Biarritz

This morning we flew to Biarritz, on the southwestern coast of France near the border with Spain. We're staying through Sunday and plan to drive around the Pays Basque a bit and visit San Sebastian (Spain) as well.

The hotel that we booked is right on the beachfront, providing a nice view from our room.

We spent most of the day walking along the beach and taking in the sights. I very much prefer sandy beaches like this to the rocky ones such as those that we visited last year along the Côte d'Azur. 

Here's a view of the city looking back from the southern edge of the cove of the city's main beach.

We also visited the église Saint-Martin, a 12th century church that was restored in the 1500s. I particularly liked the blue and white mosaic floor.

 

Here's a photo of the Hôtel du Palais, a beachfront luxury hotel that was originally the Villa Eugénie -- a palace built for Napoleon III's wife given her love of the area.

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We spent the afternoon at the hotel pool, which overlooks the beach. The pool itself was filled with saltwater -- a new experience for me. We also made a couple of trips down to the beach to go in the ocean. It was a bit cold but nonetheless very nice.

With each visit to a beach in France, I'm reminded of the cultural differences with respect to nudity. And it seems that the pro-nudists are always those you would prefer to have never seen naked (i.e., the elderly and those who aren't in the best of shape).

The nudity extended to the pool area as well and, unfortunately, the pro-nude crowd generally fit the same demographic as that on the beach.

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One of the highlights of our first day in Biarritz was the fresh seafood. The langostine appetizer that we had with dinner definitely stood out.

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During the walk back to the hotel we were greeted by a nice sunset. I wasn't quite able to catch it in time for the photo below, but the post-sunset still made for a nice picture.

Lake Constance

On the drive back to Lausanne on Sunday we visited Lake Constance at the border of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Our first stop was Reichenau Island, which is known for its monastery -- the Abbey of Reichenau, founded in the 8th century.

 

The island also has two other churches -- consecrated to St. George and Sts. Peter and Paul.

Here are some photos along the north shore of the island with Germany in the background.

 

Our next (and final) stop was the German city of Konstanz, which is on the Swiss "side" of Lake Constance (i.e., on the southern shore) and isn't connected by land to the German "mainland". As such, during WWII it was not bombed by the allies because they thought it was part of Switzerland (in part because the residents kept their lights on at night, which apparently wasn't the case on the German shore).

While in Konstanz we visited the munster (cathedral), which dates back over a millenium and was adapted to its gothic style in the 15th century. It was the site of the Council of Constance -- the assembly that would end the papal schism following the Avignon papacy and the subsequent Council of Pisa.

We also wandered the old town for a bit. I particularly liked the buildings with the detailed designs on their facades.

 

The Black Forest

While not battling the mud at the Southside Festival, we spent the weekend driving through Germany's Black Forest region and visiting a number of small towns. The forest itself lived up to its name, which apparently dates back to Roman times and stems from its densly populated trees that virtually black out the sunlight from the forest interior.

Our first stop was Schiltach, a small town of roughly 4,000 that was once home to a number of saw mills. We walked around for a bit and I particularly liked the style of the buildings, with their angular designs. We also briefly toured a former saw mill that was converted into a museum.

Next, we visited Gengenbach, a slightly larger town that is known for its medieval center (Altstadt). The central area was indeed very nice, as were the narrow cobblestone streets that surrounded it. Each of the main gates passed through the bottom of a large tower, a pictured below.

 

During the drive we stopped briefly in Triberg, a city known for its handmade Cuckoo clocks and the nearby waterfall.

While leaving, the Baywatch theme song came on the radio and I thought this was pretty funny given that I'd always heard that David Hasselhoff was a huge star in Germany. As a side note... according to Emilie, Baywatch was a big hit in France, where it was known as Alerte a Malibu.

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For dinner we stopped in a town that had a similar feel to Gengenbach, but whose name I've unfortunately forgotten. The picture below shows the main gate that you pass through to enter the medieval city center.

Here are some pictures from the drive through the Black Forest on the way back to the hotel. A brief rain storm passed over before clearing way for some late-afternoon sun.

Southside Festival - Germany

Yesterday Emilie and I drove to Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany, for the Southside Music Festival. While I've been to Germany a number of times in transit (namely via the Munich and Frankfurt airports), this was my first proper visit to the country.

It rained most of Friday in Lausanne, so we had our fingers crossed that the weather would be better at the festival. As with most (perhaps all) festivals, it's held outdoors and thus not the ideal place to be when its raining. Unless you're one of the infamous "mudpeople" from Woodstock '94, of course.

Unfortunately, it was raining there as well. And on Friday night we not only got drenched (it proceeded to pour in the middle of the Foo Fighters' performance), but we also had to brave a mile-long walk in the mud to get to the main stage. Clearly, my Vans weren't the best choice but in reality it could have been a lot worse as I saw a number of people literally lose their shoes.

At least we could take comfort in the fact that we had a nice warm hotel with a shower to return to. It seemed that the majority of the other festivalgoers were camping there and it looked absolutely miserable.

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In preparation for our return to the festival tonight, we bought ourselves some cheap rain boots and they served their purpose well. The festival area (particularly camping areas) consisted of a vast wasteland of mud and the conditions felt a bit post-apocolyptic.

I have to hand it to the festivalgoers, though, as many were quite inventive in their attempts to convert regular clothes into water-tight protective gear MacGyver-style with little more than some duct tape and plastic bags.

The highlight of the concert was The Arcade Fire, who put on an incredible performance and rewarded those who braved the rain. And as luck would have it, the skies cleared during their set and made the mud-related misery well worth it.

We had a bit of a scare while trying to exit the parking area, which was effectively a field prior to the rain but devolved into a mud pit after. The picture below will provide a general feel, but by the time we left later in the evening it was much worse. And Emilie's Mini Cooper is far from an off-road vehicle. For a while we weren't sure that we would even make it out.

Heading Home

The weather took a turn for the worse on Sunday, with some thunderstorms and heavy rain. Fortunately I had already done all the main tourist to-dos on my list, so the rain didn’t really prevent me from doing anything.

After checking out of the hotel I met up with Rick and headed over to his place. He had generously offered to drive me to the airport, which was much better than taking a bus or cab in the rain.

Due to the weather, there was a lot of traffic and we ended up taking a bit of a detour that led us across the St. Lawrence River and back. The detour worked well, however, as we made it to the airport without any delays.

Here’s a picture that I took as we were crossing Pont Champlain. It was dark everywhere aside from some sun over downtown Montreal.

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As a parting thought, it’s worth mentioning that my (decent, though improving) French served very limited use during my visit to Montreal. Aside from the newscasters on TV, I could hardly understand what any of the locals were saying. And it wasn’t just due to slang – the accent is so thick / different that it was very hard to understand.

At least I can take comfort in the fact that even native French people sometimes have similar comprehension issues (or so Emilie says). Some French-Canadian programming that is broadcast in France and Switzerland even include subtitles.

I guess it’s kind of like an American trying to understand some thick British or Irish accents. Ultimately you understand, but it takes a bit more effort.

Montreal – Day II

On Saturday morning I took the metro to the Oratoire Saint-Joseph (St. Joseph’s Oratory). The oratory was built in 1924 and is the largest church in Canada. It also has a massive dome, which trails only those of St. Peter’s in Rome and a basilica in the Ivory Coast.

To get to the oratory’s entrance you have to scale a seemingly endless series of steps. I couldn’t complain, though, given that there was a center lane reserved for pilgrims who chose to climb the entire route on their knees (to demonstrate their faith). On the way up I didn’t see anyone doing this, but on the way down there were two guys doing so and it looked painful.

The view from the top is nice, though I’m sure those who successfully complete the climb on their knees appreciate it more.

The inside of the oratory had a very modern feel to it. I think that I was expecting something a bit different, though I’m not sure exactly what.

Adjacent to the oratory is small chapel constructed under Saint Andre (Brother Andre at the time) in 1904. The chapel contains the crutches / canes of the many pilgrims that he reportedly healed through his miracles.

 

After heading back to Vieux Montréal I stopped by the Pointe à Callière museum, which focuses on the city’s history. It is built over the ruins of Montreal’s first settlement and provides interesting insight into life during the 17th century. It was neat to walk among the ruins, which are well preserved below the museum, and see artifacts from the time of the first settlers.

In the afternoon I met up with Rick and Serge for some drinks and then dinner at a great restaurant that they had selected – Steak-Frites. It had been a while since I’d been able to order a nice steak (I’ve yet to find a really good one in Switzerland), so the restaurant selection was exactly what I was looking for.

Vieux Montréal

I spent the first part of Friday exploring Vieux Montréal, much of which dates back to the 17^th – 19^th centuries. The cobblestone streets and old buildings were very nice and the area had a bit of a European feel to it.

The nearby port area provided nice views of the Marché Bonsecours (a market known for its building’s neoclassical architecture) and the Biosphere (a remnant of the 1967 World Fair across the St. Lawrence River).

Next I walked to the Place Jacques-Cartier, a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants that had a bit of a touristy feel to it. It's named after the French explorer who claimed Canada for France in the 16th century. There was a nice building at the top, though I’m not sure what it was.

The highlight of Vieux Montréal for me was the Basilique Notre-Dame, which was was constructed in the early 19^th century and is known for its Gothic Revival architecture. While the basilica is a bit imposing from the outside, the inside is striking with deep blue and gold colors coupled with dark wood.

In the afternoon I met up with my cousin, Rick, who nicely offered to take me on a tour of Montreal after he finished up with work. Our first stop was Mont-Royal – the mountain that gave the city its name. “Mountain” is probably a bit of a stretch actually, given that it’s less than 800 feet high. That said, it provides a great view of the Montreal and is definitely worth a visit.

Next we headed to Rick’s house to pick up Serge and then went to the nearby Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir festival. Basically a long stretch of Avenue Mont-Royal had been closed for pedestrians and there were tons of stands with food, drinks and various goods for sale. There were tons of people out as well given the great weather.

 

The festival is known for La Grande Fresque de Nuit – chalk drawings done by artists in the middle of the street. They were done the night before we visited, so the drawings were still in good shape.

After walking around for a bit we headed back to Rick and Serge’s place for a very nice BBQ. Serge made some poutine, a staple in Quebec that consists of French fries, fresh cheese curds and gravy (see picture below). It was very good, so be sure to give it a try if you ever visit Montreal.

 

After dinner we went to Les Francofolies – a festival with free concerts in downtown Montreal that celebrates French music. The area is closed for pedestrians and there are a number of different performances on the various stages throughout the night.