On Sunday, we left Ireland for London; then on through the white Cliffs of Dover, England to France. Public transportation is so easy here. By eurail, we were able to see the French countryside; how beautiful! Pretty grasses; flowers; trees and terracotta roofs. We spent a night outside of Paris in Criel. It is cheaper than Paris and cleaner but a bit of a walk from the station through a park and up a hill. The hostel charged us for things that they should not have charged us for but without French, we can only do so well. Luckily, many speak Spanish near the border. We spent an afternoon in Paris: How Grande! How ornate! It looks like a playground for very rich giants. We went to the Museum De Orsey to see the impressionists. After a lifetime of studying these paintings from books, what a special treat it was to see them live, smaller than expected, but so full of life.(Jolie)

This is the second time that I have been to Paris.I like riding the underground late at night listening to the street muscians and street people and popping up to the street to see what's there. But overall I don't like big cities for too long. (Ned)

Now we are in Biarritz, a small coastal town in France, near the Spainish border. There is great surf, two very inexpensive hostels, good weather, so all is well. We stayed at the one near the train station because we couldn't get into the one near the beach. But the one near the station is new, has a bar and good food. The buses will take you all around the area on one hour passes. It is an old resort town with a casino and crowded boardwalk beach but take the bus down to Anglet and it is less crowds and good surf. It feels like southern California. The air is cool and sun warm but the clothing is optional. There are a lot of surfers from all over the world but mostly from Paris. The surf is small but fun and but I just missed a swell according to the locals. There is a golf course here surround by retirement homes in pine trees. But the crowd is making us want to move on to Madrid.