Well hello there strangers,
"where dost thou dwell Seth?", thoust hears thee ask. Are you ready for it... drum-roll please... La Rochelle, no less! Being here, means Greg and I have stumbled about 600 kms (more if you include walking on "days off"). Not bad, methinks, for two humble pilgrims. I am in a tip-top mood and very much look forward to seeing what "thoughts de la randome" (as I'm confident they say in France) I will now set before ye: (don't forget to check the latest snaps - there are some good ones)
- Several of you (I will not mention any names) have suggested via various form of communication that the French (and I quote) are "Cheese eating surrender monkeys". Now, as an enlightened man of wisdom and culture I would like to distance myself from this viewpoint. They also eat ham.
- While in Nantes I decided that this was where I was going to fall in love and write "that novel". While in La Rochelle I decided that I was a fantasist.
- Before I started this pilgrimage I believed that clean was an absolute concept. I now realise that it is most definitely a relative one.
- When eating in restaurants/tabacs it is common to re-use your knives and forks for each course. I think this is a fantastic system and I plan to lead the campaign in the UK for us to adopt the same practice.
- Clothes. It says something about the state of your wardrobe when your best "Friday night" outfit is actually the same trousers you have been wearing and sweating in all week and your top is thermal underwear. Greg assures me that I look French in my black thermal top and encourages me to work on my pout to really blend-in. I'm rubbish at looking moody/clever/aloof so I have to constantly lip the first part of the word "prune" to ensure I look suitably disinterested and therefore desirable.
- The art of being quieter. It is absolutely essential to speak quietly when in public in France if you want to be liked. Why don't they teach us this stuff in schools? Instead they fill our heads with useless skills such as solving quadratic equations while failing to tell us stuff that would really help one get-on in the world. Anyhow, having been in France a wee while it is immediately obvious to me what tourists are just here for a two week vacation (as opposed to those that understand French culture a little more) simply by the volume of their conversation, regardless of their ability to speak French. Foreigners in France my message to you is "sssshhh!"
- The French are quite a rule abiding, well behaved lot, especially when compared to the English. The children, in particular, respect their elders in ways that I have rarely witnessed in the UK. The more I think about it the less I would want to bring-up children in the UK. This makes me sad. Not least because I'd finally have to learn another language.
- Greg and I now average a comfortable 25 kms on a walking day. On several occasions we walk significantly more but then strange things happen to our bodies like my elbows falling-off.
- Just as sure as a French person will smoke, so too will they own a dog. I don't really like dogs (unless they are very well trained) so find getting barked at by dogs all day rather tiresome. I did see a dog that I really liked. It was an "attack dog" being rigorously drilled/trained by some professionals. They got a man to dress-up in special protective clothing (a seriously thick jumpsuit) and then got the dog to do all sorts of exercises. The relationship between the dog and the trainer and the discipline the dog had developed were truly impressive. On one exercise, the man in the suit came at the dog's "owner" with a stick yet despite the dogs obvious instinct, it was only at the blow of a whistle that the dog jumped into the air and bit the aggressors arm. They fought for about 30 seconds (the dog very much winning!) until in mid-fight the whistle blew again and the dog immediately let go of the man's arm and sat on the ground. Now I can't decide whether to buy one of those dogs or one of those suits.
- When a French person says "lets have a drink" they mean just that. One, small drink. Me no understand. Me no like.
- Greg and I went to a free outdoor concert. Two things stuck in my mind:
1) The poster promoting the band simply described them as "from Africa". Like specifying the actual county would be too much information? Can you imagine a French band being happy being promoted in Africa with a poster saying "from Europe"?
2) No-one, and I mean no-one, was drinking alcohol. Now I know that you don't always have to drink alcohol to enjoy yourself but come on this was an outdoor gig! That's just plain wrong.
- Young French men love driving around and around in circles on mopeds. To me, these mopeds are little more than upside down hair-dryers with ambition, yet the French girls seem to be very impressed. Is this why I was never described as "cool" as a younger man?
- I used to consider "wick" the thing you light on a candle, I now consider it a verb. This is because all my favourite items of clothing have "wicking action!" Even my pants. Believe you me, "to wick" is a beautiful thing. It keeps you cool and relatively smell free. Incidentally, my black thermal top has silver in it. Apparently this prevents the build-up of bacteria. How cool is it that my underwear has real silver in it?
- A week ago, I lost my passport, credit card and about £200. We had already walked 20 kms before I realised my loss and so popped into the tourist office in the next town, Lucon. The two women staffing the desk were incredibly kind and helpful and made numerous phone calls on my behalf to try and locate my possessions. They eventually reunited me with my valuables and so I have decided that I will definitely fall in love with a French person. Even if it doesn't work out, I can then use the inevitable sense of existential anxiety and pointlessness to fuel the writing of "that novel". Or I could write bad poetry. I reckon by then I should have perfected my moody pout so as long as I wear black and drink espresso's I should be a hit. Trouble is I'd also have to start smoking... . Anyhow, for those of you that would like any evidence that this pilgrimage has changed me here it is: I bought flowers for the two women that helped me. And I faced the embarrassment of giving them them in front of a room full of tourists. And so it is official, Seth does have a romantic side.
- I've stopped itching. And this confirms what I have always known to be true. If you have a significant problem or issue to deal with, just ignore it and do nothing until eventually it goes away... !
- I really, really, really miss you my friends and family. So please do come and join us for a stroll. Apart from anything else, Greg has heard all my jokes so now we just sit and walk in embarrassing silence. Please, for Greg's sake (there just aren't enough Guardian newspapers in the world for him to hide behind!), join us! If you want to be able to approximate where we will be at any one time I reckon we average 125 kms per week (assuming no serious injuries!) and are heading due South along France's West coast. Heading for Biarritz, and then the Pyrannes into Spain. We walk past many destinations served by Ryannair/Easyjet and trains/buses here are very cheap to get you to exactly where we are. We will of course walk at whatever pace is comfortable for you - any excuse to go easy is often a welcome one! Failing that, let me know what's going on in your life via e-mail. I know I'm rubbish at replying personally but I really do appreciate the news... .
Well I can't sit here all day typing, I've got bad French to speak... x
Friday 27 July 2007
Thursday 12 July 2007
On The Road (again)...
Hello,
well Greg's feet have finally recovered enough for us to get walking again and so it is once again time for us to hit the road. We both were truly surprised that a blister (albeit a massive one with apparent ambitions to take-over most of Greg's leg) could ground us for 17 days. We have had beaucoup des fun in Nantes but it is definitely time to be more like pilgrims and less like tourists. I have updated a few new photos though they really don't do Nantes justice - I just have a great resistance to confirming my out-of-town status by walking around everywhere taking photos shouting loudly "geez, ain't that cute. They just got so much history here..." in my bright orange, day-glow waterproof.
In truth, I don't feel overly inspired to write too much at the mo but for the sake of tradition I will jot-down a few random thoughts:
- I propose that the French are happier than the English. Difficult to prove but they just seem of a generally more sunny disposition. The women in particular often greet people with beautifully sincere smiles.
- The French seem to have a very different concept of time to the English. Quite simply, they don't act as if "time is money". This, as you might imagine, can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on what it is you seek. I have really noticed that once I have bought a coffee and sat for half-an-hour people-watching, I have an in-built sense that either I should buy something else or leave my chair to allow another paying customer to use it. This appears a totally alien concept in the French psyche. They appear to think nothing of purchasing a 1 euro drink and then sitting with their friends, chatting lazily for the entire afternoon. I like this. I suspect my mind-set has been conditioned by the pervasiveness of capitalist culture in the UK where all transactions (social as much as commerce) are based on someone, somewhere making money. On the less positive side, the French could do with improving their customer service ethos. Being in some french establishments (Tabac's, Pensions, Restaurants) you can almost read the proprietor's thoughts "If only it weren't for those demanding customers, I would have a great business".
- The French favour the taking of medication as suppositories. Mmm.
- I saw a very elegantly dressed woman carrying a tiny dog in a very expensive looking hand-bag. I am not known for my strong beliefs on animal welfare but I do not think dogs should be forced to suffer the indignity of living in a woman's handbag. Even if she is rich. Or sophisticated. I suspect that poor dog's mates laugh at him. A lot.
- I think it should be made illegal to have Irish bars in any place but Ireland. Otherwise, people like me that should know better, end-up in them. Drinking Guinness and talking with ex-pats while in France, is not how I want my life to be. It makes me sad.
- I'm still itching.
Well, I've got a rucksack to put-on...
well Greg's feet have finally recovered enough for us to get walking again and so it is once again time for us to hit the road. We both were truly surprised that a blister (albeit a massive one with apparent ambitions to take-over most of Greg's leg) could ground us for 17 days. We have had beaucoup des fun in Nantes but it is definitely time to be more like pilgrims and less like tourists. I have updated a few new photos though they really don't do Nantes justice - I just have a great resistance to confirming my out-of-town status by walking around everywhere taking photos shouting loudly "geez, ain't that cute. They just got so much history here..." in my bright orange, day-glow waterproof.
In truth, I don't feel overly inspired to write too much at the mo but for the sake of tradition I will jot-down a few random thoughts:
- I propose that the French are happier than the English. Difficult to prove but they just seem of a generally more sunny disposition. The women in particular often greet people with beautifully sincere smiles.
- The French seem to have a very different concept of time to the English. Quite simply, they don't act as if "time is money". This, as you might imagine, can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on what it is you seek. I have really noticed that once I have bought a coffee and sat for half-an-hour people-watching, I have an in-built sense that either I should buy something else or leave my chair to allow another paying customer to use it. This appears a totally alien concept in the French psyche. They appear to think nothing of purchasing a 1 euro drink and then sitting with their friends, chatting lazily for the entire afternoon. I like this. I suspect my mind-set has been conditioned by the pervasiveness of capitalist culture in the UK where all transactions (social as much as commerce) are based on someone, somewhere making money. On the less positive side, the French could do with improving their customer service ethos. Being in some french establishments (Tabac's, Pensions, Restaurants) you can almost read the proprietor's thoughts "If only it weren't for those demanding customers, I would have a great business".
- The French favour the taking of medication as suppositories. Mmm.
- I saw a very elegantly dressed woman carrying a tiny dog in a very expensive looking hand-bag. I am not known for my strong beliefs on animal welfare but I do not think dogs should be forced to suffer the indignity of living in a woman's handbag. Even if she is rich. Or sophisticated. I suspect that poor dog's mates laugh at him. A lot.
- I think it should be made illegal to have Irish bars in any place but Ireland. Otherwise, people like me that should know better, end-up in them. Drinking Guinness and talking with ex-pats while in France, is not how I want my life to be. It makes me sad.
- I'm still itching.
Well, I've got a rucksack to put-on...
Monday 2 July 2007
Nous sommes fermè...
Hello,
apologies for being a bit slack on updating this. Greg and I have now been in Nantes for a week and while this is a beautiful city we would both much rather be on the road. Greg's feet really were in a bad way on arrival and required minor surgery, anti-biotics and daily attention from a nurse for two weeks. Thus it is likely we still have another week to pass here. I guess this gives us both the opportunity to practice patience! (We have added a few new photos so do have a look. For anyone interested (and I know this is likely to just be boys!) I'm not using my usual Nikon D70 as it was too heavy to bring. Thus, I'm snapping with the tiny Canon IXUS 70. This partly explains my lower than usual standard of photos!)
And so to my random thoughts:
- while I respect the French insistence that there is more to life than just earning money, at times it seems like this is a useful philosophy for being lazy. Let's get controversial. There have been so many occasions when we have wanted to spend money in this country only to be told to go away due to it being the wrong day, time or freek'n lunar cycle! Come on France. Wake up. You have a situation whereby approximately 25% of 16 - 25 year olds are unable to find employment yet a mentality that the needs of the proprietor are more important than that of the customer. I once heard a french economist speaking on BBC world service say "France deserves it's unemployment". And I think he was right. Sure the British/US model has its problems but quite frankly these economies are kicking France's derriere. (Apologies in advance for my poor spelling of French words - I generally am guessing how they might be spelt).
An example. We arrived in a relatively large town at 5pm on a Sunday. We had walked over 25 ms in the rain, were soaked and desperately in need of some shelter. We were told by a hotel and a pension that they were full. Despondent but accepting of our fate, we took shelter in a local tabac. A friendly local took interest in our plight and insisted that he phone the local hotel that had refused us just minutes before. And sure enough, miraculously there now was room. Now partly, we guessed we had been refused because we were English (and despite all the nice things I have to say about the French, they sometimes don't seem to like us very much!) But I suspect the main reason was that they couldn't be bothered to fill in their bureaucratic forms to allow us shelter. Does France not realise the importance of Tourism for economic growth? If it does, where do the French think Tourists go on Sundays, or between 12 - 3pm EVERYDAY!? Fair enough, I'm not asking every French person to welcome foreigners with open arms or to change their cultural habits to suit tourists, but if you are running a hotel it would seem that dealing with tourists, a likely occupational hazard. Incidentally, we wanted to return to the bar where we first met our friendly local but couldn't as it was shut! The reason? It was a Monday. Of course.
The French seem to talk with naive passion about values of socialism and tradition yet not see the connection with its economic woes. Ideas are important, but they won't feed your children. America (and to a lesser extent England) are almost demonised here as representing greed and disregard for the value of life. Yet the French seem to forget they, like England, have a colonial past - it was just that England was better at being exploitative than them. Racism is extreme here and "immigrant" a dirty word. France romanticizes its "localism" yet conveniently fails to see that it has massive global connections, not least in the global energy sector and arms manufacturing. A country in denial. A teenager railing against systems they fail to understand. France is rapidly becoming England's poor cousin. And no doubt they will find a way to blame their situation on Imperialist/US foreign policy or some such philosophical nonsense.
- I like croissants. But I wish it was easier to get hold of more cheese and ham filled ones.
- Everyone here smokes. I mean EVERYONE. I do NOT like this.
- Coffee is generally served here with cold UHT. I find this truly perplexing in a country with such high-culinary standards. (Bring-on Starbucks!)
- In smaller towns/villages it is common for a person entering a tabac to greet everyone individually and systematically and shake their hands. A beautiful thing.
- Most lights automatically switch-off when not in use. A simple yet clever way to save energy that the UK would do well to adopt. Some lights are "motion sensitive". I like this but not so much when I'm using the toilet and it fails to notice "motion".
- Drink-driving appears sociably acceptable. This, I would suggest, is a bad thing.
- I learnt a new word. Defenestrate. Apparently, this means "to throw out a window". For some reason, that such a word exists amuses me.
- I think I have body lice. But I can't be certain. I got badly bitten by something a week ago and remain constantly itchy. I just haven't got the courage to admit to a french Doctor that I have body lice. I don't want to reinforce their stereotypical views of the English.
- I think exercise is good for my mood. Maybe if I was walking I wouldn't feel the need to criticize other people so much. But I like ranting. It feels familiar. Like an old jacket that you really should throw out (it is worn out and ceases to make one look attractive) but insist on wearing. Maybe this is why I don't have a girlfriend...
Until next time...
apologies for being a bit slack on updating this. Greg and I have now been in Nantes for a week and while this is a beautiful city we would both much rather be on the road. Greg's feet really were in a bad way on arrival and required minor surgery, anti-biotics and daily attention from a nurse for two weeks. Thus it is likely we still have another week to pass here. I guess this gives us both the opportunity to practice patience! (We have added a few new photos so do have a look. For anyone interested (and I know this is likely to just be boys!) I'm not using my usual Nikon D70 as it was too heavy to bring. Thus, I'm snapping with the tiny Canon IXUS 70. This partly explains my lower than usual standard of photos!)
And so to my random thoughts:
- while I respect the French insistence that there is more to life than just earning money, at times it seems like this is a useful philosophy for being lazy. Let's get controversial. There have been so many occasions when we have wanted to spend money in this country only to be told to go away due to it being the wrong day, time or freek'n lunar cycle! Come on France. Wake up. You have a situation whereby approximately 25% of 16 - 25 year olds are unable to find employment yet a mentality that the needs of the proprietor are more important than that of the customer. I once heard a french economist speaking on BBC world service say "France deserves it's unemployment". And I think he was right. Sure the British/US model has its problems but quite frankly these economies are kicking France's derriere. (Apologies in advance for my poor spelling of French words - I generally am guessing how they might be spelt).
An example. We arrived in a relatively large town at 5pm on a Sunday. We had walked over 25 ms in the rain, were soaked and desperately in need of some shelter. We were told by a hotel and a pension that they were full. Despondent but accepting of our fate, we took shelter in a local tabac. A friendly local took interest in our plight and insisted that he phone the local hotel that had refused us just minutes before. And sure enough, miraculously there now was room. Now partly, we guessed we had been refused because we were English (and despite all the nice things I have to say about the French, they sometimes don't seem to like us very much!) But I suspect the main reason was that they couldn't be bothered to fill in their bureaucratic forms to allow us shelter. Does France not realise the importance of Tourism for economic growth? If it does, where do the French think Tourists go on Sundays, or between 12 - 3pm EVERYDAY!? Fair enough, I'm not asking every French person to welcome foreigners with open arms or to change their cultural habits to suit tourists, but if you are running a hotel it would seem that dealing with tourists, a likely occupational hazard. Incidentally, we wanted to return to the bar where we first met our friendly local but couldn't as it was shut! The reason? It was a Monday. Of course.
The French seem to talk with naive passion about values of socialism and tradition yet not see the connection with its economic woes. Ideas are important, but they won't feed your children. America (and to a lesser extent England) are almost demonised here as representing greed and disregard for the value of life. Yet the French seem to forget they, like England, have a colonial past - it was just that England was better at being exploitative than them. Racism is extreme here and "immigrant" a dirty word. France romanticizes its "localism" yet conveniently fails to see that it has massive global connections, not least in the global energy sector and arms manufacturing. A country in denial. A teenager railing against systems they fail to understand. France is rapidly becoming England's poor cousin. And no doubt they will find a way to blame their situation on Imperialist/US foreign policy or some such philosophical nonsense.
- I like croissants. But I wish it was easier to get hold of more cheese and ham filled ones.
- Everyone here smokes. I mean EVERYONE. I do NOT like this.
- Coffee is generally served here with cold UHT. I find this truly perplexing in a country with such high-culinary standards. (Bring-on Starbucks!)
- In smaller towns/villages it is common for a person entering a tabac to greet everyone individually and systematically and shake their hands. A beautiful thing.
- Most lights automatically switch-off when not in use. A simple yet clever way to save energy that the UK would do well to adopt. Some lights are "motion sensitive". I like this but not so much when I'm using the toilet and it fails to notice "motion".
- Drink-driving appears sociably acceptable. This, I would suggest, is a bad thing.
- I learnt a new word. Defenestrate. Apparently, this means "to throw out a window". For some reason, that such a word exists amuses me.
- I think I have body lice. But I can't be certain. I got badly bitten by something a week ago and remain constantly itchy. I just haven't got the courage to admit to a french Doctor that I have body lice. I don't want to reinforce their stereotypical views of the English.
- I think exercise is good for my mood. Maybe if I was walking I wouldn't feel the need to criticize other people so much. But I like ranting. It feels familiar. Like an old jacket that you really should throw out (it is worn out and ceases to make one look attractive) but insist on wearing. Maybe this is why I don't have a girlfriend...
Until next time...
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