I came back to my old Brighton and found it fresh, alive and kicking, full of festival energy.
Flash backs in the present…
And here are some images of the excellent comedy by Andy Thomas, “Carry on Drinking” at the Sanctuary Cafe (performed by Andy Thomas and Rob Maloney)
I left my soul there
Down by the sea
I lost control here
Living free
(Lyrics of “The Sea” - Morcheeba)
I cannot hear this song without thinking about Brighton - my dear, dear Brighton. This week-end, after 5 months away, I came back to this most perfect of town and I promised myself I will be back for good before long.
A street-art piece
A bike-parking piece
Has this become a new tradition? Remember how puzzled I was over these shoes back in August last year…
My last gaze at the Brighton sky that has been mine for nearly a year, yesterday morning, at 7 AM.
I love how this imaginary crab is coming out of the frame…
Looking up at a building and seeing a stone gargoyle laughing by some lovely red flowers.
I wonder if they got many applications!
The Duke of York Cinema looking all very young and vibrant, despite the fact that it is the oldest cinema in Britain to show films continuously, since its opening in 1910. I remember going to see a film there several months ago, but it didn’t look so pretty and yellow then - and there were no legs on the roof 
I will definitely check their program and make an effort to go there instead of the ugly Odeon next time - especially since they always show different films than the usual blockbusters. It’s worth a longer walk!
Here is their program. I think I’ll be off to see “Howl’s moving castle” very soon - I really loved “Spirited Away"!
This black dog coming out of nowhere was sprinting to the sea, took a dip, and then rushed back to wherever he had come from… The funniest sight I’ve seen in a long time! It’s a good thing I had my camera ready because the whole scene was over in just a couple of minutes…
Dark sky appart from this lovely pink outline of the horizon…
A lot of greenery…
We took the bus all the way up to Devil Dyke’s today, not too sure what we would find exept a bit of countryside. We were not disappointed: After a mere 20 minutes on the bus, we ended up in a lovely, green, breathtaking landscape full of paragliders flying and of people hiking or biking. I am definitely going to try a couple of these hikes some day.
This is where I have been spending all my evenings for the last two weeks. I have been attending one of the excellent 2-weeks workshops held at the ACT school (Academy of Creative Training), and I had a fantastic time.
I know their website doesn’t look very serious, in fact let’s be honest, it is an eyesore, and so are their brochures; but don’t let that put you off, because the quality of the teaching is excellent, and the courses over the two weeks are varied and fun.
It is amazing how our group (we were 13 people from all walks of life - some wanting to become professional actors, some simply wanting to develop their confidence) managed to bond so quickly, due to the relaxed atmosphere, the excellent teachers, all those games and exercises that created a safe environement to explore different aspects of acting without ever feeling judged, an environement in which it was OK to make mistakes and have a good laugh about it.
I feel I have made a huge jump forward, and not only as an actress. The two weeks ended too quickly!
Flower in a bottle on a table in the street.
Another beautiful day, and on Saturday Gardinier street is closed to traffic so restaurants expand quite a bit into it! This flower and table belong to a new place, called Pokeno Pies - they have only one vegetarian pie, but it’s a very nice one so I do recommand it.
Having lunch in one of the places where you can eat outside in Gardinier street. How can you resist this cute little cat asking for its share?
This is a clothing store’s sign at night. I’ve always loved how original it looks! It is called Fruity and has very nice things that I usually cannot afford
When cropped like this the fountain really looks surreal… Like a cup floating in the sky. As to the birds, I really love the screaming one. You can almost hear it!
Perfect weather today: blue sky, sun, AND it was a bank holiday (how often do we get this lucky?) I took a walk by the sea in the morning and I thought those hanging, smiling dogs were just too funny.
The sun, the sky, a bird. There could be just this in the world and it would be beautiful.
I didn’t take any photos today, or yesterday (bad me! But I have been overworked AND it is raining all the time…) but here is an image I captured on Saturday. It’s all about the patterns of the tiles, and the colour… blue… my favourite colour (most days!)
You have to imagine this model at work… the arrow seems to be speading towards the heart but of course it never reaches it… Very beautiful!
Here is the model maker!
Today was an amazing day - beautiful weather, low tide allowing you to walk far towards the horizon… A magical atmosphere, which is I think reflected in this photograph!
This place reminded me a bit of “La Place du Tertre” in Paris, with its cafes and restaurants surrounded by artists and painters. Of course this is a much smaller version of it, but still very nice!
I was walking on a residential street and I was stopped in my tracks by this very comical sight: it looks as if this bird is nesting on the doorstep! It seemed very annoyed at being stared at as well…
It is amazing to see that some seagulls become almost like pets. There is an old lady on our street who feeds the birds, and one of the seagulls seem to be following her around wherever she goes, and stays close to her house when she is in. I am pretty sure it is also the case of this one seagull.
I was playing around with moving the camera while taking the picture on a long exposure shot… I quite like how this one turned up!
What I like about this image is the pattern formed by the wooden flooring and how it contrasts with the smooth blue sky.
Amazing music coming from the most unlikely of instruments…
Looking at the sea, gazing into the horizon and getting lost in the immensity of the world.
Notice the two people on the right of the image who have actually decided to immerse themselves physically into the immensity of the sea in spite of the dreadful weather! I much prefer doing so only mentally
Amazing summer flowers in the Pavillion Garden.
Those two cones in the middle of West Street are not the most beautiful, but in the fog at night I must admit they are not quite as bad looking.
Walking in a cloud by the sea….
This little cafe opened a couple of weeks ago next door to where I live. It is a 100% organic and vegetarian cafe which I highly recommend! They have freshly squeezed juices, delicious salads for lunch - which they sparkle with seeds and nuts, and the prices are very reasonable (I had a special with a spring roll + a platefull of various types of salads for £3.95 and I was very full afterwards). I have to try out their breakfast at one point…
So much for summer weather! Yesterday and today have been rainy and gray. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!
On Monday evening, I discovered this place by chance, just walking by it (and absolutely not in the mood for grocery shopping) when I was stopped in my tracks by the amazing sight of watermelons, peaches, papayas, mangos and other amazingly fresh looking fruits at the entrance of the shop. I went a little closer and suddenly was completely overwhelmed by the smell of fresh herbs a bit further into the shop. Needless to say I didn’t come back empty handed that evening!
Today I decided to return there, this time with intent, and this time I explored every aisle of this amazing place - a real paradise in Brighton. There is everything one could dream of and more! Indian, Chinese, Turkish, French, Greek specialties, spices, fresh herbs… This is my new place for food.
A few examples of what I got today: a bunch of fresh sage, a box of Pakistani mangos, cherries (almost as good as the ones from my grandfather’s garden), gulabjams (the Indian desert), fresh cheese bread, wild salmon pate, ranbutan (the fruits), Turkish cheese, stuffed wine leaves, and much more….
In the series: what are people doing by the sea - here are a couple of people actually managing to bike on the pebbles…
I made the photo black and white as I think it makes it look even nicer, putting emphasis on their reflection as well as on their silhouettes.
I guess it is a bit of a tradition in every country to do a bit of a wild party before a wedding - in France you call it “Enterrer sa vie de celibataire” - to bury your life as a single person. In this country it is referred to as having a “Stag Party” for the boys, and a “Hen Party” for the girls - and I must say I have never seen anywhere else this tradition taken so far and with so many accessories… there must be a whole industry specialized in just that! Now is the wedding season so every week-end without fault, you can see groups of boys and group of girls in various costumes (sometimes a bit shocking) with a big “bride to be” or “groom to be” banderole around one of them.
I took a photo of these guys because I was amazed to see a stag party coming out of a genuine firetruck… Very original! They seemed to be having a good time and to be happy of the attention when I took their photograph.
However, I must say I have no regret at not having had one of those parties for myself!
The Pavillion Gardens are georgeous this time of the year… And the weather is really hot, it is hard to stay indoors, much better to go out to read in the park!
Full moon over the west pier - I love how big the moon looks when it is only just rising - apparently it is because when it is closer to the horizon line and the Earth, we are more aware of its size than when it is higher up and not close to any other planets to compare it with.
We’re back to straight photography this week - no more crazy photoshop filters (for a while )
I like the juxtaposition of the street lights and the sun behind the clouds in this image. It was such an amazing looking sky…
Yesterday was suddenly very, very hot! Summer dresses need to be taken out, and I am now seriously considering checking how the water is…
As to the beach, I had not seen it so crowded until yesterday! Now it really feels like a holiday town.
I’ve applied a watercolour effect to my photo.
A beautiful, perfect flying kite in the sky above the sea today. I am using this filter so that the regularity of the image is broken down, almost like a puzzle.
This photograph, taken on the 21st of December 2004, was enhanced solely by playing with the colour balance of different section - sky, sea, earth. The end result feels very surreal to me!
I’ve taken this photograph on the 20th of February 2005. Those little “wind flowers” (not sure what the correct name is!) and UK flags are sold on the seaside. They have very beautiful, bright colours normally but this filter makes the image look like a very old photograph, and makes the whole image feel melancholic. Nice effect!
A man and his boat in front of the sea. I took this photograph on the 11th of May 2005. I have just finished working on it.
This dog can often be seen waiting at the door of a store in Gardner Street. I took this photo on the 11th of May and worked on it digitally today! Did I mention that I love Photoshop?
The sun is still high in the cloudy sky late in the evening… I love it when the days are long.
I like the way the woman seems to be walking on the water towards the Pier. Maybe to fly up there afterwards?
It was a very windy day today, with big waves, and many floating seagulls in the sky. The view was quite extraordinary with the sun reflecting on the sea so strongly!
It is hard at times to remember that it is spring with all the rain we are getting… But at least we still have lovely flowers!
Teenage girls waiting in line outside the cinema: note how they all seem to be freezing but do not seem to understand that this is not the right weather for short skirts!
Scary how they all dress exactly the same way! Freezing for fashion… not really my thing!
Back in Brighton, where the sun is shining and the pool is full of little kids, and where life guards are already on duty (though there are few people in the sea)!
I have been missing most of the Festival events - bad me! But at least I can still enjoy the nice decorations in Kensington Gardens - I love the red fringes.
A whole world under our feet.
I was looking down through the cracks on the Pier at the sea underneath, when I started to notice that there were quite many birds underneath. They seem to be feeding on the sea shells attached to the structure of the pier. It made me realize what an amazing world goes on under our feet which we never think about.
I was coming out of the bookshop, and since the rain was pouring I decided to take a couple of pictures before braving it. I love to see the drops falling on the ground, and the reflections, and the people running not to get wet. So I was starting to really get into it until a security guard stopped me.
“You can’t take pictures in here, it’s private property of the Churchil Square Shopping Center
- But I am taking pictures of outside!
- Yeah but even the direct outside is the property of the Shopping Center.”
It was a completely ridiculous answer, and I could have argued, called on the manager and all that but I wasn’t in the mood. I just thought - how sad. As a photographer, so many people try to stop you. Grr!
This is one of the many beautiful works of art that we have discovered today, going through some of the open houses of the Brighton Festival. This one is a wood carving made by Tach Pollard. I love how the face emerges so beautifully from the tree!
Those two policemen seemed quite friendly - though one of them needs new stockings! (I love the disapproving look on the little boy’s face)
There were many of street artists in the North Laine today, it was a joy to walk around and see all these shows and performances.
Hundreds of musicials filled up the Pavillion Gardens this afternoon, performing in harmony. Depending on where you were standing or sitting you would get a very different sence of the music!
This show, called “3600,” was performed tonight in a park - lots of music, light effects, use of live video and a mix of English and French languages. Very interesting to watch!
White chalk drawing on the pavement, by the sea, by unknown artist.
One thing I like about the seaside is that even when the weather is overcast and rainy, you can look to the horizon and chances are, you will see that the sun is still out there somewhere!
Today I went to see “Control Room” by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Mostefa Souag and Hugh Miles, which was screened as part of the Brighton Festival at the Old Market in Hove. It was an amazing film raising serious questions about the ethics of journalism and the impact of the channel Al-Jazeera on the world during the Iraq war. I highly recommend it!
Today was the first day of the Brighton Festival, which started off with the children’s parade. It was really nice to see all the sculptures and costumes that the children had made, not to mention all the performances that they had worked on (lots of percussions!) And of course the kids were cute as can be!
How cute are they?
I want the same dress!
Of course the adults were also a big part of this parade! It’s not every day that you get to see a pirate on the phone…
Perfect temperature, cloudless sky, soft grass, and the sound of a saxophone not too far away… Amazing spot to relax and look at life go by!
Today was voting day in England… Unfortunately I was not able to join in, as this is a national election and I am a French citizen (I guess I am already lucky to be able to vote for the local elections!) - so I can only wait and see what will happen!
The most beautiful thing about this spot is what you hear - the sound of the tide carressing the stones, when it returns to the sea; the occasional scream of the seagull, and you feel the wind on your face.
I could not believe it when I arrived at the beach today! That’s it, people are already swimming… As to me, I don’t think I am British enough yet to be able to bear the cold – I’m giving myself at least another month before trying!
Plenty of people in the streets on a sunny Saturday! A wonderful week-end feeling - if only everyday could be just like this.
Everytime I pass in front of this shop I never fail to have a good laugh at the T-shirts they have!
Beware of strangers tonight - it is the full moon, time of crime!
This is the perfect setting for a mysterious crime story - I love how strange and magnificent the Royal Pavillion looks at night, all lit up - and the full moon adds a lot to the atmosphere!
So many years, this building has been standing, through generations of people. I love the texture of the stones, and the painted wood, and the contrast of the colours.
The weather is perfect, the sky is blue, you can just stare at the immensity and get lost in it. Looking at the sea has become one of my favorite past time! How I love spring
Walking along the seaside, I stumbled upon this rose; wached up by the sea, the rose seems to be crying, abandonned, beautiful but unwanted. What happened here I wonder? A sad love story maybe, someone rejected by someone else, or maybe simply two people in love and too busy with each other to remember about the flower? Well at least this flower will not be forgotten totally now.
Three people passing in the street, singing “aye Krysna” (well I think this is what they were singing) - how strange!
The area called “The Lanes,” South from the “North Laine” where I live, is a very old part of town which is made of very old and narrow streets full of antiques and jewellery shops, as well as some nice pubs and restaurants. A place where it is relatively easy to get lost - but you are never sorry for that because it allows you to make yet more discoveries!
Here is Pierre Perret’s favorite place to eat!
Note: if you don’t understand the joke, check what the name of the restaurant means in French
Today was a lovely sunny day, ideal for a bite on the beach followed by a bit of biking! We went all the way to the Brighton Marina, which was nice, but I much prefer this side of the beach here Did I mention the food was delicious?
This is a nice little piece of mosaic in the middle of Gloucester Street, marking the pedestrian only section. The rain is falling and falling, people are walking fast to get home. I have forgotten my umbrella, so I am getting all wet - but I have not forgotten my camera at least!
The weather was all foggy today - walking in a cloud makes me feel all dreamy.
It seems that I can’t get out of the house two minutes in order to get a loaf of bread without bumping into increadible musicians these days! What is it going to be like at the festival and during the summer? I think it is not going to be a town anymore, but one big party What a great place to live in!
Those 4 guys were quite amazing - and I love the electric version of the string instruments! Makes me want to get back into playing the violon. I just need to get someone to explain me how to tune my violon and next you’ll see me play on the seaside!
We met Nigel Emery today, who has had this little shop by the sea for 9 years, where he sells his paintings. His work is really colourful and original - for example he includes a lot of colage and text impressions into the paintings - so you see little bits of text when you look more closely at them.
Today has been a beautiful day - one of those days where I cannot possibly limit myself to just one image! Here is a music group who were playing in front of one of the seaside pubs - the picture doesn’t show it, but there was a real crowd all around listening to them. They were good! And the girl’s saxophone is really beautiful, all black and gold.
I went to visit the new Brighton library which opened its doors only recently - huge building full of books, my kind of place! At the entrance there was this really interesting expo called “Words, words, words.” Under some yellow booth you could hear recorded messages that people had left - some reading poetry, some just talking about themselves. Under this red booth you could record your own message - say your favorite words - I loved how the old style black telephone looked under the red booth.
As to saying my favorite words I was at a loss. What’s your favorite word, people?
It was a really nice day today, one where I was able to leave my coat behind! Here is Churchil Square, a very busy area always full of people.
Today I have been visiting several offices for work. The rain was pouring this morning, and the sky was very grey - I thought this window, the view, the bird, form a very nice harmony - though the mood I must admit is quite melancholic!
Welcome to the official first day of Spring! How nice it is to be finally done with winter. The little flowers outside in my street are now looking lovely. Remember how they looked like last month, on the 9th of February and on the 16th of February?
Yesterday, I did my second - and last - representation of my play, “The Interview.” It was fantastic. The theatre was overbooked, and people were laughing and reacting even more than on the first night. I had a great time! Here is a photo of some of my co-actresses backstage, getting ready for their short play. I love the atmosphere that there is backstage. A mix of fear, hope, anticipation, excitement.
Yesterday was a real blast! I had so much fun on this play, I can’t wait to do it again tonight. In addition the theatre was fully booked, and it is also going to be so tonight! This photo was taken by Aral, while I was on stage.
Today is the suniest that I have seen in weeks! It feels like winter is finally going away… Everybody was out to enjoy the sunshine, people were even eating outside as you can see on this photo. I hope it’s going to stay this way, it definitely makes a difference
Meet the West Pier, a once beautiful structure (I was told) which was destroyed by several storms, a couple of fires and lack of funding to repair it. It is not a very beautiful thing to see, but strangely many people seem to be drawn to it, taking many photos, sitting in its vicinity, and today there even was a small market just next to it. It looks like a strange silhouette on the sea, some kind of a big monster waiting to wake up. In a way I like it better than the Brighton Pier, which is all about casinos and selling bad fast food. This Pier has a presence - the rest is up to our imagination.
On our way to catch some late lunch - we saw this band… They were just so great I bought the CD! Now I’m in the mood to dance!
I spotted those two very cute and friendly dogs attached to the side of a pub/sandwich bar at the corner of my street. They were just too funny, trying very hard to get my attention! For sure they were expecting some food back from the shop when their owner comes back for them
I had a good laugh seeing this window display. They are using skeleton’s heads in order to display their glasses - but not any skeleton’s heads - vampire skeleton heads… I suppose after the film “Interview with a Vampire,” vampires have been associated with good taste and good style!
Yesterday was rehearsal day, so I was waiting here, next to the Churchil Square Shopping Center, where my in my co-actress works. I like Cranbourne Street, because of it looks so pretty when the night is just falling, with its stone pavement and the colourful shops - especially the one with the british flag painted all over it!
On Saturdays you often see musicians in the streets, and I quite like this particular band. They really look like they are there in order to have a good time and enjoy themselves, as well as sharing the music with us. It always makes me smile!
The Air Born Kites shop in Gardner Street: where you can get those pretty flying kites - it’s not just for children apparently! They are also offering lessons… something that might be interesting - there certainly is a lot of wind here, especially on the sea side.
Apologies for posting yesterday’s photo only today. It was one of those days where I had just enough of my computer for work related matters, did not want to see it any longer than absolutely necessary!
A very nice little African furniture and artefact store. It’s kind of funny to see those wooden African sculputures with the snow!
Today you’re getting two pictures! Two shops offering very different things but with equally beautiful shop fronts - from music to opticians, do it in style! Even in the snow
The Drum Cavern: Everything for music lovers! (North Road)
Bromptons Opticians: Why be a regular optician when you be a stylish one? (Gardner Street)
No, this is not a vegetarian restaurant in which they serve shoes! This is a shop in which you can get shoes made from non-animal products (no leather, no suede) and produced in an ethical manner (not in “sweatshops".) I actually bought myself a pair recently and the material is just as confortable and nice looking as leather, and it’s an extra pleasure for me - since I’m a vegetarian - to know that no animal had to die so that I could have these shoes. Read more about “Vegetarian Shoes.”
This week, everyday I am going to put up a picture of some of the most unusual shops from my area. The North Laine is alive because of its wide variety of unusual, independent shops. I hope this week’s series will give you a better idea of what it is like!
This store is for piercing and tattoo lovers: you find all kinds of weirdly shaped jewely in there. There is a section with a little note that says “if you don’t know where these go, don’t ask!”
Now I am not a piercing fan myself - I had my ears pierced when I was 15, but had to give up on wearing earrings after a couple of years because of irritations - so I am not about to pierce any other parts of my body! But I must admit that it is a fascinating sub-culture: just a look at the way “Wildcat” is written on that sign - it’s a beautiful design! It is just one of those things that I admire on other people, but no thanks for me
It is the second time that I am waking up with the snow falling (the first time was on Tuesday, when Aral came back from Australia) Such a nice feeling… However, once more, the snow was all melted from the roofs by the time I was ready to go out and snap away “Brighton in the snow.” The sun is not cooperating here! But the snow, even though it does not stay, is still very nice to see falling from the sky - and we have some very big snow flakes - so here is the only snow that I can show you!
So much blue surrounding such a white bird. I wonder, I wonder, do the birds know how beautiful they are, how captivating, how important to the world’s beauty?
I took this picture at 1:30 PM today of one of the many small streets off Eastern Road - I think this is Tilstone Street but I am not sure, as this was my first time in this part of the city. I just love all the colours from those terraced houses… It makes the city looks so alive and joyful - even on a gray, rainy/snowy day as it was today (not to mention it was freezing cold!)
This picture was taken earlier, on the 9th of February at 10 AM: it is Kemp Street, just a couple of streets off from where I live in the North Laine. Once again, lots of colours, a very happy street!
Of course not all residential streets are like these, but I wish they were. It shows how much people care for their house and its individuality, and it makes the whole city look so good!
This is the entrance to the New Venture Theatre, where I will be acting next month. I am rehearsing every monday evening, and tonight it was just starting to snow - it is freezing cold outside! The walk back at night after rehearsal is especially painful!
I took a long stroll by the sea today, hoping to reach Kemptown - a part of Brighton that I have heard a lot about but have not yet been to. However, after a long while walking, I was stopped by the beauty of this spot - to the West of the Brighton Pier. I decided to sit there and wait for the perfect moment. Here it is
After waiting a good half-hour for the perfect moment and using up all of the space on my two memory sticks, I was frozen to my bones and decided to go home for a good cup of tea. Kemptown will be for another day!
Sydney Street at mid-day - under a beautiful blue sky. I like this street a lot because it has so many interesting shops - including the comics shop that can be seen on this picture (I like graphic novels - in French: “BD"). I am also very found of the zebra patterns on the shop at the back of the street - that must be fun to re-paint!
Met my neighbor! Such as the Cat who Walks by Himself, he can very often be seen in our street even though his real owners live a few streets away… rumors have it that a lady in my street feeds it prawns - I don’t know if that is true, but if it is, I am not surprised that he spends more time in our street than at his home!
I thought I would give you a little update on the state of the bulbs I photographed a week ago. As you can see, the flowers are already showing their heads. Quite a lovely sight!
This is one of the 4 statues around Clock Tower on Queens Road (the main street, which goes from Brighton Station down to the beach). As you can see, statues too need a bit of warmth in the winter!
How lovely is this little alley? Very smart of this jewelry design shop, which would probably not get noticed as much if it wasn’t for the bright colour of the walls and the beautiful decorations. As to me, I definitely want to use this flower-web idea somewhere at home!
A lot of people say that Brighton wouldn’t be Brighton without the Royal Pavillion. My feeling about the Pavillion is a bit different: everytime I pass the huge gates and step into the park, I feel like I have left Brighton and England, and that I have landed somewhere in the Middle East. This is not only due to the beautiful park and architecture of the Pavillion, but also to this flutist who seems to be always there - even on such a cold day! - and whose music brings you back to the time of legends of the Arabian Nights.
Today my Aral left for Australia (snif… 10 days without him). So I came with him to say bye at the Brighton Station. Here you can see him about to embark on the train:
As I left the station, I realized that it was the most beautiful weather we have had in days. The sun was out, it was cold but not so bad, and above all else, what made me run towards the sea was the amount of seagulls and other birds screaming and flying above my head. Did I tell you how much I love seagulls? So I walked to the sea front, and it turned out that I was not the only one who had heard the call of the seagulls:
Can you see all the little black dots above the Brighton Pier? Each of them is a bird - there were probably hundreds of them flying in flocks… It is such an amazing sight - such an amazing feeling to see them fly so close to your head, change direction in no time, or even manage to stay stationary in one spot simply by turning against the wind…
So I kept snapping and snapping away, and the sun started to go down, until we had this amazing sky to admire…
Such a beautiful day today!
Here is one of the pubs in my area (the North Laine.) I just love the name! Can you imagine the phone conversation:
“Where are you honey?
- At the office.
- Yeah, right, I can hear people around you, don’t lie to me!
- But honey, I’m not lying! I am at the office!”
After a full day of work, I popped out to get some more tea and other goodies. This is my local grocery shop, and not just any store: it is full of amazingly wonderful organic, natural, fair trade products, each of which tastes better than the next. In fact, the first few times I went shopping there, I was smiling all the way from the moment I entered to the moment I left (and kept smiling until all that wonderful food was eaten!) Not exactly the kind of experience I would get when going to the supermarket in London. Of course the supermarkets do have some organic and fair trade products but they are usually very limited; here you have much more choice, and so many more of the products are sourced locally.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who are responsible for the running of this shop, as well as the production of all the amazing products that are sold here. Not only they taste a hundred times better than the big brands, but in addition they contribute to a better environment (especially the organic products) and to fighting poverty and inequality in the world (for fair trade products). What more could you ask?
There is something to be said about living by the sea. It is so amazing to be able to gaze as far as the eye can see on such a vast, blue, wild landscape that is the sea. Today was a beautiful, sunny winter day, and Aral and I came out to record a little video (check it out on FlashAnt). We had a lot of fun doing it!
The air is cold. Further down the street, a man is sitting on the ground, playing a harmonica and singing with a very rough voice. I just love how the city feels in the evening, with those lights.
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