Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
beautiful day!!
the sun is shining and the ground is frosty. such a lovely combination.. we are near cognac staying at a farm house doing some work on renovations and harvesting the last of the crops. We tried some cognac the other night because you have to really and found it to be the most vile thing we've ever put in our mouths. Cognac itself is quite a small place with not alot going on but the area we are staying is so picturesque with views of vineyards for miles and miles. The farm house we're staying at also has a fully stocked bar!
we still keep getting bought drinks by the bar staff at any pubs we go to and we have been told that it is customary in France that after about the 3rd round of drinks(not just alcohol) then the drinks are on them prtty much every other round! just goes to show how little the french buy drinks.. we've seen people order the tiniest espresso coffees and sit there for 2 hours with the same one.. tis madness.
we still keep getting bought drinks by the bar staff at any pubs we go to and we have been told that it is customary in France that after about the 3rd round of drinks(not just alcohol) then the drinks are on them prtty much every other round! just goes to show how little the french buy drinks.. we've seen people order the tiniest espresso coffees and sit there for 2 hours with the same one.. tis madness.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
We have been in salies de bearn about a month now and been having a great time. Weve been getting to know the locals and even got invited to a party at an Australian blokes chateau which was good. Everyone is still so friendly here and seem to love giving us free drinks in all the bars!
We’ve had a bit of a nightmare with Jess on heat and attracting every dog in town. We had one dog with us for more than 24 hours sleeping outside the van waiting for Jess ‘the babe magnet’ (as she is now known in this town) and we had to take it to the town mayors office to get rid of it! The mayor seems to deal with everything in french towns. Including the non existent police.
We went to spain for a couple of days as we are near the border but the weather turned out really bad so we didn't see alot. We drove through san sebastian,bilbao etc then stayed by the beach. On the way back into France we went to Bayonne which is now our favourite French city and has completely shown us a new side to France and french people. Its the capital of the basque region and even has its own language! it seems to be where all the younger cultured french people live which is reflected in the bars, shops, music scene and the fact that more people can speak some English here than anywhere else we've been in France. We had a night out with some french people we met in a pub who couldnt wait to practise their English all night. Then One of them did a fire poy show at the end of night which was amazing!
We’ve had a bit of a nightmare with Jess on heat and attracting every dog in town. We had one dog with us for more than 24 hours sleeping outside the van waiting for Jess ‘the babe magnet’ (as she is now known in this town) and we had to take it to the town mayors office to get rid of it! The mayor seems to deal with everything in french towns. Including the non existent police.
We went to spain for a couple of days as we are near the border but the weather turned out really bad so we didn't see alot. We drove through san sebastian,bilbao etc then stayed by the beach. On the way back into France we went to Bayonne which is now our favourite French city and has completely shown us a new side to France and french people. Its the capital of the basque region and even has its own language! it seems to be where all the younger cultured french people live which is reflected in the bars, shops, music scene and the fact that more people can speak some English here than anywhere else we've been in France. We had a night out with some french people we met in a pub who couldnt wait to practise their English all night. Then One of them did a fire poy show at the end of night which was amazing!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
We arrived in a place called Burg, literally in the middle of no where, ready to do some work for a british couple . They had a beautiful farmhouse situated just outside the village of Burg surrounded by picturesque views of the pyrenees. We spent a week here which was more than enough.. as lovely as this place is its very secluded and far too removed from civilisation for us ! We love the countryside but this is something else ..the nearest shop being half an hours drive away, let alone the nearest pub . We definitely got some inspiration from this place though and Jess made a new doggy friend called buster or bastard as it was nicknamed .
After leaving Burg we went west to Biarritz on the coast. Biarritz is a surfing hub of Europe and the waves were immense ! Although the place itself wasn’t as exciting as we’d hoped. Saturday night and the bars close at half 10 but i think thats just a trait we’ve noticed in France . The town also didn’t have alot to offer except expensive designer shops and restaurants which we were surprised about for a coastal place . Not really our cuppa tea but was worth seeing those waves !!
Well after searching long and hard and exploring to the ass end of France we have currently found the perfect french town ! We arrived in Salies de béarn to be greeted with some of the first smiles we’ve seen on the faces of those frogs . They couldn’t be nicer if they tried. There was an annual festival kicking off when we arrived which probably helped alot too. It was a big street party and a parade and everyone was wearing berets and getting merry..and not one fight or violent incident ! everyone in this town seems so happy to be here and you can see why. We also have stumbled upon an Irish pub, probably the only one of its kind in France (even the ones in paris are lame) . . Its a bit of a hub for the pretentious british property owners in France but if you get there after 9pm then its a different story. The landlord is an old English bloke who is pretty much a legend really . We were welcomed with open arms, especially Jess who has certainly made a big impact in this town. We’ve had every dog in town stalking Jess and they do not give up ! Even the pub landlord(whos name is Tom and daughter is called Cat) has a female dog called Lucky who is equally as fond of Jess as the males ! and even better ..he stays open until 2 am and you can’t leave without a drink on the house.
So we are currently loving this town and i think we will stay here for another few weeks to save some cash for moving on to the next place . We have just purchased a cheap laptop but we’re still struggling with internet access so we will try to be in contact every couple weeks !
Ciao for now x
After leaving Burg we went west to Biarritz on the coast. Biarritz is a surfing hub of Europe and the waves were immense ! Although the place itself wasn’t as exciting as we’d hoped. Saturday night and the bars close at half 10 but i think thats just a trait we’ve noticed in France . The town also didn’t have alot to offer except expensive designer shops and restaurants which we were surprised about for a coastal place . Not really our cuppa tea but was worth seeing those waves !!
Well after searching long and hard and exploring to the ass end of France we have currently found the perfect french town ! We arrived in Salies de béarn to be greeted with some of the first smiles we’ve seen on the faces of those frogs . They couldn’t be nicer if they tried. There was an annual festival kicking off when we arrived which probably helped alot too. It was a big street party and a parade and everyone was wearing berets and getting merry..and not one fight or violent incident ! everyone in this town seems so happy to be here and you can see why. We also have stumbled upon an Irish pub, probably the only one of its kind in France (even the ones in paris are lame) . . Its a bit of a hub for the pretentious british property owners in France but if you get there after 9pm then its a different story. The landlord is an old English bloke who is pretty much a legend really . We were welcomed with open arms, especially Jess who has certainly made a big impact in this town. We’ve had every dog in town stalking Jess and they do not give up ! Even the pub landlord(whos name is Tom and daughter is called Cat) has a female dog called Lucky who is equally as fond of Jess as the males ! and even better ..he stays open until 2 am and you can’t leave without a drink on the house.
So we are currently loving this town and i think we will stay here for another few weeks to save some cash for moving on to the next place . We have just purchased a cheap laptop but we’re still struggling with internet access so we will try to be in contact every couple weeks !
Ciao for now x
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