Paris and Beyond

Native Son

One of the advantages of living your vacation in the slow lane is that you discover things you would not normally learn about at a faster pace. Saint-André-de-Cubzac is the closest town to our little village (about 15 minutes away) where we go for groceries, a boulangerie, gas, or a bank. In researching available services in the area, I stumbled across an interesting fact. It turns out that the legendary Jacques Cousteau was born there and is buried in the Cousteau family plot in Saint André’s cemetery. So, today, on our way to do some shopping, we made a small detour to visit his gravesite.

As I’m sure most of you know, Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author, and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung and pioneered marine conservation. He was born in Saint-André-de-Cubzac on June 11, 1910. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Paris where his father worked as a lawyer. Jacques was a sickly child and was instructed not to participate in strenuous activities, but, nevertheless, he learned how to swim and eventually developed a love for the sea. Though he did not do particularly well in school, he succeeded in being admitted to and graduating from the French naval academy and entering the navy where he was given a pair of goggles used by divers. This piqued his curiosity. His fascination with the ability to see underwater led to his interest in developing a device that would allow humans to breathe underwater.

With the advent of WW II in 1939, Cousteau’s research was put on hold while he carried out his naval assignment as a gunnery officer and participated in the French Resistance. Ironically, his brother, Pierre-Antoine, was a pro-Nazi war criminal at one time sentenced to death until he was released under an amnesty agreement in 1954. Due to their extreme political differences, the two brothers became estranged.

In 1937, Cousteau married and had two sons, Jean-Michael and Philippe who was his favorite and chosen to carry on the family business and oceanographic legacy. Unfortunately, Philippe died in a helicopter accident at the age of 38 prompting Cousteau to form an alliance with his oldest son with whom he collaborated for 14 years. During this same period, he had an affair and two more children with another woman who eventually became his wife after the death of his first wife from cancer. Today she continues her husband’s work as head of the Cousteau Foundation and Cousteau Society, two non-profit organizations that promote underwater exploration and ecology.

Professionally, Cousteau carried out countless hours of underwater field research and archaeological explorations on the infamous ship Calypso which would have been impossible without scuba gear including the Aqua-Lung that he developed and pioneered. This apparatus gave him the ability to explore and film parts of the ocean that had never been seen before which he shared with the world through his many films and television specials. In addition, he was personally responsible for bringing an awareness to many of the practices which endangered ocean life such as whaling and the disposal of nuclear waste. Along the way he garnered many awards and titles such as the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor, but he will most notably be recognized by all for taking us into the depths of the ocean for the very first time.

Cousteau died of a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 87. He was buried in the family plot in Saint-André-de-Cubzac. The city paid homage to him with the inauguration of the Rue du Commandant Cousteau, a street which runs out to his native house, where a commemorative plaque is affixed. The plot is a simple raised stone structure typical of those in any French cemetery bearing a small and aged commemorative plaque which reads, “J. Y. Cousteau / Papa du Globe”. Situated on top and distinguishing it from the myriad of other plots is a large heart-shaped arrangement of red begonias, the only fresh flowers in the whole cemetery — an obvious sign that Saint-André has not forgotten Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As you leave the cemetery, you circle one of the usual French roundabouts where you immediately notice that a dolphin is mounted in the center with a familiar red diver’s cap in his beak — one more quiet and eloquent reminder of the city’s native son.

From Schubert to Beethoven

We are staying this week in a small village that cozies up to the banks of the Dordogne river in the Bordeaux wine growing region. Asques, like small and large cities throughout France, is enjoying a national summer concert series — the12th year for this series. Last night and this evening, we decided to attend two local concerts to listen to the classical music programs being offered. Asques is a small village and has an old roman church at the top of a small hill that overlooks the village and the Dordogne river. Last night’s concert was held inside. The inside of this church is very simple consisting of two elongated barrel vaults sitting side by side about 50 feet in length each. The adjoining vaults are supported by two simple Roman arches. The interior walls are barren except for the statues of Mary and Christ, and a small stained glass window here and there.
The concert presentation that evening was Opus 100 by Franz Schubert. The instrumentation consisted of piano, violin and cello.

Having played concert bass in school orchestras from junior high and into college, I am familiar with many of the classical composers and I wanted Cheryl to have the experience of attending something that the local people would themselves attend. As it turned out, we were the only non-locals there.

The musicians were set up in the middle of the church and seating was available in a half circle around them. The setting couldn’t have been more intimate. Surrounded by the village locals, we settled in. When the musicians started playing, we were startled to hear rich, vibrant tones coming from their instruments. At first, I thought they surely must be miked. Surprisingly, they weren’t. The acoustics of this small chapel were amazing! You could hear every nuance that the exceptionally talented musicians played. It was incredible and a joy to listen to.

This evening we attended the other concert, Beethoven. The concert location was in the village of Mouillac, a short drive from Asques. As before, the concert was held in a small Roman church. This church, however, was about half the size of the previous one and was much more an example of ancient Roman architecture. At first, I was wondering how the musicians (a septet of violin, viola, cello, concert bass, French horn, bassoon, and clarinet) plus any audience could possibly fit into such a small space. The interior of this chapel was very simple, almost stark with few adornments of any kind, no windows, and the entire structure was a single barrel vault. The seven musicians sat at one end while the audience was, once again, seated in a semi-circle around them. The musicians were highly skilled professionals. Most were in their early thirties although we suspected that one or two were younger. Listening to the stringed instruments in such close proximity and with the acoustics of the chapel, made you appreciate the quality of the sound, the expressive inflection of every tone, and the crisp richness of every note. It was a wonderful experience and one that we will carry with us for a long time.

One of the things that we noticed and remarked to each about was the fact that in both concerts there were children. Not many but those who were present were about 3 and 4 years old. Not once during the two hour concert, including pauses lasting up to a minute between musical passages, did any of these children, talk, fidget, or make ANY disturbance of any kind! We were amazed! They simply sat next to their parents, quietly played with a toy, and slept if they felt like it. The adults (including yours trulies), showed the utmost respect for the musicians. Not a sound was heard from the audience to detract from the exceptional quality of the musicianship. The audience also held their very appreciative applause until the end of the presentation.

The wonderful thing about traveling is when you discover traditions, customs, or behaviors in the local culture that are different from yours. Cheryl noticed that when the audience applauded, at first it sounded just like any other applause. But after a minute or two, there came a rhythm to it in the form of 3’s with a short pause between the next three. The musicians would exit and return to acknowledge the applause three times. This happened at both concerts.

The summer concert series for this area is over until later in the summer. We hope to catch other concerts series at our next location.

Ritzy Biarritz

Biarritz — by my definition AKA:

• Mini Montecarlo
• Palm Springs with a Beach
• Money, Money, Money ( you need it to be there or you can try to win it at the casino)
• Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (remember that show?)

(Wikipedia) …a Basque city which lies on the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers.

This was a one-night stopover in our transition back into France on the way to Bordeaux. Unfortunately, nothing remarkable for us as we felt we had been to many touristy places like this, but we had a great “hotel picnic” and a good night’s rest before moving on.

Postcards from Bizkaia

Today we ventured on amazing journey. After enjoying a wonderful breakfast in an glass enclosed atrium at our seaside hotel, we followed the narrow winding costal road and took in incredible views of this rugged and wild coastline. Thick, rich forest lined our route and a continuous carpet of ferns paved our way. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, we would come into a clearing that showed us glimpses of the many coves and inlets that are so much a part of this beautiful coastline. Then at the next turn, we came upon small villages tightly tucked into the crags formed by eons of time and shaped by the strength and force of nature.

Space along the coast is at a premium, so in the few villages that have established a foothold here, housing towers spawn up like vertical tentacles reaching for the sky. Everyone makes accommodations for the fact that life that clings to the crags must share very available inch of space. In Elantxobe for example, the main street narrows so much that the public bus cannot turn around at the end of the street to make the return trip back to San Sebastian. Adaptation and ingenuity are characteristic of the Basque and so the townspeople installed a turntable that allows the bus to rotate 180° so that it can return from where it came!

It is difficult to find the words to express the beauty of this Basque region. Mountainous, rugged, heavily forested with hidden coves as rugged as those of Big Sur, one’s eyes and senses can be overwhelmed. Looking out at the vast expanse of the Atlantic, you can actually see the slight curvature of the earth. And when traveling along the narrow twisting mountain road and coming upon a small village at the foot of vertical cliffs, you realize the beauty of the jewel you just chanced upon.

We continued for several hours, stopping here and there to take in another breath of the beauty that surrounds us. And alas, we arrived in Guernica. Guernica is the phoenix of this region. Having suffered total devastation by Hilter’s bombers with the indulgence of Franco in 1937, Guernica was razed to the ground. Thousands of its townspeople perished. But true to the strong spirit of the Basque, the town was rebuilt, traditions restored, and today Guernica is a symbol of peace, tolerance, and forgiveness.
It is a lovely town, quiet, peaceful, where the pace of life is taken one step at a time.

Our intent today was to discover what the Basque have known all along about their region — that if there is a heaven, then you couldn’t get closer to it than this.

The Pyrenees & the Basque Country

The natural border between France and Spain are the Pyrenees. A chain of beautiful snow-capped mountain peaks that reminds one of the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho or the dramatic spires of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Spread across the landscape are small hamlets, chateaus, and farms. Beautiful trees of all kinds describe the changing geography. On the French side, the terrain is wider with gentle rolling hills and shallow valleys. Church spires and small castle towers dot the landscape here and there. Acres of lush deep green fields with rows of what look similar to corn fill in the the spaces. Everything is embraced by trees.

As we head west into Spain’s northern Basque region, the landscape becomes more dramatic. Skirting the northwest end of the Pyrenees, we follow steeper hills and narrow valleys. Tunnels direct us through mountains that spill into the Atlantic and as we emerge on the other side, we are greeted with expansive ocean views. Here and there, we pass by exposed vineyards clinging to hillsides. The road twists and turns as we approach our first stop –San Sebastian.

As one might imagine, planning a vacation of this length requires serious research into lodging, transportation, eating, and sight seeing. I feel very lucky that driving (while it can be and is stressful at times) is mostly my responsibility. Cheryl is the ultimate organizer and tourist information agent. She is ALWAYS checking, double checking our destinations as well as finding out all about the places we are about to visit. When eating out in France, the custom is similar to eating out back home, be it restaurant or cafe. Spain has quite a different tradition. In Northern Spain, pinxtos are similar to the tapas offered in bars and cafes in the southern part of the country. The Basque spelling uses “xt” in place of the Spanish “ch” in many words such as pinxtos (peen-chos). A great variety of these “hors d’oeuvres” line the counters of bars and cafes. Many bars have special pinxtos (the specialty of the house) that define that cafe/bar’s offerings. Upon entering a cafe, just ask for a plate, select what you want to try, and enjoy it with a beer (usually only one kind in smaller bars and cafes) or a local wine or cider. The idea is to have one or two pinxtos at one bar, then move on to another bar to try another one or two and so on. This is exactly what we did in San Sebastian. It was a great experience not just for the great variety of pinxtos, but to get into the mix of the local culture — listening to the banter of locals exaggerating stories or poking fun at each other. As one would expect, Basque (actually called Euskara) is the primary language here, and when you hear it spoken, there is no other language to which you can equate it. Luckily, Spanish is the primary language in everyday business establishments but you can also hear French, Italian, German, English sprinkled here and there.

San Sebastian is a port city of moderate size nestled in a beautiful cove caressed by the blue green ocean. The city center with its narrow roads and pedestrian-only sections lends itself to strolling along as you discover small shops, cafes, bakeries, bars and restaurants. On the inland side of the cove, sun bathers linger on the quarter mile long sandy beach backed by multistoried housing where it appears that every unit has a personal view of the ocean. It is a very beautiful city. We were very much impressed by it and look forward to a second visit on the way back into France.

Heading west along the coast we continue on to our destination. The Hotel Arbe overlooking the vast Atlantic from the cliff above a small cove.

So Toulouse

Traveling from Provence across southern France to Spain, we needed an interesting stopover that might provide a still different perspective of French life. We chose a short stay of three days in Toulouse, France’s 4th largest city and the capital of its aeronautics industry. It’s nickname is the “Pink City” due to the fact that much of the brick architecture is a peachy color which looks pink in the sunlight especially at sunset. University students make up a quarter of Toulouse’s population creating a lively, young atmosphere — quite a contrast to and a refreshing change from Provence which is filled with retirees.

On our last night in Le Paradou, we had planned to go out to a specially recommended restaurant, but when we researched it more, we discovered it was a popular hangout for the rich and famous. In fact, the French singer, Charles Aznavour, frequently dines there. Because of all the publicity, we felt it might be a bit overrated and we really wanted to avoid that scene so we decided to wait until we got to Toulouse. On our first evening here, we ventured out to Place du Capitole, a square in the city’s center, and witnessed for ourselves the peachy-pink colors cast at sunset on the grand city hall building known as Le Capitole. In this square there are a multitude of brasseries, one of which had come to my attention — Le Bibent, developed by well-known chef, Christian Constant who hails from the an area in southern France near Toulouse. It was obviously a very popular place, but we were lucky to find an available table on the patio overlooking the square. With a menu of regional offerings created from local products, we were able to enjoy some delectable dishes. Ironically, about half way through our meal, a little old man looking strangely familiar exited the restaurant and immediately attracted a crowd. It was none other than Charles Aznavour — in town to help host Le Marathon de Mots (the Marathon of Words), a celebration of authors, poets, and novelists. So it seemed we could not dodge the rich and famous after all.

Yesterday we made a short trip back to the city center via metro to visit the Fondation Bemberg. This magnificent building constructed for a wealthy merchant around 1555 houses the collection of Georges Bemberg who donated over 300 works of art from many periods of history including a large number of paintings by Pierre Bonnard. It is a small venue which makes viewing the artwork a very intimate experience. Afterwards, we discovered a very affordable menu du jour on the museum’s small covered terrace. This sort of offering generally consists of a salad or appetizer + a main dish or a main dish + dessert and sometimes a drink for one price. It is always the best and most economical way to eat your main midday meal if you can find it when you are hungry — a challenge for Americans as our stomachs run on different clocks than the French. It is served between noon and 2:00 or as late as 4:00 in some cases. Fortunately, we caught this one just in time.

Our last stop for the day was the Basilique Saint Sernin. We were mostly interested in seeing this church because it is reputed to be the largest, finest, and purest Romanesque church in Europe. It was built in the 5th century to honor St. Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse who became a martyr in 250 after being dragged though the streets by a sacrificial bull. Ouch! It is also a major part of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Sitting inside and admiring the massive, towering arches, it is very difficult to imagine the construction of such an immense structure in those early times. Truly impressive.

Today we finished off our stay in the pink city with a visit to Airbus City just outside Toulouse. Our tour focused on the construction of the Airbus A380, a double-decker jetliner which holds the title of world’s largest passenger plane. It debuted in 2007 a joint-venture between France, Spain, Germany, and the UK. We had the opportunity to learn how the prototypes were tested and see some of the plant facilities as well as view several planes on the tarmac just about ready for delivery — 3 of which were designated for Emirates Airlines toward their total order of 90 — one for each sheik I suppose. They only cost $389 million dollars each! Depending on the configuration, they hold anywhere from 525-853 people. Each plane weighs over 550 tons fully loaded. At that weight it’s hard to believe they can stay in the air. At the end of our tour, we were allowed to sit in a section of the body of an original prototype, but we were disappointed that we didn’t get to take a test flight. Top security on this tour — no photos allowed.

Tomorrow we are headed off to Spain to explore the Basque Country with a stopover for lunch in San Sebastian. We look forward to sharing again with you soon.