Biarritz in Time

SOUTH-WEST FRANCE

Surfboard under one arm, bicycle beneath, every day going to the beach. Struggling uphill, flying down the other side, eventually I arrive at the Marbella surf club ; its on a terrace atop a cliff full of grommets and old dudes, overlooking the beachbreaks below. So I hang out, eat yoghurt and baguettes, wait for the tide to come in... During low tide the rocks are all exposed, sand stretches out for hundreds of feet ; six hours later no less than 12 feet of water is gravitationally pulled out of somewhere, and there are waves where before there was only sand. Like magic.

In the morning, I can see my breath as I walk outside ; and this reminds me that winter is soon to arrive. With it comes my departure, tomorrow, after having spent a month in this sweet place. Only one exodus : thirty minutes down the coast is Spain, and lovely Krista happens to be there right now, so I visited her on her birthday, Oct.1st . Both of us transplanted from Santa Barbara, sharing this little corner of Basque country, momentarily. And tomorrow ! the end begins, during the final week it so happens that I will accomplish something extraordinary : visit cities. My time in Europe has been spent mostly with cows or fish ; nearby grassy fields, where there is space for those magnificent creatures ; or nearby the azure sparkle of the sea. Now though, I will move frenetically from London to Amsterdam to New York, three phenomenal cities, and I pray that my country bumpkin spirit can still handle the throngs, the crowded smells, honk yell murmur of all the noise. Re-adapt to hectic busy-ness, high intensity setting for the spinning hamster wheel, Vruuuumm !

I am particularly excited because the old sweetheart of a lady, that owns the snack bar on the beach, gave me a t-shirt advertising her establishment; and I plan to take pictures wearing it, la Freebirds-style facing world-renown sites, and I know this will make her happy. Publicity from afar for her little snack bar ! Ha, but all things have their counterbalance : for if such well intentioned publicity is overly succesful, and the hordes of tourists come along, the place will be destroyed like others before have been. Everything is predisposed into becoming a Love/Hate relationship , as situations change and love turns to hate. Then back to love ; its all good after all, one big bittersweet confusion.