Paris and Beyond

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.

A Day at the Beach

This morning we realized we had had enough of Roman ruins, ancient buildings, and cobblestone streets. We had considered going to Arles, but Van Gogh is not there and neither is any of his work. Feeling a bit too warm, dry, and claustrophobic in our little Paradou nest, we decided to head to the beach. After all, the Mediterranean is only an hour and a half away and since I had never been there, Norman wanted me to experience it. We packed up a picnic lunch and were off — guided as usual by our now trusty GPS companion, Moneypenny. Eventually, we arrived at our destination, a seaside town called Le Grau du Roi, a challenge for English-speakers to pronounce with those two French r’s — we’ve been working on it all day. You might compare it to Santa Cruz or Oceanside in California. We stopped in at the tourism office where a very informative young man gave us the scoop on the area — where to park, which were the best beaches, and the name of a hotel with a very good restaurant — plus a map to go with it which is very necessary. It’s not a large area, but everything is tightly squeezed in and it’s difficult to maneuver around town without some guidance.

We found our way to a beautiful beach with easy parking. The French vacation in the south of France during July and August so we haven’t encountered seasonal crowds yet. We set ourselves up on the beach near the water. Fortunately, we found a few items in our apartment to help us along with this such as beach chairs and a picnic basket. For a couple of hours we enjoyed relaxing on the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean — yes, swimming! I’m a California girl, but I grew up swimming in pools all my life. I’ve never been fond of swimming in bodies of water that have no edges and where I can’t see what’s on the bottom. About the only place I’ve ever swum freely in the ocean is Puerto Vallarta — something about having young children with me and the intense heat helped me overcome my fears there for the time being. Today, however, I was drawn to the inviting waters of the sea. The water was warm and shallow for several feet and the bottom was covered only with slightly rippled sand. There were no rocks, seaweed, or critters to impede wading calmly into the gentle surf. As I got out farther, the water became deeper, cooler, and more refreshing. It was truly delightful!

A variety of sunbathers and swimmers accompanied us for the afternoon — a grandfather playing water soccer with his grandson in the shallow waters, another set of grandparents introducing a toddler to the ocean possibly for the first time, and friends of all ages just hanging out together enjoying the day. Young men and women (some decidedly more enthusiastic than others) manned pushcarts along the beach selling glacé, beignets, and other tempting treats. People watching is always interesting at the beach, but after a couple of hours at a French beach, you understand why the Beach Boys wrote, “I wish they all could be California girls”.

As with every beach, thankfully, there is at least an ocean breeze or something a bit stronger — it’s what keeps you cool, right? In this case, it was a wind which began to pick up more and more taking the sand with it so we knew we would have to relocate for our picnic. We headed in the direction of the recommended hotel on the marina side of town and found a quiet park and completely unoccupied park, the perfect spot for lunch. We ate and relaxed surrounded by various building complexes which appeared to be vacation homes or rentals uniquely designed to looked like double-decker boats.

After lunch, we walked out to the hotel past the marina filled with countless yachts large and small all shamefully not in use. Just like at home, people are typically out working to pay for them and rarely get to set sail. The marina is ringed by a number of hotels all in keeping with the theme designed to look like ocean liners — a bit unattractive really. Once we reached the hotel restaurant, we discovered it was closed… no explanation — it’s open in the evenings (but apparently 5 PM was not evening enough). There was also a grill restaurant by the pool which was inactive but seemed to have the potential to open at some point (though it never did). However, since no one was around, it turned out to be our personal oasis complete with comfortable outdoor furniture and palm trees where Norman was able to catch a nap and I started this post.

Rested and rejuvenated we still had one more wish on our list — an ice cold beer which we found back on the main drag at Quai des Artistes (how appropriate!) across from the beach — Belgian, delicious, and cheap! 5€ for two — the total amount of money we spent for the whole day.

Time to return home and enjoy the last day of our week in Provence before we head off to Toulouse in the Languedoc.

The Route to Anywhere

One of the reasons we chose to travel throughout France in a car was because it is the best way to experience any location that you wish to visit. Driving is not for everybody, however, and there are many things you have to do to prepare in order to minimize any potential problems you might encounter.

First of all, let me preface the following with the fact that I (Norman) have previously driven through France, Italy, and Spain (although it was more than twenty years ago). The one thing that is very important to learn if you do decide to drive in France, is what the various road signs mean. There aren’t many, but it is vital to recognize what appears along the roadway. Another is that in many European countries, the “roundabout” is a very common feature encountered at major intersections in large cities, small villages, and even out in the countryside. You merge in and out of a roundabout so it is important to signal your intentions when you enter and are about to leave the roundabout. Signaling your intentions assures that everyone knows what you intend to do.

I have driven in very heavy and congested traffic in Paris, Lyon, Annecy and many small towns and villages. Keep in mind that many of the old city’s and especially the villages’ roadways were built for ox carts, not cars! The streets are narrow or windy or both and turning into side streets can be very sharp and short. Many smaller villages have few if any sidewalks so look out for pedestrians and bicyclists. You will also be sharing very narrow roads with 18-wheelers coming your way! So slow down and squeeze on by. They will be doing the same. I have to say that even in the heaviest congestion, almost all drivers have been calm, considerate, and courteous. When driving on two-lane roads, stay to the right (even if there is no one behind you). I learned rather quickly that cars that seemed to be far behind you caught up to you much more quickly than you thought they would. Also, in France, you can only pass a car on the left even if you are on the right-hand lane of a two-lane highway going in the same direction with no car in your lane in front of you. Many times I have seen cars going down the right-hand lane and as they catch up to a car in the left lane, they will slow down and switch to the left lane behind the slower car expecting it to move to the right-hand lane. So don’t dilly-dally; move and stay in the right-hand lane even after passing. Look out for speed traps. You will recognize them when you see a sign telling you that “for your protection, your speed will be monitored” (in French of course).

Gas prices in France are some of the highest in the world. It is not that the price of oil is higher for the French (as compared the the U.S. for example), but that the government adds a hefty tax to every liter of gas (as much as 70%) — enough of a tax to make the price equivalent to about $6.50-8.00 per gallon. Why such high taxes? Taxes collected from the sale of gas for motor fuel pay for the very extensive and excellent roadways. Every paved road we have been on was in excellent shape. When driving through tunnels and over long spans of bridges, they too were very well-maintained. Even when driving down what seemed one-lane country roads far from anywhere, we have noticed how good the quality of the roadways have been. As with everything, there is a price to pay for quality. I don’t think the French complain too loudly about the price of gas, given the excellent quality of their roadways. The French are a practical people and will walk, bicycle, or take public transportation before they needlessly spend money on gas.

Keep in mind other expenses you will encounter if you plan to drive between two distant locations…toll roads. There are many throughout the country. You probably can get from one location to another by taking non toll roads, but be prepared to take a lot longer getting there. Sometimes you might double the length of your drive time if you decide not to take the toll road. Tolls roads can be expensive, but there is no more direct route from one place to another. On the other hand, when we took non toll roads on side trips, we got to see some very beautiful landscapes, country roads, and many charming villages. Another expense is parking. By planning ahead, you can use inexpensive or even free public parking lots.

The last piece of advice I can offer is to use the Internet as much as possible when planning your travel. We have been able to get very detailed information on almost all our destinations that pertains to driving via the Internet. Parking information, rates, driving directions, locations, number of parking spaces, security, etc. can be had ahead of time on your mobile phone or iPad.

All in all, I’d have to say that having a car is the best way to see the country. You can get to places that are either inaccessible by public transportation or would be arduous to get to at best. However, driving can be stressful, so plan ahead, get informed, and stay frosty.

Here are some equivalents:
1 liter= .26 U.S. gallon (1 US gallon = 3.78 liters)
Our car’s capacity of diesel is 60 liters (16 gallons)
The Euro = $1.25 U.S. Dollars
To fill up the 16 gallon tank @ 1.40 Euros per liter costs approx. 84 Euros ($104).

Distances and speed are measured in kilometers.
1 km = .621 miles (1 mile = 1.6 km)
Highway speeds as high as 130 km per hour are allowed = 80 miles per hour