93% are happy to live in Aquitaine

According to an article in the French paper Figaro (read here), the inhabitants in the Aquitaine region are the happiest of them all.

A whopping 93% are happy to live there!

Guess I already knew that...

Erretegia beach, Bidart

Summer before time....

A heat wave made us feel like it was summer already!
We went to the beach of course.... but we were not alone to have that brilliant idea.... some kids were swimming but really, the water is still too cold.

Pictures from Moliets, our favorite beach.

Great skiing in Saint Lary!

Only slightly off topic and almost after the season is over.... just wanted to share that we have spent a total of six totally wonderful days in Saint Lary this year! The children are getting more and more confident and we even went to some red slopes... great fun for me!

Saint Lary is just outside the limit of Aquitaine, but there are others like Saint Lary that are inside the boundaries.... if you are looking for cute mountain villages, good food and smaller, more family adapted stations, you should have a go in the Pyrénées!

Cazenave pastry

When I pass the Cazenave bakery in Saint-Paul-les-Dax, I always stop to take some bread. And pretty often I will pick up some pastry. Like today, to celebrate.... that is is Sunday ... the weather is great ... that on Thursday the summer vacation starts for the children?

Any excuse is a good one!

Co(o)rniche, design restaurant in Pyla-sur-Mer

La Co(o)rniche in Pyla-sur-Mer has been on my wish list for a while, since I heard about this place designed by Starck and set by the sea next to the Dune de Pyla... so when our friends suggested lunch there I was thrilled! And as you can see by the photos, we were not disappointed...

(Smart with a mirror so everyone can have a view of the ocean!)

Afterwards we went for a windy stroll in Arcachon.

When only the best is good enough

My sweetheart husband prepared a Valentine surprise for me.... a romantic getaway at Hotel de Palais in Biarritz. I've dreamed of going there for such a long time, but I was more hoping for a coffee or lunch, just to get a look inside that impressive and beautiful building... not to stay the night and have dinner...  So if you have  the budget, it is definitively worth it. The service is excellent, they know how to be very attentive and still put you at ease and all the rest is over the top.

Gourmet hiking with donkeys in Irouléguy

We had such a perfect day in Irouléguy with Charlotte and some donkeys!

First we went to pick up the donkeys, then she showed us how to prepare them. Björn got Craquette, a very hungry donkey that kept munching whatever flower or herb that passed by, and Clara got Caramel, a very calm and gentle donkey. 

The weather was overcast and not really warm, but this was perfect for us out walking. There was no wind and the calm of the hills was very soothing. The scenery was as lush as it ever is here in the beginning of summer. I was very happy to get to know this little corner of the Basque country... so beautiful...

Walking with donkeys is perfect in many ways. They can carry your things or picnic or child... for us it was lucky, because Bjorn would have had problems walking the whole 15 km we did in one day. (You can also chose to take off on your own with a detailed map).

After about half the distance we stopped to have lunch in a cidrerie. I love picnics, but this was indeed the luxury version of hiking! Many thanks to Charlotte who was an excellent guide for us. She loves this place and she loves her donkeys! 

You find her on this site: Escapanes.

Off topic: North of the Arctic Circle

Very much off topic if I want to tell you about my trip north of the Arctic Circle. Read on if you are curious, maybe to see what April looks like in that part of the world.... visiting my cousin Fredrik, his wife and family.

This is Björn driving a snowmobile...

When we get to Luleå in the north of Sweden, my cousin Fredrik comes to pick us up at the airport. The day after we go further north for three hours, passing the Arctic Circle. When the road ends, we continue on snowmobiles on the frozen lake, until we reach the hunting cabin that Annas' parents own in Västerfjäll. A place outside time, to reconnect with a simpler life with no TV, no Internet and barely no mobile network coverage. A place to spend time together, go fishing and spend time outside. And eat reindeer, trout and salmon...

These photos show how fun winter can be.... when you have the right clothes and the right attitude.

Thank you all for letting us visit!

Sunday afternoon in Vieux Boucau

What a weekend....  lunch on a sunny terrace... watching the kids play in the sand.... in lovely Vieux Boucau.

Skiing in Saint Lary

Three glorious days in Saint Lary, an excellent way to spend part of the winter school vacation. Björn got a medal (première étoile) and Clara continued working to get the third star.... Both were following me in the blue tracks and we even tried a red one....