Today is our last real day in real France. Tomorrow we head for the airport in Paris. We had a great last night in Provance. Annie made another amazing meal and we left ealy in the morning to head towards Beaune.
we left Nyon and drove ten kilometers to a nearby town (Vaison la Romaine) to check out the market. The towns rotate their market days, but only some of the towns get the privilege of being market hosts. needless to say, the town was packed and parking was scarce. But Anthony managed to squeeze Bacchus (the van) into a little space and we hit the market for sime serious shopping. Prices are actually reasonable in the market and we got some nice things.
We also picked up some food for a picnic lunch at a rest stop on the three hour trip to Beaune. Beaune is in the heart of the Burgundy region, known for its fine cuisine and pinot grapes. we had a charming dinner last night and some terrific buckwheat crepes today, but wine, well, that is a different story...
This morning we tasted 15 wines from the region. here is the deal. we paid 10 euros for entrance (and a small tasting cup) and gained access to a cave of wines. every 10 feet was a barrel with a wine bottle and candle on it. since we were in the cellar of an old church, the candles were functuonal as well as beautiful. unfortunately, the wine quality didn't match the ambience. Of the 15 wines we tasted, we only thought one was tolerable. Have our taste buds been spoiled by Bordeaux wines? or did we just taste some amaxingly awful wines? the jury is still out on the wines in Burgundy....
with only one more day in France, we are sad to say that the weather is bad (cold and rainy), so we are enjoying cards and wine from Provance in our comfy room.
Our trip thru France has been awesome, and we are excited to share some photos with you. but we are also excited to go home, see our cats, and eat fewer carbs (Proclub, here we come!)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
a good day in provence
we left carcassonne in the rain and drove into Provence just as the sun came out.
Our first stop was a beach on the Mediterannean sea. it was a sleepy sunday morning, and it was quiet except for an unusual amount of jet ski activity. Later, we realized that this town was hosting the European jet ski finals that day, and all the locals were gathered on the pier to watch the racers zoom by. We enjoyed a cup of coffee while the town woke up, then we shopped a bit and hopped back into Bacchus (our nickname for our van).
Next, we stopped by the Pont du Gard, a huge Roman aquaduct. Quite impressive, those Romans. They really knew how to make things that last! This aquaduct has an arch that spans 80 feet of water. it was the largest arch and aquaduct ever built. and it is beautiful!
From there, we drove to Nyon, a small Provencal town in the shadow of the French alps, or at least the foothills. The Bowkers had booked us rooms at a B and B and it was a surprise. Imagine our delight when we arrived in a hidden garden and discovered a gorgeous French house. Anni and her husband call this place "une aulde maison" which literally means another home, or a home away from home. Their philosophy is one of generous hospitality, four star service and amenities, with all the comforts of home.
Our room has a king size bed with mesh netting over it and 15 foot ceilings. The bathroom has a huge tub and lovely olive oil shower gels and shampoos. Anni served us a four star dinner last night in her dining room. escargot with black risotto, foie gras, scallops or lamb or veal or white fish, assortments of cheeses, and pears boiled in red wine sauce. magnificent!
This morning we had breakfast on the patio and strolled through the small town. It is Monday, so many shops are closed, but we found some beautiful table linens.
We also managed to find a Lavendar distillery where they make lavendar oils. we bought some oils and soaps, and also visited the local aroma garden. essential oils and herbs are a big deal here, and the local park is dedicated to growing herbs like thyme, sage, mint, and of course lavendar. it was fun to walk around with Stacy and hear what the herbs are used for.
now we are sitting on the deck by the pool, enjoying some sparkling wine from Vouvray and chocolates. yum. we will have dinner here again tonight and enjoy our last night in Provence. This place really is magical.
Our first stop was a beach on the Mediterannean sea. it was a sleepy sunday morning, and it was quiet except for an unusual amount of jet ski activity. Later, we realized that this town was hosting the European jet ski finals that day, and all the locals were gathered on the pier to watch the racers zoom by. We enjoyed a cup of coffee while the town woke up, then we shopped a bit and hopped back into Bacchus (our nickname for our van).
Next, we stopped by the Pont du Gard, a huge Roman aquaduct. Quite impressive, those Romans. They really knew how to make things that last! This aquaduct has an arch that spans 80 feet of water. it was the largest arch and aquaduct ever built. and it is beautiful!
From there, we drove to Nyon, a small Provencal town in the shadow of the French alps, or at least the foothills. The Bowkers had booked us rooms at a B and B and it was a surprise. Imagine our delight when we arrived in a hidden garden and discovered a gorgeous French house. Anni and her husband call this place "une aulde maison" which literally means another home, or a home away from home. Their philosophy is one of generous hospitality, four star service and amenities, with all the comforts of home.
Our room has a king size bed with mesh netting over it and 15 foot ceilings. The bathroom has a huge tub and lovely olive oil shower gels and shampoos. Anni served us a four star dinner last night in her dining room. escargot with black risotto, foie gras, scallops or lamb or veal or white fish, assortments of cheeses, and pears boiled in red wine sauce. magnificent!
This morning we had breakfast on the patio and strolled through the small town. It is Monday, so many shops are closed, but we found some beautiful table linens.
We also managed to find a Lavendar distillery where they make lavendar oils. we bought some oils and soaps, and also visited the local aroma garden. essential oils and herbs are a big deal here, and the local park is dedicated to growing herbs like thyme, sage, mint, and of course lavendar. it was fun to walk around with Stacy and hear what the herbs are used for.
now we are sitting on the deck by the pool, enjoying some sparkling wine from Vouvray and chocolates. yum. we will have dinner here again tonight and enjoy our last night in Provence. This place really is magical.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
carcassonne
we stayed last night in the medieval walled city of carcasonne. they old town (la cite) is an excellent example of a medieval stronghold, with a moat, crennellations, barbicans, huge gates, and three walls. the interior fortess was Nottingham castle in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. if you have seen the movie, you have seen most of Carcassonne.
despite the rain and general dreariness of the evening, we had a nice cozy meal of beef and duck stew, a local specialty. to be honest, Carcassonne was a bit of a disappointment. although the medieval influence is strong here, and tourism is its only industry, we found it a bit tacky, and in general, odd. there are a lot of "spiritual" shops full of magic crystals and buddhas. the church has beeb decommissioned by the catholic church because it lacked a congregation and they moved the diocese to the new town. the only museums we saw were about the inquisition or medieval torture.....we are happy to be leaving this place.
the town may have been creepy, but our hotel was gorgeous, and had a huge bath tub, which helped ease the coldness of the rain.
today is our first wedding anniversary, and we will hopefully get to dip our toes in the mediteranean sea on our way to Provence. anthony and stacy have booked us a place for the night, and keep telling us that we'll be camping in tents. i am sure we'll have a great time ;-)
jason brought a beautiful watch for me from a cute shop in crossroads as an anniversary present. he also wrote up some great "coupons" for future use to cover the traditional gift of paper for the first anniversary. i am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. especially since i seem to have forgotten his card at home, and my plan of buying him a cool medieval map or book has turned out to be more difficult than I expected. sigh. so we are on the lookout today for something special...and hopefully in english!
I love my husband!
despite the rain and general dreariness of the evening, we had a nice cozy meal of beef and duck stew, a local specialty. to be honest, Carcassonne was a bit of a disappointment. although the medieval influence is strong here, and tourism is its only industry, we found it a bit tacky, and in general, odd. there are a lot of "spiritual" shops full of magic crystals and buddhas. the church has beeb decommissioned by the catholic church because it lacked a congregation and they moved the diocese to the new town. the only museums we saw were about the inquisition or medieval torture.....we are happy to be leaving this place.
the town may have been creepy, but our hotel was gorgeous, and had a huge bath tub, which helped ease the coldness of the rain.
today is our first wedding anniversary, and we will hopefully get to dip our toes in the mediteranean sea on our way to Provence. anthony and stacy have booked us a place for the night, and keep telling us that we'll be camping in tents. i am sure we'll have a great time ;-)
jason brought a beautiful watch for me from a cute shop in crossroads as an anniversary present. he also wrote up some great "coupons" for future use to cover the traditional gift of paper for the first anniversary. i am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. especially since i seem to have forgotten his card at home, and my plan of buying him a cool medieval map or book has turned out to be more difficult than I expected. sigh. so we are on the lookout today for something special...and hopefully in english!
I love my husband!
carcassonne
we stayed last night in the medieval walled city of carcasonne. they old town (la cite) is an excellent example of a medieval stronghold, with a moat, crennellations, barbicans, huge gates, and three walls. the interior fortess was Nottingham castle in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. if you have seen the movie, you have seen most of Carcassonne.
despite the rain and general dreariness of the evening, we had a nice cozy meal of beef and duck stew, a local specialty. to be honest, Carcassonne was a bit of a disappointment. although the medieval influence is strong here, and tourism is its only industry, we found it a bit tacky, and in general, odd. there are a lot of "spiritual" shops full of magic crystals and buddhas. the church has beeb decommissioned by the catholic church because it lacked a congregation and they moved the diocese to the new town. the only museums we saw were about the inquisition or medieval torture.....we are happy to be leaving this place.
the town may have been creepy, but our hotel was gorgeous, and had a huge bath tub, which helped ease the coldness of the rain.
today is our first wedding anniversary, and we will hopefully get to dip our toes in the mediteranean sea on our way to Provence. anthony and stacy have booked us a place for the night, and keep telling us that we'll be camping in tents. i am sure we'll have a great time ;-)
jason brought a beautiful watch for me from a cute shop in crossroads as an anniversary present. he also wrote up some great "coupons" for future use to cover the traditional gift of paper for the first anniversary. i am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. especially since i seem to have forgotten his card at home, and my plan of buying him a cool medieval map or book has turned out to be more difficult than I expected. sigh. so we are on the lookout today for something special...and hopefully in english!
I love my husband!
despite the rain and general dreariness of the evening, we had a nice cozy meal of beef and duck stew, a local specialty. to be honest, Carcassonne was a bit of a disappointment. although the medieval influence is strong here, and tourism is its only industry, we found it a bit tacky, and in general, odd. there are a lot of "spiritual" shops full of magic crystals and buddhas. the church has beeb decommissioned by the catholic church because it lacked a congregation and they moved the diocese to the new town. the only museums we saw were about the inquisition or medieval torture.....we are happy to be leaving this place.
the town may have been creepy, but our hotel was gorgeous, and had a huge bath tub, which helped ease the coldness of the rain.
today is our first wedding anniversary, and we will hopefully get to dip our toes in the mediteranean sea on our way to Provence. anthony and stacy have booked us a place for the night, and keep telling us that we'll be camping in tents. i am sure we'll have a great time ;-)
jason brought a beautiful watch for me from a cute shop in crossroads as an anniversary present. he also wrote up some great "coupons" for future use to cover the traditional gift of paper for the first anniversary. i am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. especially since i seem to have forgotten his card at home, and my plan of buying him a cool medieval map or book has turned out to be more difficult than I expected. sigh. so we are on the lookout today for something special...and hopefully in english!
I love my husband!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
bordeaux wine tour
Yesterday was our much-anticipaed wine tour. Axel, a German immigrant who speaks impeccable english (sounds like a brit) picked us up in a shiny gray VW van. He moved to bordeaux 7 years ago to be part of the wine industry. he participated in the harvest three years. Harvesting is a big work party. Because there are so many regulations here, they do most of the work by hand, and each vineyard needs about 200 seasonal workers to bring in the harvest. here is why...
Napolean hosted a world's fair in France, and he wanted a classification system for the best wines. At the time, only bordeaux region was making great wine. So he gathered some wine pros to grade the chateaux on quality, history, and heritage. they came up with 5 levels, grand cru premier being the best. Only four got grand cru premiere level, and about 14 chateaux in every other level. so if you see grand cru class premier on a bordeaux bottle, you know it was the best (in Napolean's time).
In order to keep that classifications, the chateaux must do everything exactly as they did in Napoleans time, which means hand pruning and harvesting, but the prestige is worth it to them
We visited Mouton Rothschild, originally a grand deaux (2nd level) who convinced the AOC to bump them up to grand cru. This is the ONLY addition or change ever made to the classification system, and their motto is "once we were second, first we are, Mouton does not change." and they are serious about not changing! its interesting to be in a place that puts so much emphasis on history and high class...everything. a bottle here is around 600euros.
Intestingly, the chateax we visited all gave us young wines - wines from the 2006 harvest which are still aging in the barrels. This is called a barrel tasting. The wines are very potent and you can distinguish the flavors but no balance to the wine. lots of tanins still, which dry out your mouth. These wines will age in barrels for two years, and then they say you should wait 5-20 years to drink them (depending on the peak).
Just because a wine doesn't have a grand cru label doesnt mean its bad. Our guide took us to a shop that ships to the US, and helped us pick out some wines - some to drink now, and some to "lay down" as they say.
Napolean hosted a world's fair in France, and he wanted a classification system for the best wines. At the time, only bordeaux region was making great wine. So he gathered some wine pros to grade the chateaux on quality, history, and heritage. they came up with 5 levels, grand cru premier being the best. Only four got grand cru premiere level, and about 14 chateaux in every other level. so if you see grand cru class premier on a bordeaux bottle, you know it was the best (in Napolean's time).
In order to keep that classifications, the chateaux must do everything exactly as they did in Napoleans time, which means hand pruning and harvesting, but the prestige is worth it to them
We visited Mouton Rothschild, originally a grand deaux (2nd level) who convinced the AOC to bump them up to grand cru. This is the ONLY addition or change ever made to the classification system, and their motto is "once we were second, first we are, Mouton does not change." and they are serious about not changing! its interesting to be in a place that puts so much emphasis on history and high class...everything. a bottle here is around 600euros.
Intestingly, the chateax we visited all gave us young wines - wines from the 2006 harvest which are still aging in the barrels. This is called a barrel tasting. The wines are very potent and you can distinguish the flavors but no balance to the wine. lots of tanins still, which dry out your mouth. These wines will age in barrels for two years, and then they say you should wait 5-20 years to drink them (depending on the peak).
Just because a wine doesn't have a grand cru label doesnt mean its bad. Our guide took us to a shop that ships to the US, and helped us pick out some wines - some to drink now, and some to "lay down" as they say.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
gastronomie
we ate at a local restarant last night. our reservation was at 8pm, and we didn't get back to our hotel until 12:30. now i underdtand the reputatipon of french food, and i have to agree that the french chefs have earned their bragging rights.
it was seven course meal, which began with a chef's sampling of tonight's flavors: avacado on a cracher, a small bite of boiled carrots, chevre, and a cold tomatoe soup. everything was litterally bite sized. next came stewed tomato, anchovies in a creamy sauce with lemon, bread cracker with a salsa of eggplants, tomatoe, and parmesan served with a cocktail glass of cold pureed beets. then we had muchroom ravioli and foie gras. next was mussels with green apples and tomatoes, then lamb samosa with fig chutney. then came dessert...pistachio ice cream with dark chocolate, and a mango sorbet with a merengue and black current sauce, pureed rhubarb delight with macaroons and a wafer cookie. words cant do justice to this meal - it was a work of art!
all of it was paired with local wines, mostly sparkling whites and roses. our waiter was impeccably dressed and attentive, but had his hands full, as every table was taken. what a great experience! i never expected to like duck liver and ground beets, but there wasn't a single thing that wasn't absolutely impressive. we love french food! an explosion of flavor in every bite!
today we're off to Cognac and then bordeaux region. jason is excited to tour the Hennessey distillery.
a special bonjour to Colby today. i'm pretty sure you did see us on the eiffel tower with Dora. i was the one clinging to the wall in fear and trembling. and did you know that Dora is popular in France, too? we see her picture eveywhere! you should definitely come visit her in France someday!
it was seven course meal, which began with a chef's sampling of tonight's flavors: avacado on a cracher, a small bite of boiled carrots, chevre, and a cold tomatoe soup. everything was litterally bite sized. next came stewed tomato, anchovies in a creamy sauce with lemon, bread cracker with a salsa of eggplants, tomatoe, and parmesan served with a cocktail glass of cold pureed beets. then we had muchroom ravioli and foie gras. next was mussels with green apples and tomatoes, then lamb samosa with fig chutney. then came dessert...pistachio ice cream with dark chocolate, and a mango sorbet with a merengue and black current sauce, pureed rhubarb delight with macaroons and a wafer cookie. words cant do justice to this meal - it was a work of art!
all of it was paired with local wines, mostly sparkling whites and roses. our waiter was impeccably dressed and attentive, but had his hands full, as every table was taken. what a great experience! i never expected to like duck liver and ground beets, but there wasn't a single thing that wasn't absolutely impressive. we love french food! an explosion of flavor in every bite!
today we're off to Cognac and then bordeaux region. jason is excited to tour the Hennessey distillery.
a special bonjour to Colby today. i'm pretty sure you did see us on the eiffel tower with Dora. i was the one clinging to the wall in fear and trembling. and did you know that Dora is popular in France, too? we see her picture eveywhere! you should definitely come visit her in France someday!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Leonardo in Amboise
This morning we toured the retirement home of Leonardo da Vinci. He left Rome at the age of 64 and took a job as the chief architect/engineer/artist for Francios 1. Francois liked him so much that he gave him a house, called Clos Luce, with an underground tunnel connected to the king's chateau so he could visit whenever he wanted.
The house is now a museum dedicated to da Vinci's life and amazing ideas. Inside, they have miniature replicas of some of his ideas. Da Vinci thought of things that are part of our everyday life, but were amazingly ahead of his time - like transmission gears, an odometer, paddle boats, a rotating bridge (to allow boats through) and of course, a flying machine. Many of his ideas work today just as he drew them, but he lacked sufficient power sources to make them in his day. Imagine what he would do with the technology available now....
There is a park outside the chateau that has some life-sized examples of his ideas. Our favorite was the Archimedes screw, which uses a large screw in a tube to draw up water. There was a catapult, and armored tank (no kidding!), moving bridges, paddle boats, and water wheels. We had a great time experimenting with these giant toys.
This afternoon, we are of to do some wine tasting in Vouvray. The Loire valley is mostly known for it's white wines and roses, and so far we've really enjoyed the crisp, dry flavors. We're hoping for some good cheese pairings to go with them.
The guys are off making reservations for dinner tonight at a local restaurant that is supposed to be where the locals go for a nice meal. It's our first "formal" dinner, although people usually dress up here for most things, so formal is a bit misleading. We are always the most casual people in the room, but that's just part of being American.
All for now.....
The house is now a museum dedicated to da Vinci's life and amazing ideas. Inside, they have miniature replicas of some of his ideas. Da Vinci thought of things that are part of our everyday life, but were amazingly ahead of his time - like transmission gears, an odometer, paddle boats, a rotating bridge (to allow boats through) and of course, a flying machine. Many of his ideas work today just as he drew them, but he lacked sufficient power sources to make them in his day. Imagine what he would do with the technology available now....
There is a park outside the chateau that has some life-sized examples of his ideas. Our favorite was the Archimedes screw, which uses a large screw in a tube to draw up water. There was a catapult, and armored tank (no kidding!), moving bridges, paddle boats, and water wheels. We had a great time experimenting with these giant toys.
This afternoon, we are of to do some wine tasting in Vouvray. The Loire valley is mostly known for it's white wines and roses, and so far we've really enjoyed the crisp, dry flavors. We're hoping for some good cheese pairings to go with them.
The guys are off making reservations for dinner tonight at a local restaurant that is supposed to be where the locals go for a nice meal. It's our first "formal" dinner, although people usually dress up here for most things, so formal is a bit misleading. We are always the most casual people in the room, but that's just part of being American.
All for now.....
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