Our secret spot no more...

I was browsing through The Channel Channel's 10 seconds video previews in the open source Democracy Internet TV Platform last night, when I stumbled on a podcast from the French region I am originally from: Les Landes.

I don't think it could have hit any closer to home for me, since the subject matter is surfing (surfboard). It features the beaches I spent my childhood on, learning to ride those very waves with any board I could lay my hands on (surf, bodyboard, sometime without), before I left France when I was twelve. From Arcachon to Hendaye , and everything in between.

The video embedded below, shot by Julien Salomon, features pro and local surfers at La Gravière (gravel quarry) between Hossegor and Vieux-Boucau. This amazing beach used to be The secret spot only locals knew when I was a kid (80's). Needless to say, such is not the case any longer, despite the fact that it takes 15-20 minutes on a sand trail through the forest to get to this little piece of heaven.

Anecdote: The wave seen in my blog's header (logo background) was actually shot in Capbreton, which in only separated from Hossegor by a canal and marina. The lighthouses seen in the background of the last few frames of the video clip stand at the end of the said canal, guiding ships into port.

And if more than 250 km (155 miles) of white sand beaches and Europe's largest pine forests are not enough to get your mojo going, the Pyrénées are only an hour drive away, for World class hiking trails and ski/snowboard resorts.

Exactly the kind of reminder I needed to prepare myself for the loooooong Montreal winter... NOT! ;)