Cycling in the Time of Coronavirus

It was only ten days or so ago when France started entering lock-down, but it feels like a lifetime ago. It suddenly became clear to me that just leaving my house would be severely restricted or even completely forbidden. I had lots of questions, including 'what would I do for exercise?'. 

I hate stationary cycling (compared with the real thing it's just so boring), but that seemed the most obvious choice. So I went online and ordered a 'home trainer' so I could continue to ride my bike at home and maintain some level of fitness and sanity. It duly arrived just as France entered full confinement. Now I choose a different part of the garden each day (gotta reduce boredom) and set up my old road bike on the home trainer and cycle for 40 minutes or so. 

It's nothing like as pleasant as real cycling, of course, but it helps maintain fitness and fills my days. The confinement is a bit strange but it's not unpleasant for my wife and me. But spare a thought for families with small children stuck in small apartments without a garden. Or for the medical professionals that are likely to be overwhelmed by critical cases in the weeks to come. And all of this is likely to last at least a few months.

Idris

We have several interesting birds that visit our garden for food but (so far) Idris is the most exotic. Idris is the name we have given to a Eurasian Hoopoe (or maybe a couple - I think the male and female look alike) that comes and feeds on our lawn most days. He's got a long beak and pecks away at the grass and normally flies off with a tasty morsel in his beak. He's only a summer visitor, he winters in Africa and our full time residents (e.g. blackbirds) don't seem to fight with him.

Le Grand Prix Historique de Pau

Passing move in Bugatti race

The weekend after the Pau Grand Prix is the historic grand prix (more info here) and it's a very different atmosphere - much less intense and more of an exhibition than anything else. While the cars are obviously slower, they offer a better spectacle on the circuit; overtaking is possible (thanks to longer braking distance, no aerodynamics and cooperative drivers) and slip angles are a bit higher. 

Parked outside the Palais Beaumont

Anyway, my wife and I went along on the Sunday and watched a few races and soaked up the atmosphere and we both enjoyed it. Like most of the locals we've talked to, I thought it was the better weekend as a spectator. Some   pics.

The Pau Grand Prix

We've seen all the preparations - signs, fencing, guard-rails and diversions - for the last 6 weeks or so and, finally, the Pau Grand Prix was held this weekend. The race is held on a very narrow, twisting street circuit and overtaking is very difficult (in fact, almost impossible in modern racing cars); the circuit is very like Monaco's, but actually narrower. The race has been held since 1930 and this was the 77th edition; previous winners include Jim Clark. Now, it's a Formula 3 race and the highlight of a whole weekend of racing for different types of cars. 

Formula 4 race

I went and saw a few of the races on the Saturday, including the 1st of 3 F3 races over the weekend. It's very impressive for a number of reasons. First, there are a lot of logistical challenges - e.g. the circuit is 2.7 km long and has to be protected by twin layers of fencing. Second, all motor racing involves accidents and, on such a narrow circuit, they have to be dealt with very efficiently; generally the damaged car is retrieved by one of the strategically placed huge cranes as the safety car neutralizes the race for a lap or two, before racing resumes. Third, the circuit is obviously a huge driving challenge; you wouldn't be allowed to design a modern circuit with so many blind bends, undulations and kerbs and with such a narrow track. For the drivers, it must be a pretty high pressure event, especially when they have 3 races over a single weekend.

But, in terms of a racing spectacle, it's spoiled by the virtual impossibility of overtaking. The race is won or lost in qualifying and at the race-start. This doesn't take anything away from the event's challenge or the skill of the drivers, but it certainly reduces the spectacle. Some pics. 

Big Waves at St-Jean-de-Luz

Typical Basque Architecture

Our 'local' coast has changed from the Med to the Atlantic and it's quite a contrast. The Med always seems to be warm, sunny, calm and blue - even in the middle of winter. The Atlantic is much more elemental - even in summers it can be moody, gray and stormy. The differences go well beyond that; the Atlantic - with the Basque architecture - has a charming 'old world' feel while the Med feels like some modern, Californiaized development. Marinas contain sailing and fishing boats, rather than only luxury yachts. 

We could see most of these differences on a day-trip we made today to St-Jean-de-Luz, a fashionable Basque resort. We didn't know much about the town before our visit, but we learned a lot from the little information plaques throughout the town. It has the only sheltered bay on the south west coast. Before the sea-walls were constructed, the sea would advance a meter per year, but afterwards the town built its wealth on fishing and piracy!

The weather was very pleasant, with almost no wind. But, as we were strolling around, we noticed big waves breaking over the distant sea-walls. We had to see what was going on! So, after a leisurely lunch, we took a boat out to the Fort de Socoa. We were mesmerized by the spectacle! On one side of the sea-wall, spray, mayhem and spectacle; on the other side, kayakers calmly paddling around. I'm keen to go back when it is windy!

Some pics I took. If you want more spectacular waves, look here.

Hendaye and Hondarribia

Central square with the Castillo de Carlos V on the right

Hendaye is the last coastal town in France before Spain and just across the river is the first Spanish town, Hondarribia. This is the Basque country, and Hondarribia is the Basque name - in Spanish it is Fuenterribia and in French, Fontarribia. We'd never heard of Honarribia / Fuenterribia / Fontarribia until today; but we visited it on chance and it really blew us away. It is charming!

We drove down to Hendaye for a little day trip; it's about 90 minutes from Pau. We wanted coffee when we arrived and stumbled upon a cafe run by a Brit and he said that Hondarribia was lovely and we could take a boat there. After exploring Hendaye (typical French Basque architecture, with a relaxed 'spread out' feel for a coastal town) we took the little boat across the bay to Hondarribia. 

Typical architecture inside the walled town

We found a walled city, with a central square complete with a 10th century castle which is now a fancy hotel showing signs of past French / Spanish 'disputes' in the form of cannon-ball damage. The rest of the city was very attractive; cars are restricted and this makes it much easier to stroll and enjoy a town. The architecture was stunning; Spanish-Basque isn't unlike the French version, but it's still quite different. We had a tapas style lunch - with very strong cider - in a little bar. Afterwards we did more exploring before returning to Hendaye and eventually driving home, a little shocked to have never heard of such a cute place.

A few pics.

The Beast from the East

Snow on our palm, camellia and magnolia trees

Brits love giving things funny names. When a cold wave (or polar vortex) sent air straight from Siberia over just about all of Europe it was dubbed "The Beast from the East". Here is Pau we almost escaped it, but we heard about how cold all of Europe was - there was snow in all sorts of unusual places. But eventually it arrived, suitably weakened, in Pau and it gave us a few hours of snow and a couple of days around freezing. This gave us a chance to test out the wood stove, and it worked fine. The combination of palm trees and snow was too good to miss, so we also took some pics.  

PS The Brits dubbed a subsequent weather system bringing some snow as "The Pest from the West". It didn't make it to Pau...

A Last Look Round

After almost 8 years in St Andre (well, 8 for me, 3+ for my wife), today is our last day here. We're moving to Pau, in south west France and there are quite a few changes in store for us. We'll have a big house with a garden rather than a 'maison de village' with a balcony. I'll be hiking and climbing in the Pyrénées rather than the southern Alpes. We're moving from a village of 900 people to a town of nearly 90,000. From a dry Mediterranean climate to a more maritime one. From living at 900 m altitude to a more reasonable 200 m. From being near Italy and the Med to being near Spain and the Atlantic. From a right voting region to a left voting region.

360 degrees from the balcony, with the church and Chalvet

Anyway, we're waiting for the movers (and we'd wait quite a while - never use L'Officiel du Déménagement as movers) and I'm taking a photo from my balcony and looking forward to our new life in the Sud-Ouest.

La Secheresse

The Issole is almost dry; normally all
stones are underwater

This is a Mediterranean climate, with hot dry summers. The last two summers were hotter and drier than the norm, but this summer has been even worse. I don't like the heat and have been staying indoors in the afternoons in high summer.  At least I live in the mountains and it's always cool overnight; I really pity those that live nearer sea level. 

The last rain I can recall fell at the end of April. According to weather records there has been some rain over the summer but I suspect it fell over night. For July we had around 2 mm of rain (meteo blue details here) when 28 mm was expected (more details). It's a pattern repeated all over south east France and it's pretty alarming. 

Dried up spring

It isn't scientifically acceptable to say that you are seeing climate change happen; but it's harder and harder to believe you're observing normal weather variations. The drought has continued through the fall, and there's no snow yet. The only greenery comes from irrigated fields and pine trees. 

Today I took a little hike in the mountains and evidence of the drought was everywhere; dried up springs, rivers almost dry, no snow visible in any of the peaks and almost all vegetation was brown. Some pics.

South West France Visit

We had a short visit to Pau and Biarritz in SW France. Pau is a very attractive town just north of the Pyrenees; it used to be a fashionable place for wealthy Brits to spend the winter. Biarritz is known for surfing and some obliging young men were in the water so we could get some photos. Some pics of Pau and Biarritz

Nice Day Trip

We left freezing temperatures behind in St Andre for a day trip down to Nice by train. After exploring the market we strolled along the beach; the day was lovely, with several people in swimming. We had a nice lunch in the Vieux Nice before heading up a long hill to the Musee Matisse and took in some culture before the train back home. Some pics

Paris Walk

On the way to Scotland, I drove up to Paris to pick up my wife. She was staying with a former school-mate, Sylvie, for a little re-union. I arrived in the middle of the afternoon and we all went out for a very pleasant walk, taking in the Jardin des Plantes, the left bank of the Seine, Notre Dame, the Ile de la Cite and the Ile St Louis. It was all very pleasant and relaxed - the 1st of Nov is a holiday in France, and Parisians were out enjoying it. However, in the aftermath of the terror attacks, it felt a little bit sad too, like a city trying to resume normality.

A few pics. 

The Plateau of Valensole

I drive across the Plateau de Valensole to get to my sailplane club; it's a stunningly beautiful place. It's flat and open but the Alps (well, the Prealps) start right beside it. Wheat, almonds, olives and sunflowers are all grown there, but it is most famous for the lavender (strictly speaking it's lavendin, a commercial varient of lavender). 

It blooms in the summer months and has pretty much reached its peak. Especially in the evening, the scent of lavender and buzz of bees seems to be everywhere (lavender honey is excellent). The tourist season is also at its peak also and they all seem to want one thing - the perfect picture of them strolling in the lavender fields. You frequently see Asian couples dressed as for their wedding out in the fields.

One thing that is striking is how open it all is. None of the fields are fenced in, there are no 'No Trespassing' signs and I've never seen anyone get annoyed with the tourists. This is quite a contrast to what you'd expect to find in the States and it reflects very well on the locals.

A few pics.

Old Renaults

In addition to the normal St Andre market, we had a 'brocantes' (somewhere between antiques and junk) market today. The thing that got the most attention was a little exhibition in the main street of a couple of old, lovingly restored, Renault cars. 

Global Warming in the Southern Alps

It's always a bit dubious when non-meteorologists (and many meteorologists) talk about global warming.It's very hard to sort out long term effects from some unusual weather. But I've certainly seen plenty of 'evidence' this year. 

No snow on the Tete de l'Estrop (3000m)
at year's end

Dried up spring near
the Refuge de Boules

The summer and fall have been hot and dry this year but the start of the winter feels more like the start of fall. I've been hiking at 2000 m in shirt sleeves twice since Xmas. It looks more like mid-October here than the end of the year. There is no snow visible in the mountains near St Andre - the nearest seems to be on the Italian border, at around 3000 m, and that's just a dusting. The local ski area has only 4 out of 60 ski runs open, and they all narrow strips of 'artificial' snow on rocky slopes. 

Pine trees are infested by caterpillar nests - caused, I'm told, by warm winters not killing the beasts; see more details here. I know of one spring that has dried up this fall. Primroses are flowering in December. To that I could add the retreating or extinct glaciers I've seen further north in the alps. And then mountains that are literally falling apart as permafrost melts - see here.

I know it's not very scientific but it's not very encouraging for the future.

But on the other hand it's very pleasant for outdoor activities. I've been hiking a lot and have yet to give up bicycling for the winter. I've not flown my paraglider much lately, but people have been flying most days. Some pictures here.

Soap box derby

Brigitte and Remi run the French Pub and it's easily our favorite restaurant in St Andre. Brigitte is also the president of the Association des Commerçants et Artisans and organized a Course de Caisse à Savon (or soap box derby) today. Although the course had a couple of challenging corners (equipped with straw bales), it wasn't on a very steep slope, so straight line efficiency (high weight and low mechanical and aerodynamic drag) was the critical factor.

There was quite a crowd there to watch and it was a lot of fun. There were about 10 entries - some were pretty, some were fast, some looked fast and all were fun. A few pics.

La Canicule

There's a heat wave over France. It's the hottest spell I've known since arriving in St Andre and it's not predicted to end any time soon. Daytime temperatures are in the low 30s (around 90F) which is not that unusual. But overnight it is only falling to around 20 (68F), when normally the nights are cool here (around 12), even in the middle of summer. It's tiring and must be a lot worse outside the mountains. 

The strategy we've been adopting is to get up early so we can do something outside, then to spend the rest of the day in the coolest part of the house, only emerging again after sunset. Some friends have had to leave for a few days and left us their dog. He's suffering in the heat, too. This morning we took him for a refreshing splash in the river before it got too hot and he retreated to the garage.  

Transhumance with donkeys

I had gone out early for a mountain bike ride (in order to beat the heat) and saw someone riding a horse towards me. At this point, the trail was narrow and the mountain was steep, so the horse would probably be nervous. I got of my bike, moved well clear of the trail and sat myself and the bike down. It soon became clear there were several riderless horses following the rider and then ... lots of donkeys, at least 50 of them.

There were 5 or 6 other people helping 'shepherd' the donkeys up the trail. I asked the last one where they were going and she said they were taking them up to the high pastures, where they would spend the summer. This is very common with sheep in the area (and also done with goats and occasionally cows), but it's the first time I've heard of it being done with horses and donkeys. 

The Marche des Fleurs at Aix

We've  had a visitor (Evelyn, from Germany) for the last few days and we took her to see Aix en Provence today. It's such a pretty town, it would be a pity not to see it. We actually did an organized walking tour of the town and the guide explained a bunch of things we'd never noticed before. We also passed though the flower market and it was very colorful.

Overcast Solar Eclipse

Image of the eclipse in a pinhole camera

The day started out clear but a thin layer of cloud quickly formed above St Andre. A pity, because a solar eclipse was due this morning. There were clear skies in other directions, just not above the village. So all in all it was a bit undramatic. The eclipse wasn't quite total, so things didn't go dark. It felt colder than usual, but this was a cloudy day in March. In the end, I could sort of see the eclipse with my makeshift pinhole camera, and managed to get a picture of the image. Some more pics.