Caits

No correspondance since the internet here hasn't been working! I've moved to the restaurant now, which has been an experience all on its own!.... But a few memories of the bar now.. And i thought things couldn’t get any weirder here.. A red-neck/ deep south looking french man who wore white mini shorts with white socks and black sandals, with a t-shirt with cut off sleeves, who had with him his blind mother (or so we thought mother until it turned out to be his wife!) A small child who spends all his day screaming- in the pool, during dinner, during the spectacles. Yesterday his mother fell over and had the tiniest cut on her hand, i have never seen such a drama- she was going to throw up, going to faint, the world was at ... read more

What a week! If the start was anything to go by it was going to be one great big calamity. Monday morning started with me opening the till and finding nothing in it.......... Ringing around no one had any idea where it was, and finally when David came to sort out the problem, he unlocked the most obscure cupboard and then proceeded to look at me like i was the most stupid person ever- how did i not know it was locked in the cleaning cupboard?! After that I had to contend with Nadia who, instead of Martine, was in charge of the petit déjeuner in the bar- I could not move without standing in coffee/ croissant/ yoghurt or just general rubbish. Then for some unknown reason she loaded up her chariot with the dirty coffee ... read more

This week has been boiling, and what’s so great is that the air con in the bar is broken too, so 32’c outside feels like 40’c inside!! We have a new stagiaire, french girl, 18, only thing is again she lives in Salies, and works in the cleaning, so we never see her! And she is pretty normal in comparison to Aurelie! (Although i have a feeling she is engaged). I went to go and watch a game of Pelote, which was amazing, if you can imagine it’s like a combination of squash/ tennis/ cricket, but instead of a bat they have these long curved baskets (Chistera) attached to one hand which they catch the ball with and fling it against a wall. Both girls were working so I ended up going with three of ... read more

I know it’s been a while.... plus i didn’t actually think anyone read these blogs! I stopped writing just before i went to Pamplune (which was fantastic by the way!)- minus our French baggage (Antoine) who proceeded to get wrecklessly drunk, i.e. he slept on the pavement from 1 in the morning til 4 (very attractive). Since then we have been to all sorts of fetes and festivals, including this weekend when we went to Bayonne which was incredible! Such a shame we have nothing like the festivals in France in England. I’m coming back next year just for them! Everyone without exceptione dresses completely in white with a red necker-chief and red sash as a belt, music is played throughout the streets, there are stages, a huge prosession, fireworks, bands playing everywhere and every single ... read more

Brigitte and Josean want me back! Apparently Aurelie is a pain in the bum! I do enjoy the bar, although during the day it is pretty slow at times, and the last hour or so is deathly boring. My favourite moments are probably when a customer asks for a drink i a) don’t know what it is b) dont know how to serve it c) can’t understand the instruction they give me how to serve it. But i’m learning and i get more opportunites to speak. And the Lady Diana comment resurfaced again today. I now not only have one admirer, but 3! The little boy who brought me a flower yesterday, and for the last three afternoons i’ve played dominos and cards with at the bar is adorable. His expression of the day ‘alors, ok, ... read more

How to start! Finished cleaning, (THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!) I cannot face another dirty sheet or hoover again. Although i do now have hoover biceps. I was starting finding it hard with the girls: the constant bulgarian, our differences in personality- and culture! But regardless, we went for a drink at the Casino, and all has changed! Had a fantastic night, a beer on the terrace, and a culpa libre (no idea on the spelling) thanks to the rather inebriated spanish/french man we made friends with- well he made friends with us. Although all that came out of his mouth was a load of rubbish, it was hilarious, and because we had to all speak in french to understand each other it was a great chance to actually get to know everyone better. Also, we are now locals ... read more

will update you all on what i've been up to tomorrow! lots to tell, have been having a great time, finally clivked with the girls and voila!! lots of love xxxxxxxxxxx a demain!!!... read more

Last night watched perhaps the most bizarre film ever. If you thought french films were weird, you should try watching a belgian one..... Everyone was working so i decided to go to the cinema (alone- i know) to go and see le gamin au velo. After chatting to the lady who worked there she assured me it was quite normal around here to go to the cinema by yourself, since its very quiet- but apparently more english/american films get played than french! It’s an adorable cinema, one huge room with really squishy comfortable seats. No subtitles. I got by! Look the film up its crazy, and as for normal ends, i don’t count a boy falling out of a tree presumed dead then just casually strolling off again as one. Played cards with the girls, game ... read more

The heat was almost unbearable last night, and what’s more i swear we had gale force winds (either that or my room is haunted) because the shutters kept slamming open so i had to get up to reshut them. I worked with Brigitte today, i love working with her! She is much more relaxed and we chat, unlike with Martine where we barely speak and move as fast as a hurricane! Busy day, we did just over 40 rooms and 3 blancs but i think i’m getting used to it because i don’t feel like dropping to the floor after my shift anymore. At lunch Brigitte and i went into the kitchen so that the chef could serve us some food, he asked me whether i wanted the fish or lamb- clearly i went for the ... read more

Been a fairly quiet day today, got up late for a change and went into Salies to get some croissants and go to the post office to change money. After initially telling me i could change money i was rudely told i had to give them the pounds in cash and couldn’t draw directly from my card. And then redirected to a bank which was of course closed. What is it with people working in post offices, is it a requirement for the job to be mean! Came back, and went to have lunch just as most people were finishing. There i was introduced to Anna, a guide for one of the other groups. We got talking a bit and turns out when she was 20 she went to Greece to be an aupair and started ... read more