August 13, 2005 2:45 PM BST
OK, where I live.
Pau is situated in the foothills of the Pyrénées between Toulouse and Biarritz in the heart of Beanais country. It is the principle town for Pyrénées Atlantique (departément 64) and the birthplace of Henri 4 of France, born in the chateau in a turtleshell cradle.
Pau is known as the English town thanks to the historical links it has dating back to the Napoleonic Wars, when British soldiers first "discovered" it. We have the oldest golf course on mainland continental Europe thanks to the Scots Guards I believe.
Thanks to the location Pau was home to the first ever flying school, set up by the Wright brothers. There is hardly ever any wind here so flying conditions are superb. The French Parachute Regiment have their training base down here.
We also have our own wine appelation, Jurançon, which uses the little known Manseng variety of grape, which thanks to the soil and climate produces a fantastic sweet and dry white wine. Perfect with the locally produced foie gras de canard. Perfect!
With the discovery of the huge Lacq gas field a few kilometers up the road in about 1960, Pau became the base for Schlumberger and Elf Aquitaine (later to become part of Total). The town grew in size thanks to the gas industry although the pollution was horrendous in the early years. Lacq is a sour gas field with a scary 15% H2S (H2S is deadly at 100ppm) so the flaring was creating a massive cloud of Sulphur Dioxide. Thankfully it has cleaned up although you can still smell the eggy smell as you drive past Lacq.
Today Pau is a bustling tourist town, thanks in part to Ryanair flying here from Stansted and its train and bus links to Lourdes, Biarritz and the mountains. It has hosted the Tour de France more than any other town in France after Paris due to the stunning climbs in the Pyrénées. Names like Col d'Aubesque and Col de Tourmalet should strike fear into any cyclists heart, some of the toughest climbs on la Tour. It's most well known attraction is the Boulevard des Pyrénées, this street has perhaps the best view in the world. One only has to stop and look to see the chain of the mountains stretching away in both directions. Stunning in winter with the snow on them. Makes the beer taste even better!
The two pictures are of the Pyrénées from my balcony (the reason we chhose the flat) and of San Sebastian in Spain (actually taken 1st Feb 2004). Is there any wonder we like it here??
Alex
August 13, 2005 9:04 PM BST
Lovely pics Alex, and I think you should take up writing travel guides. I've passed through that area stopping off at Biarritz and San Sebastian and you've made me want to go back.
Tiina, I'm ready to hang up my boules too!
xx
August 13, 2005 9:27 PM BST
Tiina,
Petanque is still a national pastime, every village has its dedicated bouleadrome and Petanque club. They even have licences and insurance these days.
We even have a club whos "pitch is in the middle of a roundabout!!
Silly game really, lots of old men throwing their boules around!!!
Alex
xxx
August 14, 2005 12:27 AM BST
Sorry Alex, I don't think I can make it smaller. The Tranny Forum options don't seem to allow you to post pictures from your own computer, only those you see on the web. cos it asks for the full address of images and obligingly starts you off with http//. If you know a way round it, please tell me!
August 14, 2005 1:02 AM BST
Thanks Tiina. As you guessed, I don't have my own server. I've now resized the photo so we don't all have to scroll two miles to the right to read the threads.
August 14, 2005 4:55 AM BST
Michigan is a very beautifull state. Detroit is not so nice.
This is the Ambassador Bridge linking the US to Canada.
It's a very busy crossing with millions of dollars a day in trade making the journy. Looks awsome at night all lit up.
Also like going thru the looking glass. Detroit is old homes & dirty streets. Windsor is clean & a very nice place to spend a day.
August 14, 2005 12:36 PM BST
Oh Karen that brings back some good memories, I've been across that bridge (and through the tunnel) on a day out to Windsor. We were staying in Royal Oak, Detroit, which seemed very clean and tidy, perhaps unlike the rest of Detroit? I asked our host to take us downtown so I could get some gritty photos but he refused, "You just don't go there...!"
I loved my time in the states, I was on a youth theatre exchange and I was the only one who was 21 so it was up to me to buy the booze each night for over 20 of us. Fortunately I had two strapping, good clean American boys to help me carry the beer, lots of it! The liquor store owners always asked for my ID and I'm sure none of them had ever seen an English passport before!
I live near the longest lake in England (13 miles long) which is a tiny speck compared to Lake Michigan (over 300!), an awesome place. I would love to go back.
I haven't travelled for years, this thread is giving me itchy feet.
xx
August 14, 2005 4:52 PM BST
Hi all, I'm so glad we're getting more pictures on this thread, I think it's great to see and find out things about where some of you girls live. Thank you all so much!
And how about the rest of you girls? Let's see some piccies from you.
Lucy, that's just how this thread is making me feel, too. I grew up in a military family and we moved every two years or so when I was a kid and for years I had itchy feet and just couldn't seem to stay in one place. But now I've lived in this same town for nearly 20 years...I must be getting old!<lol> I need to win the lottery or something so I can get over there and visit you girls and see these places for real.
Hugs...Joni
August 14, 2005 8:51 PM BST
Did a resize do the trick, Tiina? By the way, in the ghettos of Baltimore, shoes hanging from an electrical line indicate an active open air drug market, and are cause for concern.
August 14, 2005 9:29 PM BST
OK, let's try this, eh?
August 15, 2005 9:41 AM BST
Our house actually sits on the route of Hadrian's Wall.
Dunstanburgh Castle, near Craster (a couple of miles from my parents' house) is IMHO one of the most romantic ruined castles & Alnwick Castle has been used as a film location on many occasions, incuding Elizabeth, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves & Harry Potter
August 16, 2005 5:53 AM BST
Oh, Gillian, how absolutely beautiful. So cool. Is it haunted? Please, tell me it's haunted, that would make it absolutely perfect!
Hugs...Joni
August 16, 2005 8:19 AM BST
There's a beautiful legend about Dunstanburgh Castle.
Sir Guy the Seeker, whilst sheltering from a storm in Dunstanburgh Castle one night, was accosted by Merlin, who led him up a winding stair to a large, well-lit hall, draped in black & with a hundred white marble knights on their black marble horses. At the far end of the room lay a beautiful lady, captive within a crystal tomb, guarded by 2 large skeletons, one holding a horn, the other a sword. Merlin advised Sir Guy that the fate of the maiden depended on his making the right choice, and after much deliberation, he chose the horn & put it to his lips. The noise awakened the knights & their steeds, and Sir Guy sank to the ground, only to awaken the next morning in the once again ruined gateway.
The pale yellow & red quartz crystals which are found in the area are supposed to form part of the vast treasure with which the lady would have rewarded her hero & Sir Guy's ghost is said to haunt the clifftops, forever in search of his beautiful maiden.
August 17, 2005 2:00 PM BST
& here's a piccy of Bamburgh Castle- I told you we had loads of castles up here!
August 17, 2005 4:49 PM BST
Thank you so much, Gillian, for the new picture! How beautiful. And story about Dunstanburgh castle is absolutely perfect.
And thanks to everyone who took the time to post a picture or comment to this thread. I think it's great way to get to know a little more about each other.
Hugs...Joni
August 19, 2005 6:14 PM BST
image
early august last days
of summer revisitation
by a girl boy girl
coming out swimming
made me feel better
about so many things
.................................................................................................................\/
Public bath, Oslo, 5. August 2005.
September 26, 2005 4:31 PM BST
I've just put some pics in my blog, having been out and about this weekend, here's another overlooking Lake Windermere, with Morecambe Bay in the distance.
September 27, 2005 3:54 AM BST
Catherine
for us yanks, where is Godalming in relation to London?
thanks
September 27, 2005 2:06 PM BST
It really makes me happy that this thread is staying alive, you girls are all so awesome and so are the places where you live.
Hugs...Joni
September 27, 2005 3:03 PM BST
Seems I deleted my pix. So I'll put them back. Except I can't find them. Sooo new ones.
First is the Ambassadore Bridge. A link between US & Canada. Second is the Detroit skyline taken from Canada.
Lucy Royal Oak is not part of Detroit. Very close to it. The Detroit zoo is there. But the people that live there whould get upset if you were to call them Detroiters. It's also about 10min from me.
September 28, 2005 9:51 AM BST
Oh how did I miss this one ...?
.. been taking pics of the landscape around the little bit of Cheshire where I live for years, that said I have just moved house (closer to the Welsh border and a little further from civilisation) so these more accurately show where I used to live until last week.
These little copsed woods hugging the tops of the hills are typical of round here.
.. and one in colour, taken back in July
There's an awful lot of sheep round here and the landscape is littered with these pens and runs for dipping and shearing.
Swing bridge; this was the main road in and out of the village, if you were unlucky you could easily wait twenty minutes for this to open and close to let ships pass through on their way up and down the river.
If anyone's interested I have a whole stack of pics at my "Flickr" page ..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cerys/
C xx