One could get used to life in Biarritz. A swim and then coffee in the morning, followed by a visit to the market, a day writing, and a sunset stroll before dinner to look out across the water and to marvel at the amount of surfers, bobbing around like a huge family of seals.
The markets in France have always been a source of joy for me. Life in Ireland has greatly improved with the advent of the farmer’s markets, but still we are a ways from what one can find on this side of the water – especially in terms of vegetables, fruits, baked goods, and freshly-caught fish.
Every day, my lunch has consisted of booty collected at the market – prawns, local cheeses, fresh yogurt, and whatever looks especially tasty in terms of vegetables and fruits.
Nights have been about checking out the local eateries. Last night the restaurant was
Les Platanes, a restaurant with a Michelin star, in an old house with plenty of charm.
The service was friendly and the food was quite good, although perhaps not quite what one would expect given the reputation. Could be, of course, that the chef was distracted by the rugby and and not giving the cooking the usual attention. I’m guessing it’s bad form to go for a meal while “Les Bleus” are playing. From my perspective, however, given Ireland’s performances, I was happy for the distraction!
(P.S. from Saturday night: Just back from Chez Albert down at the pier. It’s a seafood restaurant with a stunning location. Inventive and delicious. Definitely recommended, but give the desserts a miss.)
That’s not me on the surfboard. No, I have been quite diligent here, working away on the 
It’s surprisingly quiet, so I don’t know if 
This evening I had a delightful meal in Le Clos Basque Restaurant (12, Rue Louis Barthou, Biarritz). Tucked away down a side street, the interior is charming with white-washed walls and starched blue and white tablecloths.
The ice cream man has taken advantage of cheap Ryanair flights and fled the country for a bit of work on the 
Still, I don’t mind a bit. There is a mountain of writing to be done on the book, although I couldn’t resist a swim this morning (you’re going to get wet anyway, so what’s a bit of rain?)
A group of us went up to the 
My brother Sean and I headed away last weekend for a conference put on at 
I went up to Dublin with some friends this past weekend for the clash of 
It was a great fun, not just because Kerry won. There was brilliant atmosphere, and I had my first encounter with the pheomenon of 
I spent today out and about in the 
Traders lined the streets hawking work boots and power tools, and many of the town’s shops closed for the day.
 There is a great new gourmet shop in Cork called the Blue Olive that’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area. It’s run by the personable Ken and stocks interesting wines, cheeses, ready meals, and lots of tasty snacks (including