Entrevue avec Laura Palmer et Ramon Giedemann de chez Trafalgar Surf Trip
Posted by Gee on 05.05.10
Cette semaine j’ai pensé mettre de côté mon rôle de protagoniste principal dans ce rêve éveillé pour
vous faire connaître un peu mieux les propriétaires de Trafalgar Surf Trip, Laura et Ramon. C’est à table devant une gazpacho aux concombres, une lasagne aux courgettes et quelques bouteilles espagnoles que j’ai pu en savoir un peu plus sur la vie décidemment utopique que mène ce jeune couple de fabricants de rêve. Voici les faits saillants d’une entrevue qui fut réalisée en anglais quelques heures seulement avant que les tourtereaux s’évadent à bord de leur minivan pour une semaine de surf au Portugal. J’espère que certains d’entre-vous en seront inspirés!
Laura - hanging out in Fontanilla with Lilly, Jimbo, Lucas & Indie.
Ramon handing out some (only slightly) deep fried fish
Part 1. Introductory rantings
| Laura | Ramon | ||
| Place of birth | Plymouth, England | Locarno, Switzerland | |
| Surfs since | My first time up on a board was when I was 9 years old in Bali. I really started when I was 17 back in England. So I’ve been surfing for around 11 years. | When I was 15 at Puerte Ventura, in the Canary Islands. I surfed half a year in Australia when I was 21. But I really started when I moved to Spain 3 years ago. | |
| Board | Fish | Short board | |
| Favorite surf spot | In Spain: Caños de Mecca
International: Imsuame, Morocco |
In Spain: Caños de Mecca
International: Carrapateira, Portugal |
|
| Favorite food | Hummus | Pumpkin and leek soup | |
| Favorite drink | English tea with honey | Water | |
| Favorite animal | Elephant | Toucan | |
| Last good movie seen | Offside (From Iran) | Offside (From Iran) | |
| Last good book read | Da Vinci code by Dan Brown | Medicus by Ruth Downie | |
| Also likes | Standing on my head, seeing my cats smacking my dogs on the face, using fresh garden vegetables to cook, spring in Spain, cuddles with Ramon (awww)… | Ramon, plum jam, rock climbing, permaculture, fishing, the pigeon yoga position, siestas… | |
| Not too keen on | Putting on the duvet cover over the duvet, fast food, when Ramon farts, Le Vente, doing the dishes, flavored yogurt | Le Vente, Nestle, damaging nature, anchovies, money |
Part 2. The real deal
Q. What is Trafalgar Surf Trip?
L. It’s a surf and yoga holiday business.
R. It’s the best surf school in the south of Spain.
Q. Where have you guys met?
L. At the same table that we’re doing the interview right now. Ramon was a woofer here at my mom’s farm. We’ve hung out together as friends for 6 months before actually going out. A lot of people thought we were brothers and sisters at that point. Now we’ve been together for almost two years.
R. When I was younger I travelled for 5 years in a row. When I finally came back to Switzerland I didn’t really feel comfortable at home anymore. So I decided to woof a bit in the south of Spain to see how things would go. It’s when you’re not looking for anything in particular that you find the best things.
Q. At what point were you enlightened with the idea of such a business?
L. When I came back from a year of traveling in Australia 4 years ago I started running the school with a friend who had actually started it until he decided to quit. I was then on my own for a year or two before Ramon came along. It wasn’t until last summer that we were both fully dedicated to running the surf school and that’s when we also decided to combine it with my parent’s bed and breakfast to turn it into a surf holiday.
Q. What do you like the most about your job?
L. Being in the water, being able to show people the area, hanging out with people and having a good time and transferring my passion for the sport.
R. Seeing how excited people get when they catch their first wave and working with the natural elements.
Ramon immersing soon-to-be surfers in their new lifestyle
Q. How would you describe the surfing community here on the Atlantic coast of Andalucía?
L. I think it has exploded in the last ten years. Surfers are not aggressive compared to other places where people go as far as hitting each other in the water (Australia). You feel comfortable in the water; the others never really make you feel like an outsider. The scene is really chilled out and the level is good.
R. Playa Fontanilla is a spot that has just recently been discovered. Every year you see new schools and new surf shops springing up. As in every other surf spots in the world, you’ll be fine if you follow the rules.
Q. When is the best time to surf here and what are the average surf conditions?
L. Autumn is nice. In October the first big swells are coming and the water is still quite warm. The biggest swells come in the winter but the water is rather cold. Spring is good too but less consistent. And the summer is good for kids and beginners because of the smaller swells.
Laura surfing the local spot, Playa Fontanilla
Q. What are you guys up to during low season?
L. Rock climbing, surfing for ourselves. Last winter I travelled to Costa Rica to get my yoga instructor certification. We also teach a kids group once a week all year long. Generally a bit more play and a bit less work.
R. Travelling, roadtrips, surfing in Portugal, taking care of the garden and the yard. This type of business is really seasonal. You work intensively for 3 months and nothing much happens for the rest of the year.
Laura - here pictured in Costa Rica
Laura - Still kicking it in Costa Rica
Q. For the benefit of the reader, can you recall an unforgettable event, either good or bad, that happened in the course of your work?
R. We taught how to surf to an English girl that came for a week of surf holiday. In the middle of the week we were having dinner and after a couple glasses of wine she admitted she didn’t know how to swim. We had been in the water with her for already a few days!
Q. Where do you guys see yourselves in 5 years?
L. It’s the big question at the moment isn’t it? Well… continue down the surfing school track for sure.
R. We would like our business to turn more into an eco-business with of course a lot of surf and yoga but also organic food, natural accommodations with green roofs, a natural pool. We would also like to offer all kinds of other outdoors activities like hiking and rock climbing.
ajn.
Lien vers leur site web officiel:
Trafalgar Surf Trip
Conditions de surf actuelles à la Playa Fontanilla:
Conil Surf Report
About …
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Au beau milieu d’un pèlerinage d’un an sur le vieux continent, Alex se retrouve chez une famille anglaise possédant un verger d’orangers et une école de surf en Andalousie dans le sud de l’Espagne. Il nous fait part ici de ses découvertes à travers une lentille de caméra et un carnet de voyage qui traite de surf, de chats, de yoga et de l’art de vivre en général. |
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