Geez, can’t think of many things that make me more envious…A month in Biarritz. Check out this, the first of many great posts by Terry Ward. – cb

This must be what it’s like to be retired.

My boyfriend and I compromised on Biarritz in the south of France (I know, relationships can be so demanding), as the place to spend a month ‘settling down’ before continuing our travels.

My requirement was that I wanted to be in France, and Chris’ was that there had to be waves to surf. And voila, here we are – with nothing to do, not a care in the world and a schedule as wide open as a senior citizen’s Saturday. We have a phone but it only rings to signal text message announcements from our provider.

So far, we know only one person (a local surfer, Thierry, who we met on Couchsurfing.com), and it takes everything in our power not to call him every five minutes to see if he wants to meet for a drink or tapas.

It’s weird, attempting to live in a foreign country and not knowing a soul – especially when you don’t have a job that ensures social interaction on one level or another.

But it’s liberating, too.

I wake up in the morning, let the daylight in through the volet shutters that fold up, slat by slat, filling our tiny studio with sunshine, and then start wondering what the day will bring.

Conjugal visits to the corner boulangerie are no longer allowed. Chris prefers to go on his own so, like a leering grandpa living off social security and pain au chocolat, he can flirt with the cute cashier while procuring our power breakfast.

Today he returns, wondering, “If someone says ‘Bonjour Madame,’ to the bakery girl, does it mean she’s taken? Mais oui, I explain to Chris – if not, they would call her mademoiselle.

I, too, get my thrills by random encounters with people in retail settings. And I’m reminded of my own grandpa, who used to live for his daily outings to the post office and bank.

Watching shop owners scrunch their faces with bewilderment when I begin struggling in French, then seeing their expressions relax into sudden comprehension is like a virtual pat on the back for my progress with the language.

Who needs French class and weekly exams? Success! I have made myself understood.

– by Terry Ward