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Blogs from Biarritz, Aquitaine, France, Europe
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Biarritz and a game of mudby (it should have been rugby!)
Published: January 19th 2013Europe » France » Aquitaine » Biarritz
January 18th 2013
It had been raining in Pamplona all week. Several outlying villages are flooded and some of the roads are closed. Luckily for us the main roads were not affected but the weather never let up as we made our way down to the coast and along to the French border. When we got to Biarritz it was quite easy to find our hotel, the oddly named Txutxu-Mutxu, which we presume is pronounce Choo-choo Moo-choo! We were very fortunate to find a parking space just up the road and we were soon in our room. The decor is a bit tired and pink in places, but we found the hotel more than adequate for the price, just over 50 Euros. The shower was wonderful, the pillows were soft and the quilt was very warm. What more do ... read more
June 15th 2012
Wed 13th First solid day of lovely sunshine today. When I packed I was expecting warm weather most of the time, so only packed a couple of pairs of jeans and jumpers. But while it hasn't really rained, it has been unseasonably cold - in Holland we had the coldest June day for over 50 years! So it was nice to finally get out some more summery stuff. Eugénie and I drove into Biarritz, and she gave me the grand tour. It's good timing, cos holidays haven't started yet, so it's not too crowded, and the beautiful seaside town was looking its best. It's a bit of a Mecca for surfers, who come from all over the world, which, as you can imagine, makes it all the ... read more
May 14th 2012
Biarritz is a reputed spot for surfing. So I booked a hostel which had surfboards included in the room price. Unfortunately though, when I was there there was no surf. But, also included in the price was a bike, so that is what I spent my two days in Biarritz doing. I rode to Bayonne, all around Biarritz and to a restaurant further up the coast. In doing all that I met a guy from Canada who was well cashed up from the oil exploitation going on there. A recurring theme in my travels, Australians cashed up from the mining boom and Canadians from the oil. The amount of money some of these guys are earning for doing menial jobs in many cases is mind blowing. One guy I met from Australia was earning $150,000AUD for ... read more
March 11th 2012
Leaving Bordeaux was hard. The train to Biarritz passed what seemed like sparsely settled farming lands and arrived at about 2:30pm.This was our first station not in the centre of town, where our hotel was located. We had to catch a bus to the town centre and walk a short distance to the hotel. It was lovely to see the sea again. Biarritz is also the hilliest town we've been to so far. It's setting is beautiful. The guy running the bar at la Carritz said it is busy year round and draws people from Spain, only 18km away; Russia, a lot more than 18km away; and Australia, a lot further still. The attraction is the mild climate (although it's 13 degrees today) and the surf. The Bay of Biscay is notorious for it's rough seas ... read more
The Basques and My Surfing...vicariously
Published: February 16th 2012Europe » France » Aquitaine » Biarritz
February 16th 2012
Note to self: Look at train ticket after purchase to determine if indeed it isa train ticket. Sheesh! Left the Toulouse hostel (the one way in the bum-stink, to use my previous words) right when the sun, a bright, blood red-orange, peeked over the rooftops. Ah, that makes it all worth it. :) Took a train to Bordeaux where I got to witness myself, circa ten years ago. A mother set her young daughter on the train, waving at her through the window until the cars started to move and even then chasing them a little way down the platform. The girl blushed in classic embarrassment as the train pulled out and us fellow travelers smiled knowingly and perhaps just a bit patronizingly since we've all been in her position. Then she proceeded to explore the ... read more
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August 13th 2011
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
Catching up with the Jones in Biarritz
Published: June 28th 2011Europe » France » Aquitaine » Biarritz
June 28th 2011
June 6th, we left bustling Barcelona for the beaches of Biarritz, France. The turned from urban buildings to lush mountainous landscapes as we rove though the border of the Pyrenes mountains. We arrived late evening to warm greeting from our friends who had prepared a meal for us. We caught up over a glass of French wine before retreating our cozy bedroom in the lovely flat that we spent the next four days enjoying. June 7th, we got up early to visit the local market. It was just a few blocks from the flat. We entered the indoor market to find rows and rows of delicious cheeses, meats, fresh fruit, vegetables and wine (of course). We were spoilt for choice, which made planning dinner our biggest challenge of the day (I know you don’t feel any ... read more
June 19th 2011
Biarritz, France15 - 20 June 2011 15 June 2011 - It is our 13th wedding** anniversary today ….and we spent the special day travelling from Toulon (arriving via our overnight ferry from Ajaccio, Corsica) by train to Biarritz for approx. 8 ½ hours – very romantic. **(It only seems like a little time ago but we were married NYC in 1998 with Kelly and Borrie as our witnesses) We had great views from the train of some beautiful castles and churches in Toulouse and Carcassone. We celebrated with the following special touches enjoying a homemade picnic lunch of Corsican ham with cheese = Le pain complet avec jambon et fromage, watching movies, reading French magazines (or trying to). Arrived in Biarritz to our 4-star hotel on the beach at 9.30pm and hit the pillows. P.s the ... read more
June 16th 2011
It has been a while and I'm sorry for that. Internet connections in France are crappy to say the least. We did manage to find a way of parking in McDonalds carparks and using their free Wifi, so got a few Facebook posts out. We have just had 8 days travelling down through the west coast of France from Dunkirk down to Biarritz. It was darn cold up the north...even compared to England so I was happy to start our way towards Spain where I knew it was warmer. We came across numerous towns which looked like they would be really neat in summer but were complete ghost towns with nothing open! really weird actually. We got as far as La Rochelle before we spent more that one night in one spot. Here Dan got a ... read more
March 27th 2011
Wednesday March 9th 2011 Reluctantly we left Rioja country and headed for France. It was a beautiful drive across the foothills of the Pyrenees to our overnight stop across the French border at Urrugna. Although the swimming pool that we had been looking forward to was closed, it had a pleasant little play park where Max played hide and seek with the boys, and we all enjoyed a family petanque tournament on the purpose-built court. Thursday March 10th 2011 A short journey along the coast brought us to Biarritz. Within walking distance of the town centre is an “aire de camping” – a French phenomenon somewhere between a car park and a camp site. It had electricity points and a water supply. It also has public toilets across the road at a beachside restaurant. Max had ... read more
