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The Estonian Philosopher.

Stanley Edwards said:
I will be in that there Frogland by the end of the day. I'm nervous about this TBH. They hate the English. All of them. I can't do the lingo.
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Not every French person hates all the English - if you try to not be their worst nightmare (eg a tourist moaning about how their ways are so different to what you're used to, drunken, disorderly, making no effort to try communicating except in English [not even with gestures and cartoon drawings]), you'll probably be okay. :)

Do yourself a favour and buy a phrase book + tiny French-English dictionary. They won't cover all your needs, but they will help you stay out of trouble.
 
Juis swee un artist ingles avec ou par le BEER BEER BEER merci si vou play a la snails.

I'm getting there quickly.

Biarritz! This could go either way. My nicotiene habit has just shot through the €10/day roof, and beer has doubled in price. Fire with fire - time to double my prices also.

Going to give this place a couple of days at least. Difficult to judge places like Biarritz. The vast majority of my custom comes from local people, not tourists. The locals here could be very good to me once they see what I can do. Far too many French people here for my liking :) And, surfer dudes. Fucking surfer dudes :mad:
 
Stanley Edwards said:
Juis swee un artist ingles avec ou par le BEER BEER BEER merci si vou play a la snails.

I'm getting there quickly.

Biarritz! This could go either way. My nicotiene habit has just shot through the €10/day roof, and beer has doubled in price. Fire with fire - time to double my prices also.

Going to give this place a couple of days at least. Difficult to judge places like Biarritz. The vast majority of my custom comes from local people, not tourists. The locals here could be very good to me once they see what I can do. Far too many French people here for my liking :) And, surfer dudes. Fucking surfer dudes :mad:
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Problem is they are surfer dudes, surfing to be seen rather than soul surfers. I loved surfing when I did it, but these dudes used to piss me off enormously.

get some picks of Biarritz, I love the place, please.
 
dessiato said:
...
get some picks of Biarritz, I love the place, please.
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No fucking way. How can anyone like this facist little hell hole? It's ugly. The people stink up thier own arses. It is possibly the ugliest place I have ever visited. They're getting no more of my time. From here straight back to the train station.

Hated every minute. Seriously hated. As for French cuisine... fuck me! Burger for €5, or burger with extras for €7. This is hell. Honestly people - never come here! Everything is twice the price and half as good.

Fuck you Biarritz!!!
 
dessiato said:
About the only place near there that I can think of is Bayonne. Unless you go inland along towards Chinon, but that is not very close.
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I am in Bayonne. I like it here. Couldn't share your enthusiasm for Biarritz - just not my sort of place! I took a nice photo for you though. Will download and upload later.

Bayonne seems to be a town for single people approaching middle age age like myself. Sort of mellow, but still with a 'younger' fashion culture. Fabulous market with one of the best displays of frilly knickers I've ever come across :D

Nice city, but I am struggling to find a decent money making pitch. Yesterday was very expensive :( Bus plus 2 trains plus very expensive last minute hotel plus expensive beer :(

I'm getting into the lingo much more quickly than I expected. However, many people here seem to think they're Basque :confused:

HAVE TO MAKE CASH!
 
Hold the front page - Rich Tourist Hotspot is expensive to live in shocker. :rolleyes:
 
Greebo said:
Hold the front page - Rich Tourist Hotspot is expensive to live in shocker. :rolleyes:
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Fuck all to do with the cost. Possibly everything to do with the money. It was just nasty. Nasty, nasty, nasty place. I fail to see what good anyone sees in the place.

But, Bayonne. I like it. Nice relaxed, safe feel to the place. The police are cool. It isn't cheap. I'm used to paying Spanish prices...

In Granada:
20 L&M Rojo €3.65
A Caña with tapas €1.50
Salbutamol inhaler €3.10

In Bayonne:
20 L&M Rojo €5.40
A beer without tapas €2.70
Salbutamol inhaler €5.08

I haven't found an affordable bed yet, and I haven't found a decent pitch. I'm just about covering costs which is OK, but I expect a bit more than that these days. Going to try a spot close to the cathedral later. You need so many elements to come together to get as good as Pamplona, or Leon. That rarely happens.

It's the difference between Spain and France. Not tourist hotspots. Granada is a tourist hotspot. I reckon if you include travel/flights Spain is still the best value holiday destination. And, still my favourite place to live.
 
As far as finding somewhere affordable to sleep - try asking at a church if they can find somewhere for you for the night. If you're lucky, they'll have enough English (or know somebody who does) to work out what you need.
 
Greebo said:
As far as finding somewhere affordable to sleep - try asking at a church if they can find somewhere for you for the night. If you're lucky, they'll have enough English (or know somebody who does) to work out what you need.
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You're talking to a seasoned pilgrim.

My French is actually OK already. It's not that different to Spanish in many respects. I'm making enough to cover costs (including €30night for bed).

JE SUIS UN ARTISTE ANGLAIS QUI VOYAGE EN EUROPE ET EN AFRIQUE, JE COLLECTE DE L'ARGENT POUR DES ASSOCIATIONS CARITATIVAS...

Surprised myself how quickly I'm getting the lingo. Plenty of people willing to give time to help in learning :)
 
Bayonne :)

I like lots. I'm not making a great deal. Barely covering costs. It's very gratifying covering costs doing something you love to do. Rains commeth! Within 10 minutes 7 people asked to make sure I had shelter for the night (I'm taking a hotel). And, I've been invited to join some good people for a meal this evening. This is a very friendly, relaxed, chilled, safe little city. I love it. Two rivers. Nice architecture. Fun and easy public spaces. FREE ELECTRIC BUSES! Why can't the UK do cities like this?

The more I walk around the more I begin to realise just how much the environment we live in affects our own mindset. Bayonne has one of the best. Happy people in a happy city.

The people here are very interested in what I'm doing. All this hospitallity and I can barely speak the lingo. I would love to stay, but I need to make cash. Onwards and upwards :)
 
Shitty snap from my notebook...

There is a huge demo going on. I had no idea the Basque country actually extended into France. Rugby is very popular here. I'm in Cafe du Theatro. The walls are covered with photographs of past rugby legends.

Food is very popular here also. Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet Herve - a classically trained chef - who invited me to join his dinner party :) Onion and carrot soup with avacado to start. The soup was made with the leaves from the carrot tops and leaves from raddish. Delicious :) Young tuna (caught by his friend on the day) slow roast with diced potatoes and loads of herbs :) Strawberries for desert. I introduced my new friends to the delights of sliced strawberry with pepper just to make sure they understood us English actually appreciate good flavours also.

Accepted invitation to take the spare room in the very swanky appartment for the night. Now I'm heading to the coast to meet people who were at the dinner party. A young couple who run a bicycle rental business. He's from northern France. She is from Tel Aviv.

I am meeting fucking nice people here. I'm skint mind. Need to look at making cash on the coast before deciding on my next move.
 

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Better photos come to my blog at a later time...

e2a; Ah fuck! It's May day! Now I understand the demo. Up the Workers!
 
I am hiking towards somewhere called Capbreton. I have no idea what to expect other than it's a surfers bay and I have contacts there. I have just €3 in pocket and no cigarettes :( Hopefully I will arrive in time to make some cash. Alternatively, there is a small town enroute which may offer cash making potential.

Beautiful weather. I may sleep on the beach tonight :)

Still haven't had to use my bank cards/dip into savings, but this is as low as in pocket has got so far. Fairly confident I can turn things around quickly and head towardes Bordeaux tomorrow on a cheating train ride :)
 
Seriously underestimated the hiking distance. Didn't arrive until late evening. Beautiful, huge golden beaches here, but fuck all to sketch. I will have to find something. Nothing to stay for here. I'm heading to a town called Dax.
 
A nice mucky lowres sunset. I'm doing this place an injustice.

Sold sketches. Moving towards Pau tomorrow morning. Back to plan A and taking the longer route via Toulous and Switzerland. Brief stop back in Bayonne to finish painting number 1.

Everyone here has been exceptionally friendly. Coffee and beers bought for me totally unprompted. A beautiful person gave me a pack of tobacco and papers. And, just 10 minutes ago another beautiful person ran across the road to find me and ask if I had sold today, then offered me ciggarettes.

I'm sleeping on the beach again. It's safe. It's relatively mild. It's beautiful. There are free showers and basins big enough to wash clothes. I have even found a free electric socket to recharge everything :)

All is back to good.
 

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We spent the last 11 days driving a big loop around Slovenia, Stan. It's well nice. You want to get yourself over there -- right up your alley.

In Ljubljana there were a number of street artists hawking their wares and I couldn't help but think of you.
 
kabbes said:
We spent the last 11 days driving a big loop around Slovenia, Stan. It's well nice. You want to get yourself over there -- right up your alley.

In Ljubljana there were a number of street artists hawking their wares and I couldn't help but think of you.
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I take it you went to Bled? Did you see Tito's old summer house? I love that area, with the castle on top of the cliffs it's straight out of a fairy tale. I even rowed myself and the missus over to the little island on the lake with those swan-prowed boats...
 
We stayed in Tito's old summer house :D

We got upgraded to a "superior suite" too -- it was amazing. Like having an entire flat with massive balcony over the lake that is also a hotel.
 
kabbes said:
We stayed in Tito's old summer house :D

We got upgraded to a "superior suite" too -- it was amazing. Like having an entire flat with massive balcony over the lake that is also a hotel.
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:mad::D Good on ya! We only went into the cafe/restaurant bit on a trek around the lake. Did you do the row-boat?
 
TruXta said:
:mad::D Good on ya! We only went into the cafe/restaurant bit on a trek around the lake. Did you do the row-boat?
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No, we never got around to the row-boat :oops:

We did do two early morning runs around the lake, though. Hurrah for us.
 
Runs.... goodness, was it that kind of a holiday? We ate meat and drank booze til we waddled. Oh oh - hot horse, yay or nay?
 
Keep it up Stan. Love reading these posts of yours, but they are giving me itchy feet! Two months time we'll be driving back through Spain and France and will be passing these towns you mention. When we have more time we'll have to go to see them again.
 
TruXta said:
Runs.... goodness, was it that kind of a holiday? We ate meat and drank booze til we waddled. Oh oh - hot horse, yay or nay?
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Ah, well, Bled was the first stop on our holiday...

"Hot horse"? I don't recall that. I ate every other kind of meat but I rode the horses, if that helps.
 
dessiato said:
Keep it up Stan. Love reading these posts of yours, but they are giving me itchy feet! Two months time we'll be driving back through Spain and France and will be passing these towns you mention. When we have more time we'll have to go to see them again.
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Capbreton has some of the most beautiful, vast golden beaches I've ever come across. Apparently the area from there to the north is known as the stretch of 100KM beaches. Pines giving way to sand 'cliffs' with huge surfing breakers. Plenty of space.

I'll be putting more details on my blog.
 
FFS! missed my train by 30 Seconds :(

That'll be my basic lack of French then. Eventually I asked if she spoke Spanish. Too late.

Rather than spending on a very expensive room, or bothering new friends again, I'm going to hang about for the night :D I've already met a few characters. I've already spotted the dodgey ones. €30 minimum for a bed here versus €15 to get you through the night at late bars.

TRAINS STOP AT 7PM. WTF? IS THIS ENGLAND?

This is a really shit sandwhich for €3.50. On top of that I pay €2.70 for a small beer, and someone is letting their dog beg at my table.

I just slapped the dog on the nose very hard :)
 
Pau.

I met a really nice guy in Capbreton. Originally from Kashmir with a Spanish father. He has just opened his first shop. From selling on the streets to temporary market stalls to permanent market stallls to his own shop. When people with that sort of experience offer advice you fucking well listen.

"Go to Pau" said he. So, here I am. Not that I doubeted him for single second... Pau is good. Only problem is accomodation. I've just forked out €50 for a bed. It's all relative I guess.

Made somewhere in the region of €250 today. Pau is a fabulous, very beautiful little city I had never heard of. They claim the best views. It's nice - every street has a view to the mountains, but compared to Granada???

I think this is my first base for a painting. I could take the room in the squat, but if I find a bed and shower for less than €30 a night that will do. This little city is up there on the list with Pamplona and Leon for an easy €300 a day when the weather is good. And, the forecast is good :)
 
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