French customs - cars, cigarettes, Covid and pollution

 

Modest: a typical example of the car fleet in Bayonne

Thursday May 19

After a grey start and a 7km walk in pleasant temperatures of about 22 degrees, the sun has come out. At just after 4pm, following the obligatory siesta, we wandered off to the supermarket for our packaged dinners, beer and a couple of apples. The temperature outside the Pharmacie was showing 31 degrees.

It was interesting that when we checked the weather online this morning, there was a warning about the air quality.

Screen dump from the weather app on the phone

We had certainly noticed it yesterday, when both of us had symptoms of something being not right. Cathie had felt breathless, I'd had extreme hay fever symptoms and there was the constant taste of stale cigarettes.

Certainly, the French smoke a lot. They also display many of the bad habits that once were common in New Zealand - smokers on every corner and outside every building and cigarette butts squashed everywhere with no regard for litter or looks.

However, while we don't like it, the preoccupation with fags may not contribute all that much to pollution.

During our morning walk we checked out the car fleet. Try as we might, we couldn't spot a single SUV. This is a direct contrast to the situation in Canada and, sadly, in New Zealand, where it seems to a part of the culture. Out of sensitivity to the feelings of many of our friends and family, I won't describe my annoyance at this preoccupation with these behemoths, but it's nice to see a more modest approach from the French.

So where does the pollution here come from? J'en sais rien!

So what about Covid. I've already mentioned our surprise and consternation on arriving at Heathrow to find a complete lack of concern. Down here in the south-west of France it's even more noticeable. We're hard pressed to see anyone wearing a mask and we've become equally insouciant, having not put on a mask since arriving here two days ago. Having said that, we haven't put ourselves in harm's way, not having been in any crowd situations and sticking to our room when we're not out walking.

We've been buying beer and ready-made meals and eating in our room. We don't want to be hermits and on the Camino we hope to be out for meals, meeting fellow pilgrims. Here in Bayonne we'd just be breathing in bad air and spending more money than we need to - there's a certain economy in buying three beers, two pasta salad meals and a couple of apples for €15.

Speaking of the essentials. Although there is plenty of blonde beer on show at our local Carrefors supermarket, there's also a good selection of IPA and whisky.

From left, beers from Britain, USA and France.

But it wouldn't be the same without a shot of whisky and that shot wouldn't be the same without a proper shot glass. Yesterday at the supermarket I had to make the difficult choice between Johnny Walker red label and Grants - both economy blends as befitting someone of my financial status. I haven't had Grants for a while, so it was a good choice - Cathie likes it too. Unfortunately, while choosing between a paper cup of beer, or a similar paper cup of whisky last night, I downed the whisky - not an unpleasant experience, but not in keeping with my sober habits. So today we went in search of a shot glass.

We found one, as we'd expected, in a souvenir shop. Although it doesn't say so, it will always remind us of Bayonne - and if we forget because the whisky has rotted our brains, we'll know it was the Basque country.

Ans so we slide into Thursday evening. Tomorrow the train takes us further south to St Jean Pied de Port - woo hoo!

PS - I forgot to mention this strange French custom - Rugby. Yesterday we came across a shop selling rugby memorabilia. And what was it called?

Otago