. There's often a cool jazz trio/quartet who play here too. Madame gives the Plaza top marks for its hot chocolate by the way!

14th January 2013. Across the border into Spain for a quick shopping raid at Venta Peio, Dancharia (right). As we climbed the mountains on the way there, one or two of the peaks were dusted with snow, like icing sugar. Arriving at the almost empty car park, in contrast to the hectic crowd scenes witnessed there in the build-up to Christmas, we virtually had the place to ourselves - and standing in the Spirits section, I was close to being hypnotised by four long shelves groaning with many of the finest available Scotch whiskies, including more than a few gems such as Talisker and a cask-strength Glenfarclas. I've said it before but there's a lifetime's study waiting here!

Here's the late George Harrison with a little known version of an old song (c1931) originally recorded by Cab Calloway. Guaranteed to have you humming it all day!

  

199. Ready for another one?

1st January 2013. Happy New Year folks..!!

I've had this clip sitting in my camera since we were in Nantes - it's of the huge - and I mean huge - mechanical elephant at Les Machines de l'île that we took a ride on:

As usual, the Christmas and New Year festivities have flashed by as if on Fast Forward.. Despite not being at our best due to the flu-like lurgy that gripped us we nevertheless had some memorable moments. 

One evening we went out in the car to take a look at Biarritz and its annual light show. Town was full of rubber-neckers all doing the same thing.. wandering around entranced by the laser lights. Some of the lighting was really magical - for me, the first prize went to the thousands of small LEDs that festooned the palm trees in front of the Galeries Lafayette department store in the Place Clémenceau. This is the best image I could find and it doesn't do it justice I'm afraid. Many of the landmark buildings in Biarritz had these changing scenes (above) projected on to them.  

Changing the subject a little: One of my New Year resolutions is to finally make the breakthrough with my 5 string banjo. I didn't manage to play it much last year - what with all the translation work I was doing - so this year I'm determined to move up a level with it.

Just when you thought you knew it all: this rare image shows a little-known footnote to history - der Führer's first attempt at creating a mass movement. Despite playing his heart out in the quarter finals of "The Third Reich's Got Talent", the country wasn't quite ready for Adolf's brand of torch-lit Bluegrass Line Dancing mit lederhosen and so, after this crushing disappointment, he put his banjo away for good on top of his wardrobe and he joined his local Parish Council. The rest is history..

Now if you're feeling some post-Christmas blues, and you need a lift, take a look at this!

And finally, on the subject of the New Year, here's how it looked down on the river Thames - as always, best in full screen, HD and sound cranked up!