When the Cat's Away...

I splurged yesterday when I happened upon an amazing perfumerie in Biarritz. A beautiful shop whose shelves were filled to the top with nothing but exquisite French perfume, all on display in the most feminine and delicately designed glass bottles. I fell particularly in love with the perfumes of Annick Goutal, and decided upon the fragrance Ce Soir ou Jamais. It is an astonishingly beautiful turkish rose fragrance with notes of violet, jasmine, hibiscous and ambrette seed. It's soft, luscious, velvety and basically smells like you've just walked into a dewy rose garden. The lady who was helping me said it was the perfume of Goutal's life and took her over ten years to complete. Love!

A Hike Through the Pyrenees

Another cloudy and rainy day.... We seem to be having quite a few these kinds of days lately, certainly not the kind of weather that makes me want to throw on my bikini and sunscreen and head for the beach. No matter, Rypien and I decided to head for the Pyrenees for a brilliant afternoon of great hiking and stunning vistas.
Located in southern France, the Pyrenees stretch from the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean sea. In between one can expect to find snow-topped peaks and lush valleys packed with mountain villages, history and culture.
Conveying the true awe of the Pyrenees Mountains with mere words is difficult. I could describe them as amazing, stirring, awesome, fascinating, stunning, incredible, astounding, marvelous, stupendous, astonishing, striking and stratospheric but I would still fall 30 adjectives shy of doing them justice. Either way, you'll just have to believe me when I tell you that they are truely captivating.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Yesterday I awoke to rather dismal weather so I decided to hit the road and head to Lourdes. Only about an hour's drive from Salies, Lourdes is a small market town located at the base of the Pyrenees in south-west France. The town itself has become incredibly famous, especially among Catholic circles for the Marian apparitions that are reported to have occured in 1858 to a 14 year old local shepherd girl named Bernadette Soubirous. The story goes that one day a beautiful lady appeared to her in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. The lady identifid herself as “the Immaculate Conception” and everyone believed her to be the Virgin Mary.

It was these Marian apparitions which are responsible for the tens of millions of Marian pilgrimages per year. About 5 million pilgrims visit Lourdes every year and within France only Paris has more hotels than Lourdes. Thus each decade, 50 million Catholic pilgrims visit Lourdes, based on Marian apparitions to one person on a remote hilltop.

There are many things to do and shrines to see in Lourdes. For example, you can bath in the spring which wells out from the grotto (thought to have miraculous healing properties), you can observe sacred processions, or you can purchase tall blue and white votive candles which are meant to be burnt as a devotional gesture in large metal stands called brulieres.

Not considering myself a religious person, I did not take part in any of these events. Nevertheless, I did observe these activities and I even visited the sacred grotto where the Marian apparitions are said to have occured. My favourite part of the experience was a visit to the beautiful Rosary Basilica and its exquisitly crafted mosaics which recount the 15 mysteries of the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

The town itself works itsway from top to bottom. Narrow streets lined with hotels, restaurants, cafes and of course the infamous religious-trinket-souvenir shops which sell just about every kind of Marian paraphrenalia imaginable. Everything from candles to mugs and necklaces to statues. Near the top of the town one could expect to see one of these shops about every block or so. However, as you make your way down to the bottom of the town the more and more souvenir shops you see. Until finally that's all you see, as every store, on both sides of the street, is a souvenir shop. You're all probably wondering if I bought anything while I was visiting. And to answer your question, yes I did. I bought the tiniest little charm that you can put on a necklace. The charm is that of a rose with a depiction of Mary on the back. I think it cost 1.50 euro or something.

Hossegor - Surf Spot Extraordinaire

With its long stretch of golden scalloped sandy beaches, Hossegor has earned a reputation as having the best beach break in Europe and one of the best in the world. The summer is by far the busiest and the most inconsistent waves of the year. Yesterday, I woke up to a beautiful hot sunny day so I decided to head for the coast for some surfing. It was one of the best wave days we've had here in a while, and as a result one of the busiest. There must have been at least 30 surfers at the break I usually go to, all vying for waves. I was also doing my best to stay out of everyone's way, not get hit, and avoid being pummelled by big sets.
I have heard that September is actually the best time of year to be surfing in Hossegor, more consistent waves and far less crowds. Its also the time of year in which Hossegor hosts the annual Quicksilver Pro France contest.
Downtown Hossegor is surf city. Just about every major surfwear label from Rip Curl to RVCA and Billabong to Volcom has its own shop. Most have all the gear you need along with the price tag to match. Also to be found are local surf labels and one of a kind boutiques.

France and their Bread

Though gourmets the world over relish it, no one can get quite as passionate about French bread as the French. For them, the long crusty loaf notoriously known as the baguette is not only a gustatory delight and a dietary necessity but a supercharged political commodity as well. On the dark day in 1789 when a mob of hungry women marched twelve miles through the mud to Versailles to haul King Louis XVI off to his doom, their war cry was “Bread Bread!” and their fury was fed by Marie Antoinette's fateful “Let them eat cake.”

Although I was somewhat aware of this time in history and the idea of the baguette as an enduring symbol of France, I was however, rather unaware to the extent of which this was so. Since I've been here, I've come to the realization that the baguette is not just a symbol of France but infact an icon of French life. There are boulangeries and patisseries everywhere! We live in a tiny little medieval town and there must be at least 10 different independant bakeries here, not to mention the grocery stores. In bigger towns and cities I've noticed that you cannot walk a block without running into a boulangerie, its absolutely incredible. I see people walking out of these places with their arms full of nothing but baguettes. About a week or so ago I was sunbathing at the beach and was surprised to see a woman with her two little girls just eating a baguette as a snack.

I will say however, that the baguettes here are absolutely delicious. One thing I have noticed is that whole wheat bread doesn't seem to exist here. Why is this the case? Another important note of mention which I have come to discover is that baguettes are made to be eaten the same day as purchased. I have tried wrapping a leftover baguette in a tea towel; I have put it in a plastic bag overnight; I've sprinkled it with water and baked it in a hot oven, but the result is always the same – day-old French bread tastes like carpet slippers. You have been warned.

On My Own

Today was a bit of a sad day, as it was the day that Dennis left to go back to work. He will be gone for about a month, so until he gets back its just Rypien and I. I will admit to being a bit nervous about being on my own given the fact that I don't know a single person here. I imagine I will be a bit lonely at times.
Nevertheless, I am in France afterall, so I am going to be optimistic! I plan on keeping myself busy and entertained while Dennis is gone with small trips and lots of surfing!
Good news though - We have found a place in Capbreton (on the coast) and are set to move in the beginning of September! We can't wait.

Old Town, San Sebastian, Spain

On Monday we spent the day exploring San Sebastian's charming old quarter. Rich with historical treasures, its narrow cobbled streets were a virtual maze of street stalls, specialty shops, cafes, restaurants and tapas bars! The tapas were all laid out at all but the fanciest bars for delectable bites of special treats. We explored some of the main attractions which included the Baroque Church of Santa Maria, the Gothic Church of San Vicente, and the Museo de San Telemo, a former 16th century convent. San Sebastian is most definitley a place that exudes a certain air and charm - characteristics which can only be found in old places worn out by non-stop activity, history and festivity.