Water melon after the pool

Sun is out and even if the pool is getting cooler, it's still ok. Here you see the kids after the pool; enjoying Bjorn's favorite fruit water melon!

And I even put on the bikini to get some tan! Something I never do, but these last days of summer make you want to squeeze out all of them...

Mimizan, happiness XXL

My Swedish friend Tomas spent many summer days in Mimizan as a child. How did it go when he came back, full of nostalgia, with his wife and children?

Tomas was four years old the first time he came to Mimizan. It was during the early sixties and his uncle had just finished building a new house. He remembers the long, long beach, the tide, the sea shells and the smell of seaweed. The impressive ship wreck poised a bit off the beach. The sound of the sea, always a noise from the wind and the waves. In the evenings the house next to the pine forest was calm and peaceful. The pines smelled. The pine cones were enourmous. The adults played bridge while Tomas played with his cousins and tried to eavesdrop. He tried some culinary modernities,  like garlic, basilic and vinaigrette...

Beginning of September in Messanges

Bittersweet these last summer days... mornings are getting crisper but today the heat was still there. Over 30 degrees actually, so we went to the beach in Messanges. But what is this? I have never seen so many cars before! We had to park the car further away than ever before...
The tide was high, so we didn't stay for very long, the children couldn't really swim and the shore break was so close it was scary. Hard to believe when you see how calm it looks... we usually come at low tide and there is a reason for that!

New cultural centre in Castets

The cinema is not new, but bigger

Party time in my little village! Our new cultural centre is ready! A meeting point for associations, the library and music in various forms. The photos were taken daytime, in the evening there were song and music, free beer and food..... nice!

Aqualand, amusement parc full of water

Aqualand in Gujan Mestras is an attraction parc based on water.... perfect for a day with 30 degrees!

This is how we celebrated the last day of the summer vacation....

Around Lourdes - Funiculaire du Jer

South of Lourdes a cable train takes you almost 1000 metres up to the Pic de Jer. 360 degrees viewpoint at the top with an incredible panorama....

Steepest part the angle is 56 degrees!

The small smiling guy burst out crying when I first said we would do this. Null, was his exact words to express his feelings. But at the top he said it was great. You were right, he said. Warms a mother's heart to hear...

Around Lourdes - Candle Procession

The city Lourdes is the third biggest pilgrim destination in the world after the Vatican and the Notre Dame in Mexico, with six million visitors every year. Every evening from April to October at 21 hours there is a procession with candles below the church Sanctuaires Notre Dame de Lourdes. Many sick and disabled persons participate.

I went there with the children to have a look... difficult to take pictures but a moving experience to hear the singing, see all the lights and the mass of people participating. When the children get bigger, we will come back to visit the city of Lourdes and the sacred well.  All around us we heard different languages because people come as pilgrims from all over the world to this place. As a protestant I felt a bit bewildered, because we don't celebrate saints, and I had some trouble explaining the whole thing to the children. I need to prepare things like this better!

The paper lanterns protect the candles and make the light yellow. Very pretty in the dark.

The pilgrims visit the holy source discovered by Saint Bernadette. Its sacred water is supposed to be healing. You see many statues of the mother Mary and bottles to bring home the sacred water.

Lourdes is a small city but rich. This is just one example of the beautiful architecture in the city centre.