Barrels, Baguettes, and Aloha

A train from Barcelona up to San Sebastian, a walk to the bus station, a chat with an unfriendly Aussie surf chick, and a short bus ride across the border and, after a week in Spain, I was off to France.  Again, I had no confirmed plans for accomodation and a loose plan to meet up with a friend (Hayley in fact who was now in Biarritz) but no sure form of communication other than the previous days email messages sent from some internet cafe.  I crossed my fingers we'd find each other easily enough.  That wasn't case. 

Biarritz is not very big but, now in France - another new language, not easy to deciphere when you aren't sure where you are going!?!  I had been to Tahiti (aka French Polynesia) in 2008 but my French was limited.  Other than the typical greeting of "Bonjour" not much had stuck and I was certain the words 'rendevous', 'chalet', or 'pierre' wheren't gonna get me anywhere either.  I had a place written down to meet up with Hayley but, when I arrived, it was closed and no one was around (later I would learn I had missed her my less than 5 minutes). Dang!

I wondered around the coast of the city and zigged & zagged thru a bunch of the streets kind of hoping to stumble across a hostel or a street name that matched what I had written.  A few inquiries with some locals yielded confused looks on the address and it was hot.  I was sweaty and out of water and was frustrated that our meeting up didnt work out as magically as others.  Just below me was the beach and the surf was reeling and the ocean enticing.  All I wanted to do was throw off my pack, put on some trunks, steal a surfboard, and catch some waves to wash off the days travel.  I figured I was on my own and decided to take a trail down to the beach and see if I couldn't do just that.  The waves were even better than they looked from above.  Then I saw someone I knew!

Yuuto is from Japan but I know him as a beachbum surfer that I surf with often in Hanalei Bay back on Kauai.  Standing just next to him was a shaved headed blonde haired women and laying beyond them both was non other than my friend Hayley - relaxingly soaking up some rays!  "We found you" one of them exclaimed.... "No, no, no... I found you!" I said.  I was relieved to see Hayley, glad to meet Nora (with her cool hairdue), and curious to find out what Yuuto was doing in France.

Turns out Nora lived beach front in the condos clinging to cliffside above us and had arranged a room for Hayley which I was welcomed to crash in on.  Nora also had a surfboard I could borrow.  Score!  I got to get rid of my pack, throw on some trunks, "steal" a surfboard, and ride some waves.  All was good in the world.  And, I found out Yuuto was in Biarritz after being questioned by police while playing guitar in a subway, caught overstaying his 3 month travelers Visa in Europe, getting detained in a jail, and talking his way out because he was a "surfer from Hawaii!" Turns out he was brought to the airport to leave but ran into Hayley (who was re-routed because of a train debocle) and decided to come to Biarritz and stay in Europe longer!  Wild. 



The apartment was awesome and the sunset "awesomer"!  Perched on the cliffs to the right of the surf beaches in Biarritz is a residental castle... it makes for an enchanting view!

A couple days later and Hayley was heading just a few minutes up the coast to Hossegor (Europes surf capital) and I was planning on following her there.  She was going mainly to visit the Weinhold family whom shes known from years back (through Quiksilver) and I, mainly going to try and score some surf.  I, however, didn't have a place to stay.  Turns out there aren't many options in Hoss.  But the Weinholds welcomed me into their home as a friend of Hayleys, had heard about me from their in-laws in Portugal, and invited me to be their guest! 



Stephan, Zaza and their daughters Michka & Victoria showed me that the Aloha Spirit is alive in France!  Even after Hayley left on her way to Italy, they continued to allow me to be their guest, have access to their toys (Vespa, surfboards, wetsuits, food, etc.), and show me around Hossegor.  I felt like family and learned a lot from our conversations about their global perspective, philosophy on life, and hope for their daughters futures. 



Zaza even helped me figure out my travel plans to get to Paris (navigating the task of making train reservations in French which, without her, I would have been hopelessly lost) and set me up with a friend of hers for my first night stay!  To the Weinholds I said "a hui ho" (until we meet again) and continued on to Paris...

Phillipe is a longtime friend of Zaza's, with a "mysterious" past, and welcomed me into his home near midnite the night I arrived in Paris.  He was hosting a party with friends and I was, again, experiencing some great French hospitality complete with the costumary pastries.  Phillipe walked me around part of the city the next day and helped me lay out on a map what to see during my next couple days in what I consider now,  hands down, the most beautiful city in the world (at least of the ones I've been to)!