St Jean de Luz flamenco festival day one

A third of the way through the Festival Andalou in St Jean de Luz and we are still surviving, albeit some four pounds lighter. I don't think I have danced so much since I was 18 years old. The focus of the festival this weekend is held at 'casetas' at the far end of the beach. A series of small tents have been erected in a long line along the promenade with a stage and various dance floors forming the central apex. Each tent offers different wares to the weary dancer (and/or drinker). From tapas and gambas to cider and sangria there is a little of something for every taste.


Yesterday evening we spent several hours at the Jai Alai where Antonio Najarro and his wonderful Compania de Danza performed quite brilliantly. The dancers were all quite beautiful both in form and movement. The theme was 'jazzing Flamenco' and fused together both musical genres quite spectacularly in a set of highly sensuous sequences. Exhausted from watching we returned to the 'casetas' for some well deserved cocktails and tried to emmulate the dancers we had been watching. I fear it was sangria fuelled bravado but I thought I did pretty well. That was last night, this morning as I drink five pints of water and nurse a sore head I am less sure. It all starts over again in two hours.


Basque of the day:- Spain :: Espainia

hotting up in St Jean de Luz

The Festival Andalou has begun in St Jean de Luz. Throughout town you can hear Flemenco music and everybody is making arrangements to meet this evening. We strolled along to the 'casetas' this afternoon to take some lunchtime tapas and watch some excellent dancing. Returning home to escape the sun for a few hours we are readying ourselves for our first real local festival. I noted that quite a few chaps from my choir are manning the bars. A double-edged sword: easy access to drinks but they will also see me dancing! It is going to be a long night.

Basque of the day:- festival :: jaialdi

beach time in St Jean de Luz

The hottest day of the year so far in St Jean de Luz. Appropriately I spent it on the beach with my wife and fake-daughter, Charlotte. Although it was a work day, a school day and not a special day in any way other than being decidely sunny, the beach was jammed with people. I think this weekend will be incredibly busy which is good news for the town. The weather forecast is excellent.

We had our final Flamenco class before this weekend's Festival Andalou. Thankfully, after two hours non-stop sweating and swearing I think we have it cracked. Our class even gave us a standing ovation which was very sweet. I hope we feel as confident when we come to dance in public tomorrow. Fabiana is a superstar teacher and she will be showing of her considerable talent alongside Antonio Najarro, the best Flemenco dancer on the planet.

Basque of the day:- confident :: buru-lasai

St Jean de Luz sea shanty

The Basque choir I have joined in St Jean de Luz is nestled in the harbour. Picture a large C shape. The mouth of the sea opens onto the beach/sea. At either head of the C are St Jean de Luz and Ciboure. The towns spread around the C and meet at its back. In the middle of the C is a spit of land that houses the fishery buildings. In one of these buildings is our club.

This evening as we were rounding off a song there was much excitement as several of my fellow singers opened the windows and began yelling. A large fishing boat from Bilbao was pulling into the harbour. It was the first sardine boat of the season and many of the fishermen on board were friends of the choir. Not only did this remind me of the importance of fishing in these parts, it also reinforced the extent of the Basque country with its transcendence of national borders.

The choir and fishermen were from opposite ends of the Basque country. Indeed, they are from different nations. However, their bond and jovialitywas born of both friendship and an appreciation of importance of this first catch.

Basque of the day:- fisherman :: arrantzale

summer arrives in St Jean de Luz

Today it was not warm in St Jean de Luz, it was hot. The weather forecast for the next week is fantastic which fares well for the Festival Andalou this weekend. It was difficult to achieve much more than lazy reading in the sunshine.

Basque of the day:- reading :: irakurtze

sorcery in St Jean de Luz

There are witches in these parts. Today I think I met one in St Jean de Luz and learned a little of their practices. For fear of anything untowards occurring I shall not dwell on this subject.

We spent much of the day out on a walk exploring the Basque architecture of St Jean de Luz. Other than the busy close-knit centre there are two or three more airy residential areas. All remain true to the white-washed Basque style, speckled in either ox-blood or deep green wooden shutters and finishings. I wasn't sure how much I liked the architectural style, which is almost Tyrollean in appearance, when I first arrived. It has grown on me significantly. Given that in days past large families lived together, many of the houses are immense. This is less common these days although still exists.

Basque of the day:- house :: etxe

Spanish in St Jean de Luz

Spanish is spoken in St Jean de Luz almost as much as French. With the Basque tongue resurging following many years of suppression, many people are trilingual. Tonight we watched Etreintes Brisées (Los Abrazos Rotos) at Le Rex cinema, a beautiful Spanish film by director Pedro Almodóvar starring Penelope Cruz. A wonderful film. Perhaps I am beginning to assimilate Latin culture but there is a depth to French and Spanish films that I rarely find in UK or US offerings.

Although the remnants of the storm remained ominously overhead, the beach was busy. A kayak competition took place with bronzed surf types eagerly rowing out to a distant point at sea before returning poste haste. Their kayaks had large stabilisers on one side to counteract the force of the sea. Much to the pleasure of the myriad of female spectators there was a good deal of muscular flesh on show.

Basque of the day:- sport :: kirol

stormy St Jean de Luz

Tonight there was a storm in St Jean de Luz. I don't know why this Basque corner of the Biscay has so many lightening strikes but they are wonderful. Tonight's began in absolute silence but grew in anger as the rain and hail started to scour the town. Any words of wisdom on why we experience so many such storms in these parts would be most appreciated.

Basque of the day:- storm :: ekaitz

St Jean de Luz and steamy music

Today it was hot in St Jean de Luz. Very hot. After spending most of the day melting on our rear terrace I escaped the heat for a drive in the mountains. With the roof down I sang loudly the various bits of Basque music I had managed to memorise. I was en route to my now weekly session with our choir mistress and the practice was necessary. Today we covered an additional three songs. There is much to work on.



This evening there was the first ever festival of four cultures in Ciboure. Our friend Francois-Xavier was dancing flamenco and we figured we'd go support him, catch up with other friends and have a generally fab time. We weren't wrong. The event took place under a large part open sided tent erected on the banks of the port looking out to the sun setting over the Basque Sea. After a more formal start to the evening a local Basque band took to the stage and orchestrated group dances, in much the same way as I had seen callers call ceilidhs in the past. We were both soon swept up in the throng and mimicking the others around us with some effect. Some were surprisingly similar to Scottish dances. Following several lengthy passages of movement we decided to escape, we have much ahead of us. Fireworks lit our way home, exposing a private dinner that was going on in one of the fisheries. Tonight has been a wonderful appetiser for the festival next weekend. There are so many excuses to party down here I am almost, but not quite, ashamed.


Basque of the day:- indulgence :: asetze

sevillanas in St Jean de Luz

Next weekend in St Jean de Luz there is an Andalusian Festival. At this festival we have been told that we, as a class, will follow our leader Fabiana in a series of public dances. Nightmare! Whilst I am comfortable with 3/4 of the dance, the final 1/4 is still eluding me. Despite the constant kind words from my teacher I am struggling to keep up with my Basque classmates who have all clearly been born into the Basque heritage of music and dance. Wherever I go in St Jean de Luz there is music. Whenever a chance arises there will always be someone willing to sing or dance. It is an important aspect of society deep rooted in local culture. Despite many years of ceilidh dancing I am struggling to keep up. Seven days of serious practice lie ahead.

Basque of the day:- dance :: dantzatu

ascension day in St Jean de Luz

Today is Ascension Day which means St Jean de Luz is on holiday (holy day) to celebrate accordingly. L'eglise Saint Jean Baptiste was standing room only this morning for the ten o'clock service. The mass also celebrated 100 years of the local l'Arin choir (newly found competitors to my outfit) who sang quite beautifully, a very grown up choir. I continued my learning about Catholic traditions and decorum. For the last few weeks the pere has been taking a break midway through the service and walking down the main aisle splashing water on the congregation using a branch of some sort. I am sure it all means something profound and should really ask somebody. Given our now regular attendance and given we tend to sit in the same pew we have befriended a local Basque chap with whom we discuss news from the town in broken French/Basque.

After the service we arranged to meet our friend Francois-Xavier to take coffee in Place Louis XIV. Given it was nearing midday we opted for Ricard, marvellous. Walking down Rue Gambetta afterwards we decided that it would be impolite not to have lunch so headed for a delicious cous-cous of lamb and merguez before jumping head first into a large helping of gateaux chocolate. This was of course washed down with a couple of glasses of vin rouge, again manners must. By the time we were replete the sun was high in the sky and the myriad of tourists crowding the streets. In search of some tranquility we walked out to the point at Sainte Barbe and watched the waves breaking in from the Atlantic. It was now time for coffee so we went in search of our local Cafe Vauban before returning to the apartment to continue our lengthy conversation which by now had covered Catholic ritual, Basque mythology, the French view on current UK politics (which was interesting) and local flora and fauna.

Around five pm we waved goodbye to FX, all in agreement that today had been a good day. He is a lovely chap from a family deep rooted in these parts. We have arranged to catch up again on Saturday when he is dancing Flamenco at the Festival of Four Cultures in neighbouring Ciboure. We don't know what the festival is all about but do know that it is the first of a dozen or so very social festivals that take place over the coming months. People in these parts are not shy about having fun.

Basque of the day:- festival :: jaialdi

St Jean de Luz weather

In St Jean de Luz one is rarely dressed correctly for the weather. In any given day one can be under an umbrella, swimming in the sea and sheltering from the wind and/or sun. It is rather like Scotland in that there are a myriad of conditions within a short space of time, although it is very much warmer and there is far more sunshine.

Our friends here moaned about how dreadful winter was, to me it lasted about two weeks and even that was bearable. Since April it has been warm if not hot with everything taking place outdoors. Even before then we had managed to squeeze a few days onto the beach. I am led to believe that the warmth and sun will be with us until late October with the caveat that on every third day it will rain, to date it tends to rain late afternoon on every second day. Given we arrived in October last year I can testify that it was indeed warm then and I was swimming in the sea daily. So summer is basically seven months, autumn lasts through November and December though is pleasantly warm if wet, my final swim of the year was 22nd December. Winter the two aforementioned weeks in January, including a touch of snow and a hurricane, with spring filling in the time from January till April.

Back to daily weather routines. Most mornings we awake to sunshine hitting the mountains. By mid morning we are either still enjoying sunshine, in which case it tends to stay sunny all day, or there is light cloud. On days like the latter the light cloud clears by lunchtime but portents rain later in the day which either sticks into the night or clears for a pleasant evening. All changes revolve around the tidal patterns which are accompanied by sharp winds with added precipitation courtesy of the Pyrenees. I will agree that it is like a warm Scotland, though I am yet to see any midgies. Also, the Basques don't seem quite so hung up on the weather as we have been used to, weather news lasts seconds rather than minutes.

Basque of the day:- weather :: eguraldi

cinema in St Jean de Luz

There is a lovely traditional cinema in St Jean de Luz called 'Le Rex'. It sits on the main Rue Gambetta and could easily be wandered past were it not for its large art-deco signage. From outside it looks relatively humble but that is a ruse. Inside the plentiful foyer flows past the ticket desk and confectionary booth up the main staircase to two screening halls. There is a gaslit red velvety feel throughout, it feels very like stepping back in time. The main hall is the same size as one would expect from a hall in the UK or America but rather than cramming in as many seats as possible it is kindly appointed with both width and leg room. The seating itself is more akin to an armchair than a church pew. Hall two is somewhat smaller and more intimate, more like a private cinema in a luxury hotel.

The proprietor, Xavier, is a kindly fellow. He works hard but always has time for a smile, quick chat and movie recommendation. He ensures that there is always a good mix of films being shown every week ranging from big blockbusters and action movies to art-house films and documentaries. Being still far from expert in the French language it is particularly pleasing that he also shows films in 'version originale' - including English. Tonight we watched 'Anges et Démons' (in French) which was not nearly as bad as the critics had made out, although there was much said that remained not understood. Such is the success of Le Rex that Xavier is opening another three screen cinema at the end of this year, I just hope that Le Rex remains as wonderful an experience as it is now.

Basque of the day:- entertainment :: entretenitze

taking a break in St Jean de Luz

In St Jean de Luz, and throughout France, they have their priorities right when it comes to working. Besides a loose start time of 0930, mandatory minimum two hour lunch break and assurance that all is wrapped up by 1830 at the latest there is the small matter of public holidays. It is actually more than just the public holidays. Such days seem to always fall on a Thursday or Tuesday. Given both are so close to the weekend it would be folly not to take the adjoining days as unofficial holidays too - a bridge to the weekend or 'pont'. This is done with much gusto and little conscience, rightly so.

This month the following dates are to be enjoyed: May 1st, 8th, 21st, 22nd (pont), June 1st. So, out of a possible 22 work days, 5 are holidays - brilliant.

Basque of the day:- holiday :: oporraldi

singing and shopping in St Jean de Luz

The teacher from the choir in St Jean de Luz that I have been attending called me requesting that I visit her yesterday. I felt this was going to a be a sure-fire rejection, that no Scotsman was able enough or conversant enough in Basque to sing with the choir. Rather it was a two hour practice and I am officially 'in'. I just had to promise that I'll practice lots.

The teacher lives in Hendaye which is a lovely wee coastal town some 5km south of St Jean de Luz. It is the most south-westerly town in France and has a fabulously large beach that is highly favoured by the surf community - they hold international competitions there. The town itself is typically seasidey set on a spit of land, that runs parallel to the sea. At the unattached end of the spit the mouth opens into a marina with a natural harbour. It is also almost exactly on the border with Spain.

Returning after my vocal vexing my wife decided she wanted to go shopping in St Jean de Luz as there was a braderie on. Only she would be able to ignore all the shops that were massively discounted, head straight to the most expensive in town and purchase a dress with all associated trimmings. To be fair, it is quite a stunning piece that I had noticed previously. We are attending a big wedding in London next month and she wants to look her best.

Basque of the day:- fashion :: janzkera

that Friday feeling in St Jean de Luz

It was a grim day when we awoke. Made grimmer by the prospect of a long to-do list. By noon we had completed most of the more urgent action points and the clouds had worn themselves out so we retired to the terrace for a spot of flamenco practice. Our last class was almost three weeks ago and we have had little time to practice since, such is the hectic life of us Luziens.

Fabienne was not impressed. Normally she is strict with me, today she made me pay for my errant ways. The merest arm out of alignment or delayed foot movement was lambasted by forked tongue. I know she is only doing so in jest but she has spent so much time working with us that I was obliged to feel rightly guilty. The weekend 30/31 May presents the Andalucian Festival in St Jean de Luz with flamenco, sangria and tapas galore. It is expected that from dawn till dusk, and for several hours thereafter, we partake in abundant bouts of frenetic dancing. It all seemed like such a good idea a couple of months ago, with the prospect of dancing in public looming imminently I am now less certain.

Basque of the day:- humility :: apaltasun

singing in St Jean de Luz

Mon dieu! The choir I have joined in St Jean de Luz is a little more expert than I had bargained for. Besides the tri-linguistical challenge of understanding French instruction for Basque songs whilst trying to read music I have found myself singing with a group of chaps who are far more proficient at holding a complex tune than I. Fortunately my fellow Tenor 2's are exceedingly nice and play down my constant apologies and thanks for their patience. It ain't easy.

Just as I was settling into an understanding of the first song this evening one of the chaps disclosed that they tended to sing at fairly heavy hitting venues, including internationally, including Scotland, including singing at Celtic Park. Hmm, there could be quite a challenge ahead of me, I just hope that I can do my country proud. When the singing begins I do feel Basque, even if only for a moment. The music and songs are wonderfully mystical, even if I don't really know what they are about. There is a true sense of history and pride in every note. To be accepted by this throng is one of my highlights to date.

I will have to brush up on my sporting knowledge as they tend to know exactly who plays in which rugby and football team together with resulting scores, including those in the lesser divisions in Scotland.

Basque of the day:- acceptance :: onartze

St Jean de Luz lunch break

The weather in St Jean de Luz continues to be unabashedly warm. Being a Scot I am utterly not used to living in this kind of climate, but I am relishing it. No cat call this morning but we were in the sea and back again in good time to hear the end of the Today programme (one of our few hangovers from Britain). Rushing to get our chores completed we managed to escape early this afternoon for a long walk. By the time we had walked for an hour, as well as visiting the very sweet local library, we were ravenous. Our outing drew to a close over a healthy portion of salmon tarte and frites followed by the obligatory chocolate crepes, it makes the daily jog so much more meaningful. Cafe Vauban is a truly French cafe: relaxed, unconfused, tasty and with enough pretension to help you enjoy yourself. It's one of our favoured haunts in St Jean de Luz.There is some cloud cover at the moment though I can see La Rhune quite clearly and off into the Pyrenees. It really is a wonderful view from my office, slightly different to my previous internal open plan set-up on London Wall. Humidity levels have risen during the past hour and I feel a storm brewing out over the ocean so I had best get outside before the rains come for an hour or so of well deserved relaxation.

Basque of the day:- storm :: ekaitz

sunshine on St Jean de Luz

The perfect morning in St Jean de Luz. The cat woke us up around half five, proudly purring over her new furball. Light was beginning to peer over the peaks of the distant Pyrenees, illuminating the blue sky that would soon be enveloping us. It seemed like a good idea to get up.

Surprisingly we were far from alone as we enjoyed an early morning run along the coastline, clearly today was rousing more interest than simply our own. By eight a.m. it was unseasonably warm. Braving the elements we dove into the spring sea, the finest way to truly wake up, and swam a length of the beach, more would have been foolish. Laying on the beach to dry off we gazed at the few wisps of cloud that were being readily gobbled up as the sun rose higher. Stopping to buy some fresh bread and pastries at our favourite boulangerie we were back home by nine.

This afternoon we ventured back outdoors. The temperature had continued to accelerate all morning and the once empty beach was now entertaining all manner of practice; from chattering mothers and delicate grand dames delicately dipping their toes in the as yet icy sea to cavorting lads playing rugby with evermore energy as they fought for the attention of local girls. Most uplifting were the gym classes that were being held. Two teachers cajoled thirty or so young children in various hand-eye co-ordination initiatives, very funny to watch, particularly the tantrums. It is too hot to get much done other than simply relax and enjoy the moment.

They have recently upgraded the beach webcam and we can frighteningly be spotted from time to time.

Basque of the day:- heat :: bero

meanwhile, back in St Jean de Luz

Departing the south coast of England we decided this had been our most enjoyable trip back since leaving the UK. We saw many lovely people and wonderful places, enjoyed a plethora of sensations and experienced first hand what Britain is currently going through. From the Ferarri openings and City lunches it does feel that the UK will weather the storm.

Our last day was crammed with last minute purchases (HP sauce) though I managed to squeeze in a couple of meetings with a few City big boys which was interesting as always. We made the ferry in plenty of time though after ten days of good weather Friday night served up a delightful storm as we crossed the Bay of Biscay. A large tumbler of whisky provided the necessary medicine. And so, back to the hectic hussle and bussle that is daily life in St Jean de Luz.

This morning as I drove through the Pyrenees with the top down the sun hit my sunglasses blinding me momentarily. For an instant it reminded me of being struck by the bright lights of a projector that might have occurred during a presentation or other in my previous life. When my vision was restored I breathed a sigh of relief and thanks as the mountains came back into view, spreading down the valley towards the Atlantic and our home in St Jean de Luz.

Basque of the day:- thanks :: eskerrik asko

cats and the City

Another eventful few days in London. Sunday saw us visiting our intelligent professor friends in Canterbury: a party fuelled by conversation I struggled to keep up with amidst delightful and accommodating company. Monday we visited our old home in Kent and caught up with lovely friends for a roast dinner (we do miss such suppers!).

Back in the day we were fortunate enough to work with a marvellous man called Mark Edgerley who has single handedly created something amazing. Some six years ago, after many years working in the wilds, he determined to create a place where he could care for endangered big cats resuced from bad places and circuses around the world with a view to helping them recover and encouraging them to breed and retain the species. When last we saw him he had some 18 big cats, he now has 30 healthy beasts and wonderfully this includes the first cubs: two Siberian tigers and two pumas. He is a great man and worthy of more credit than he could ever receive (Wildlife Heritage Foundation).

We have also seen a host of interesting people: Mervyn King, Cleo Roccos, Chris Eubank, Paddy Ashdown and yesterday I managed to walk on set while Keeley Hawes was filming something or other. I also saw the new Ferarri shop launch on Regent Street, given the economy, interesting timing...

More dinners and drinks and socialising has filled the remains of this week. We have been staying in London with our good friend Julie, she is publishing editor of the only woman's fashion magazine worth its salt, buy Look, even I enjoy it and my wife has a new style guru! Today was my City day and I caught up with friends who are still very much embroiled in all things financial. They looked remarakbly well and willingly imbibed in long coffees and lazy lunching despite the crises that seeped out of the historic walls around us. Top chaps one and all, even if they suggested visiting the ever-brilliant l'entrecote for steak frites, like I don't get to eat French food in St Jean de Luz guys (DW, joke)!! The day came to an end with a contradiction, an enjoyable trip to the dentist. If ever you are in the City and have need to see a man who can, Oliver Harman is he - dentist to the famous and needy alike.

The photos attached I took this week. Given the wine I have enjoyed I can't remember if they are of the big cats or the fat cats!

Basque of day:- magazine :: aldizkari

more fun in the London sun

Whilst nowhere near as nice as in St Jean de Luz (where it is sunny every day of the year) the weather has been lovely this week. We have continued our catching up and touring. Since my last entry we have had a British roast lunch, a day's Gucci shopping, been to three fab and famous restaurants and listened to some lovely concert recitals by a lake. London may be inordinately busy and stressful but there really is a wonderous amount that goes on here.


Basque of the day:- variety :: desberdintasun

from St Jean de Luz to central London

Three days into our stay in London and I had quite forgotten just what it's like being in a mega city with millions of other people. It is quite a world away from the quiet luxuriousness of St Jean de Luz.




In the space of a little over 72 hours we have seen eight sets of friends, been to a board meeting with an international charity, visited the Tate Modern, visited the National Portrait Gallery, watched the May Day march, been invited to a celeb OK party, walked eighteen kilometres along the Thames and its many tourist sites, eaten Japanese, Indian and Italian food and had a few pints of proper beer. The highlight was the NPG, if you ever have an afternoon to spare I highly recommend taking one of the daily guided tours, fascinating.




Tomorrow and the days thereafter promise even more. We are cramming as much in as we can before we return to our stressful life in the Basque country. All very exhausting but fabulous fun.


Basque of the day:- crowd :: jendeketa

sand sculptures

St Jean de Luz has had a sand sculpture exhibition on this week. I was rather uninterested until I saw it, it's rather interesting and lovely.


We are heading back to Britain tomorrow, taking the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth. The weather forecast is none too good so it could be an eventful 24 hours. Combined with leaving the mother-in-law in charge of chez nous, I'd rather be staying put.




Basque of the day:- sick :: gaixo

la belle mere?!

Well, my mother-in-law landed in St Jean de Luz today for the first time. Already the town has melted her. After a day spent in various cafes, listening to Basque music and enjoying delicious food there was no way she was going to be anything other than happy! As a result I now love St Jean de Luz even more.

Basque of the day:- surprise :: ustekabe

stepping out in St Jean de Luz

Today the girls of St Jean de Luz quite literally wiped the floor with me. After four months of flamenco lessons we were promoted to the upper class, it's a little like the transition from kindergarten to university. From having plenty of time to remember each step we were thrust fast forward to full-on flamenco fury. Besides dancing dangerously I had to attempt to retain a modicom of respect. Although the lovely ladies of St Jean de Luz were incredibly tolerant, that modicom disappeared before I had completed the first sevillana. Flailing arms, heavy feet and too much attention on holding my stomach in were largely the causes of my downfall. Despite Fabienne's excellent tuition, this is not easy.

[We are taking a trip to London next week so from Monday the blog will be mobile]

Basque of the day:- step :: urrats

singing in St Jean de Luz

Tonight St Jean de Luz accepted me into the throng of one of their Basque choirs. It is a little like those all male Russian choirs mixed with a barbershop group; four tenor 1's, four tenor 2's and 4 baritones. After a couple of hours singing in Basque, remembering how to read music and taking instruction in French I was exhausted! Thankfully one of the baritones is a famous baker in these parts and came prepared with a large box of cakes.

We practice in a small room nestled in the port at Ciboure with fishing nets hanging on the walls and the smell of the sea filling the room, together with the heavy aroma of our choir mistresses old-school cigarettes. She plays accordion and smokes throughout, keeping us all in time and beckoning us on. One of the tenor 1's accompanies her on guitar, it is a fabulous musical experience and to be taken in by the group has truly made me feel like I have been accepted by the locals. I also recognised one of the choir as one of the pompiers my wife enjoys watching running in the mornings, think I'll keep that to myself.

Basque of the day:- choir :: abesbatza

point break

Ok, so St Jean de Luz doesn't immediately come to mind when you think of the great surfing beaches around the world but that doesn't stop it being a favoured pastime in the these parts.


Each morning the firemen seem to be hitting the waves, they are followed by morning classes (mostly school children), after lunch the newly appointed beach lifeguards pop out and then an afternoon class before the locals take to the sea after finishing work.


Ahead of signing up for a class I spoke to one of our friends. She has said the age worn adage "you don't need to bother with classes, just come out with us". A red flag should have been raised immediately. Instead I have agreed to their offer and hope to emulate Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze very soon.


Basque of the day:- surf :: olatu-apar

having a baby in St Jean de Luz

A friend of ours is expecting. We had coffee with her yesterday (she drank water). She explained that in St Jean de Luz everyone is treated the same in the health system regardless of means. All pregnant mothers, who wish a hospital birth, can be admitted to hospital up to one week before the due date. Each mother has a private room with food on tap, television and movies. Each mother also has the option of retaining the room for up to two weeks after giving birth. The same midwife and medical staff are used throughout to ensure the mother has as little stress as possible. All free of charge. A little more civilised than in other countries, even if it is also equally burdensome on the economy.

bon dimanche

Sunday in St Jean de Luz is always a civilised affair. Today we began with a leisurely two hour breakfast on the terrace with Neil and Ashley. We ate fresh croissants, put the world right and watched on as the town came to life beneath us. Afterwards we wandered up Rue Gambetta to Place Louis IV for coffee, life here can never be rushed.

Lunch saw a return to one of our favourite restaurants, La Plancha at Ilbarritz. The sun shone brightly generating a dazzling array of colours as the ocean crashed onto the beach in front of us. After an ever delicious lunch (monkfish, dourade and gambas) we drove to the airport, said our farewells and headed home.

On return we had a brief sojourn and caught up with the local papers. Outside, the bustle of promenading shoppers created delightful ambient sound (St Jean de Luz is one of the very few places in France where shops are open on Sundays). Rue Loquin has been having a 'braderie' this weekend. The shops spill onto the street and there is a carnaval atmosphere. A group of musicians played and sang Basque songs which floated up to us on the gentle breeze.

We ended our weekend with a late afternoon tea with friends. They had made delicious sandwiches and baked a wonderful variety of cakes. We exchanged news and I managed to read some Beatrix Potter to our friend's children, translating from English into French (badly). I have a good deal of running to catch up on this week to compensate for eating too much and just as much French practice to look forward to. Moreover, following lengthy discussions with Neil and Ashley, I am feeling reinvigorated and have a far clearer sense of direction [thanks both!].

Basque of the day:- ambition :: xede handi

[monkey :: tximino]

tous les jours

Saturday presented St Jean de Luz with another beautiful morning. Rising before the sun I set off along the coast to enjoy watching it appear from my favourite cliff-top vantage point. It being today I had my weekly coffee tutorial with Bruno. I have started to sound a little too much like Inspector Clouseau as I try to prounounce my 'oo', 'ou', 'eou''s etc, all very embarassing.

I returned to find my good lady and Neil enjoying croissants on the terrace. After petit dejeuner we strolled to the market to buy ingredients for tonight's risotto des crevettes. We headed to Biarritz for a quick walk along the beach before heading onto the airport to collect Ashley.

Neil suggested he would very much like an exact repeat of the last 24 hours before they head home tomorrow. It feels a little like Groundhog Day, but we are stuck in a lovely timewarp.

We discovered today that Neil has had three of his books make the Times Bestseller lists, two making #1 for several weeks, and several in the Amazon bestseller lists. The perfect mentor...

Basque of the day:- repeat :: errepikatze

St Jean de Luz sunshine

Dawn in St Jean de Luz promised yet another beautiful day. It didn't fail to impress. I am also rather pleased to say that today's flamenco endeavours likewise seemed to have impressed our teacher. She has asked me to dance in public in the main square in June. I fear I may have another pressing engagement that day.

Our friend Neil Simpson arrived today. He is a wonderful author of notable repute and I am hoping to pick up some tips from him during his stay. We toured the streets of St Jean de Luz and promenaded by the shore before finally arriving at Bar Basque for drinks in time to enjoy the evening sun. He hadn't said much as we slalomed the meandering tourists and I feared he wasn't impressed with the town. However, as soon as he had a drink in his hand he gushed forth raving about the wonder of the place. It was very sweet to hear and reminded me very much of my first impressions.

He implied that we were very brave to have turned our backs on our careers and previous lives. I looked around me as the sun dipped into the Atlantic and breathed in the sea air, it doesn't feel either brave or questionable. I now just need to convince him to run the bulls in Pamplona with me.

Basque of the day:- change :: aldaketa

sunny St Jean de Luz

It was meant to rain today but it didn't. I was meant to do lots of work today but I didn't. I was meant to have a light lunch, instead I tasted calves tongue. I was meant to be abstemious but I drank plentifully. I was intending to have some time alone to think, rather I saw friends for coffee, friends for lunch and friends for apéritifs.

Basque of the day:- contrast :: kontrastatze

St Jean de Luz surf patrol

In St Jean de Luz the firemen/pompiers have it tough. Not content with making them run along the beach and go for a swim each day, today the boss forced them all to spend the morning surfing. They do say surfing is a must-have skill for firefighting. Only jealous.

This afternoon it rained so I finally ran out of excuses to work and spent the day in my study. I watched as various storms slid down La Rhune and washed away the tourists around town. There was a brief break in the weather so I sat outside for a coffee. As I imbibed the sound of very funky music ebbed and flowed. Being naturally curious, and looking for an excuse to avoid working, I ventured out to seek the music makers. Fifty yards down Rue Gambetta a group of very able musicians entertained passing tourists with a fab display of jazzy-brassy-latino music, the type you hear at rugby matches where notes are slid into and held in reverb. Lovely stuff.

It was of course impossible to get any work done, what with the sound of music and crashing of waves I could hardly hear myself think.

Basque of the day:- musician :: musikari

lunch in St Jean de Luz

It really is a small world. Having been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively we settled in St Jean de Luz. One of the primary reasons I elected for the town is that there are virtually no English speakers let alone British people. That didn't mean we weren't known though. There is a lovely shop called the Scottish (ok, am slightly biased). It transpires the lady who set it up is the godmother of the brother of the girl whom my mother is godmother too. Slightly convoluted but a link.

Our new friend visisted for lunch yesterday and we enjoyed it on the balcony. Still no sign of rain so still very little work being done.

Basque of the day:- terrace :: terraza

holiday monday

A fine day. We awoke to find that the magic Easter bell had delivered two chocolatey gifts to our door overnight. Imagine our surprise. It was exceedingly sunny and hot so we enjoyed the day on the beach and on or our terrace. The sun shone beyond 9pm and we listened as a neighbour practiced his flute on a nearby balcony. All was well in St Jean de Luz. I hope it rains one day so that I can get some work done.

Basque of the day:- hope :: itxaropen

Pâques

In St Jean de Luz they don't have an Easter Bunny. Rather than a clearly drug induced deliverer of chocolate eggs they have a far more sensible option, a magic bell that delivers 'les oeufs de Pâques'. What is wrong with people. From what I recall it was a stone that rolled down a hill, not a bell or an egg, and certainly not a chocolate egg. Ok, sourgrapes because I agreed to be healthy this year and not over-indulgent...gutted.

Eglise St Jean Baptiste is a large and architecturally astounding building. Shaped like a huge upturned, wooden container ship, there are three tiers or galleries of wooden seating in a u-shape all facing the impressive altar. Normally the main concourse and first tier are fairly full with around 600 people. Today there was a queue outside each entrance to the church. Within, over 2,500 people. Standing room only, and that was a crush. It felt a little more like a spectacle than a religious ceremony given the hoards, but it was quite an exhilarating experience.

We arrived 20 minutes before kick-off but still had to climb to the gods in the third tier to find a seat, apt really. From there we had a marvellous view of proceedings. This included being able to pinpoint people we knew and 'fainters' both of which there were several. After the service we headed to Place Louis XIV for hot chocolate and live music. This week a troupe of guitarists and mandolin players that we had seen in January at Auditorium Ravel played for the crowds with heady tunes of a Sicilian nature. Traipsing back down rue Gambetta we locked ourselves away from the tourists (why are there so many foreigners in our town?!) and prepared our Easter feast. Joyeuses Pâques!

Basque of the day:- happy Easter :: ondo izan Bazko garaian

busy busy busy

St Jean de Luz is beginning to get busy. Easter weekend falls smack in the middle of all school holidays. The Spaniards have been with us along with the Toulousains for the past week and today has seen the arrival of the Parisians and the Bordeaulais. Rue Gambetta is awash with amblers. While it does mean getting to the boulangerie takes a few minutes longer it is fantastic for local businesses and does give a lovely air of happiness as people begin to enjoy their holidays.

Following the full moon on Thursday yesterday was saw umpteen million chats et chiens fall from the sky. Today it is trying to be sunny. I am hoping that this indicates a lunar cycle of mixed weather enabling a little work alongside a lot of leisure.

How we ever managed when we were working full time is beyond me. Since this time yesterday I have been for two runs, had a massage, undertaken my flamenco class, met three different people for coffee, been to church, been for a walk, thrown a dinner party and slept. Today I plan to catch up on some reading - a well earned rest.

Basque of the day:- busy :: lanpetu

la lune

Walking through the winding streets of St Jean de Luz today I pondered how much my life has changed and just how happy life is in the Basque country. The sun was standing high in the sky cradling all in its warm embrace, happy children built fanciful sand castles on the beach, awestruck tourists marvelled at the beauty of the town and knowing locals chatted merrily with one another. It really is a universe away from stresses of economic life one reads about in the newspapers.

Tonight there is a full moon. Having lived here for six months we are now very aware of the importance of such events. Whatever weather we have tomorrow will most likely remain throughout the full lunar cycle. I am predicting rain. We had a strong, balmy wind this evening (always an omen of bad weather I am told) and as the sun set dark clouds began to appear across the ocean. Fingers crossed I am as wrong as I was in my predictions for the Grand National.

Basque of the day:- weather :: eguraldi

the amazing tractorman

St Jean de Luz has a wonderful beach. That wonderful beach is full of fine sand. That sand is continually trodden upon, washed-up on and treated with little respect by those who enjoy it. There is, however, one man who looks out for the little granuals. Day after day he protects their beauty; combing, cleaning and guarding the serenity. An anonymous man who craves no lime-light but ensures that the equilibrium between happy sand and happy beach-goers is maintained at all times. He is known as tractorman.

On his steely steed he patrols the town's coastline. He is a busy man, particularly at this time of year when the remnants of winter require more wholesale cosmetic work to be carried out along the beach. St Jean de Luz is in debt to him. Annually they pay some €240,000 to ensure he has what he needs to get the job done. And he does. The beach is impeccable and I am sure that the investment is repaid in multiples as tourists are drawn to the sandy shore to admire its beauty.

Tractorman, tractorman,
Does whatever a tractor can,
Can he swim? Can he fly?
I dunno better ask him why,
Look out, here comes the tractorman.

Basque of the day:- sand :: hondar

chocolat

Our friend Francois-Xavier, how cool a name is that, visited for afternoon tea today. With him he very generously brought a gift. Having read this blog he knew I had a penchant for chocolate. However, there is chocolate and there is chocolate.


Miremont of Biarritz is king of that genre. Pralines amandes, écorces d'orange, caramel beurre, ganache elaborée, and more... Lots more... If ever you are in Biarritz, make sure to take time out to purchase and consume at least a little of this deliciousness. I wonder if they do hot chocolate?


Basque of the day:- chocolate :: txokolate

chats et chiens

It had to happen. Not since early February have we had any real rain. As the sun began to set clouds rolled down from the Pyrenees and set up camp above St Jean de Luz. The new terrace garden is finally getting the moisture it has been craving, and then some.

There is a full moon on Thursday. I hope the clouds shed their load by then and we are given another lunar cycle of heavenly weather. Saying that, it is nigh on impossible to get any work done while the sun is shining and the sound of waves floats up from the sea.

Basque of the day:- rain :: euri

fêtes des rameaux

Palm Sunday in St Jean de Luz. The priest and his cohorts held a brief service at the port before leading a procession back to Eglise St Jean Baptiste. There were over a thousand people at the service, most holding/ waving palms. A far more civilised affair than last year's scrum in St Peter's Square.

We took coffee and croissants on Place Louis IV. A troupe of children partook in Basque dancing accompanied by local musicians. All very jolly.

Basque of the day:- coffee :: kafe

cunning linguist

After watching 'Quantum of Solace' in in St Jean de Luz some six months ago, we finally watched it in English this evening. I think I understood the film better in French.

read all about it

I woke this morning wondering whether I had dreamed yesterday's whole midnight-guns-scary police thing, and then I opened today's edition of Sud Ouest. On P14 the entire story unfolded (in full below for those familiar with French). It transpires some 200kg of cannabis was seized, not a bad night's work. It is quite the talk around town, stress in these parts normally takes the guise of bad weather or too many tourists.

On another note, I watched President Obama's townhall meeting in Strasbourg on television today. He really is quite an incredible individual. Not only does he answer questions in plain English, which is a welcome blessing in itself, he appears to have exquisite mastery of leadership. I hope he can go further than Gordon Brown's talk of saving the world.


200kg de cannabis dans la voiture [Sud Ouest, p14, 3/4/9]
"La nuit de mercredi à jeudi a été mouvemementée dans le sud Pays Basque. Il est un peu plus de minuit quand un véhicle force un barrage dressé au niveau du péage de Biriatou, en direction de Bordeaux. La Police de l'air et des frontières en informe la brigade anticriminalité (BAC) basée à Saint-Jean-de-Luz, qui part en quête du véhicle au niveau de la gare de Saint-Jean-de-Luz. La BAC le repère et une course-poursuite s'ensuit dans le centre-ville luzien. Finalement, la BAC parvient à bloquer le véhicle au niveau de la rue Gambetta, et met en joue le conducteur qui continue de foncer sue les trois fonctionnaires de police. Finalement, ces derniers finissent par interpeller avec sang-froid, le chauffard, et en fouillant le véhicle accidenté, trouvent cachés 200kg de résine de cannabis. La police judiciaire de Bayonne a été saisie, il s'agit du maillon d'un vaste trafic international. Le conducteur, déjà bien connu des services de police, a été transféré à Bayonne où il est interrogé. A noter que personne n'a été blessé dans cette rocambolesque histoire."

Philip Marlowe in Basque showdown

On the dusky silent street two amourous cats were flirting with one another as the church bells announced midnight. The smell of newly budding leaves carried as the light breeze drifted around the corners of the moonlit Basque buildings carrying with it the moisture of the preceding day. Romance was afoot for these feline friends. From the darkest end of the street car lights raced, exploding the silence in a gutteral choking of leadened engine. Screeching down the pedestrian street the cats fled. The car swerved between lamposts, just avoiding the newly dug maintenance trenches but hitting one of the felines. The way ahead was too narrow. Screeching joined the cacophony as the brakes were desperately sought. All too late. The car rammed into a side pillar and crumpled into the wall. Smoke billowed from the distraught engine. All was silent once more in the street. A newly lovelorn cat watched on from the safety of a nearby doorway. He knew that a dead man weighed more than a broken heart but felt none the better for this knowledge.

From above an apartment light flickered. A man leaned over his balcony craning hard into the gloom to ascertain the situation. He disappeared back indoors. Momentarily he reappeared at street level and approached the vehicle, unaware of what had caused the accident and concerned for any injured parties that may be in the car. The smoke billowed up into the starry silence. He was standing alone on the darkened street with only the cat to bear witness. He reached for the open door.

"Stop. Stop or I'll shoot!" roared an enormous bear of a man as he pounded down the street in army boots. He carried a semi-automatic pistol and had three others strapped to his vest. His huge arms stretched towards the man, sights fixed on his head. The man held his arms aloft conscious that if he was not careful twenty bullets would penetrate his skull in the next five seconds. "I live here, I came to check no-one was hurt." A car screeched around the corner to join the massive man who dropped his aim after assessing the situation. He strode across to the car, it was empty. "Did you see where they guy went" snarled the bear in a voice that would have been at home in deep underground caverns. His colleague joined him, adorned with a medley of machine guns and pistols. The man remained tense aware that he was caught in the middle of something significant. Six more cars each carrying three heavily armed men arrived. Three minutes had passed since the lovestruck cats had been playing happily together. The cat that had been hit gave an innocent bounce then remained still.

The bear barked orders to his men who ran off in difference directions. Reaching for the car he told the man to stand back before opening the trunk. No explosion. Inside were a dozen large boxes that had been securely but unprofessionally sealed with tape. The man was chaparoned away before he could determine their contents. He returned to his apartment and watched from his terrace. The men who had departed returned to the scene in time. The bear lit a cigarette and stood tall. His colleagues gathered around him. A mobile phone rang. Searching their combat fatigues none of the special branch officers could source the sound. The bear turned, it was coming from inside the car. He reached inside with a massive arm, when it reappeared a flashing phone vibrated in his paw. The men smiled at one another and slapped each other casually in a celebratory manner. The smoke from the car engine began to lessen. The heartbroken cat slunk off into the darkness. It was a cool clear night and the bear looked into the sky, he could see a long way, but not as far as the criminal had run, at least not at the moment.

This all happened last night. I still don't know what is in the boxes. [Please excuse any Chandlerisms]

Monsieur la plante a planté ses plantes

We bought a watering can (arrosoir) today and built up our rooftop garden, lots of herbs and nice aromas. Fingers crossed it lasts till summer.

This evening was my parents last in St Jean de Luz for a while. We ventured out to Chez Mattin in Ciboure for supper. It is a restaurant with a big reputation but we fortunately secured the last table with a nine pm reservation. The restaurant design is hardly 'The Ivy' and the menu more limited than 'The Fat Duck' but the quality is unrivalled in these parts.

Starters included: fresh asparagus with poached egg, crab cassoulet, foie gras and Bayonne ham.

Main courses: skewered monk fish, pave de cod on a bed of squid and blue entrecote.

Desserts: tower of coffee puddings, banana flambe, creme brule and iced milk.

Wine: Irouleguy rouge.

All fabulous, a must have address in the St Jean de Luz / Ciboure area.

We wobbled home in time to hear the midnight chimes and toast in the start of the G20 summit with a large tumbler of Bowmore 18 year old. Slainte mhath!

Mum's the word...

Friday
My darling son has entrusted his parents to house-sit while he and Maria head back to Britain for the weekend. We plan to enjoy ourselves. The day started with us joining our hosts at their weekly Flamenco class - far too energetic for the older generation but a worthy spectacle all the same. One mystery was solved however, that of the Bobby question. It relates to Bobby Ewing of Dallas fame, someone I know and love dearly will have a lot to live down...

What can I say, the Red Army Choir and South Glamorgan Male Voice Choir will have to look to their laurels having spent an evening in the Church of St Jean de Baptiste enveloped in the wonderful sounds of the Basque Male Voice Choir - it was an amazing concert regardless of the fact that not one word was understood by our good selves! This was a gratis concert, which clearly appealed to our Scots blood, and seemingly encouraged half the region to attend. We arrived 20 minutes before it was due to start to find standing room only. The singers cut a dash dressed in traditional Basque colours set against the wonderful backdrop of the church itself. An evening to remember.

Saturday
We unplugged everything potentially dangerous and headed off on a trip to Zaragoza in Spain. A motorway accident lengthened our journey so it was siesta time when we arrived at the Castille. It was splendid albeit from the outside and shall be visited again in the future. However, the basilica of St Pilar was open and its wonderful cupola and many Goya masterpieces were beyond belief, a joy to behold.

We left Zaragoza to drive to Olite, the wine centre of Navarre to stay in a C15th castle that was renovated last century into a Parador. Our baronial sized bechamber offered amazing views across the vineyards. Parador's are splendid, especially if you are over 55 when you are elgible for a 30% discount.

Sunday
Having successfully remembered the daylight saving time change and partaken in a sumptuous breakfast we found ourselves beating the masses to the castle adjoining the Parador. The restoration has been sympathetic and after struggling up the spiral staircases the views afforded to us were quite spectacular, if a little blustery - the tower is appropriately named 'The Tower of the Four Winds'. The scenery as we drove back to St Jean de Luz through the Pyrenees was spectacular and we even put the roof down on the car, it felt wonderful. Furthermore, the sun has shone non stip since we arrived!

Monday
Thankfully the apartment and cat were still standing upon our return. Today we took it a little slower and sat out on the terrace reading for most of the day. The kids get back early tomorrow so we wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet together.

Tuesday
We got up early to collect the youngerlings from the airport, my son was his usual cheery self after an early start without breakfast. We got them home, fed and watered them before sending them to gather some rest. After all these years he is still grumpy when he is hungry and tired, but I am confident my daughter-in-law has learned exactly how to deal with his tantrums. We love him dearly even if at times I don't always like him! End of mother's report.

petites vacances

We are heading back to Blighty for a bapteme. Squeezing a few words in here as I pack our bags before racing to Flamenco in advance of hitting the airport. It is all so stressful.

It will be lovely to see family back home, but I can't wait to get back to the Basque country and we haven't even left yet. Back Tuesday, mother may or may not do a bit of blogging.

Basque of the day:- travel :: bidaiatze