EATING OUR WAY ACROSS FRANCE

FOOD

Eating here in France is necessary to survive, but it is also an adventure. The downside, if there is one, is that we eat too much.

BREAKFAST

At our B&B's an ample breakfast is served with an over abundant amount of bread, which is usually fresh and many times hot out of the oven. It tastes so good, you tend to overeat. Then comes coffee, juice, jams, honey, different types of cereal, fruit, yogurt, cheese and at times some kind of cold cuts. Now if your disciplined you eat a little of one thing or another, but we haven't been disciplined yet. You just gotta try everything. So after a long and slow breakfast, we push back from the table and head out for the day.

LUNCH

We usually eat lunch around 1:30 in the afternoon. This is partly because most restaurants in France close around 2 pm and don't open again until dinner time, which here is around 7 pm. But the main reason we eat lunch when we do is because we're too full from breakfast to eat any sooner. On most days we try to make lunch our main meal of the day. So with our French menu decoder in hand we start looking at menus for something we can understand. All French restaurants post their "carte" outside along with the "plat du jour" or the dish of the day. The daily offering is usually the best option for the price. Normally comes with a starter, like a salad or soup, a main dish, and desert or cheese plate. Drinks are usually extra. Food here is expensive, but the wine is cheap. A 1/4 liter of wine, about two glasses, goes for 3 to 4 dollars. Soft drinks are expensive, around $5, so in an effort to watch the budget, we drink wine.

Making a selection from the carte is the fun part. Sometimes you just don't know what you're getting, like the anchovies Cathie got in a salad once. We look around to see what others are eating and sometimes just point and order what looks good. With the exception of the anchovies, we really haven't had a bad experience and most times the food is excellent and delicious.

Meals here last a long time. No one is in a hurry to get you to pay the bill and move on. If you get a table for a meal, it is yours the rest of the meal time and usually no one will present you with a bill until you ask for it. You go slow and enjoy both the food and the company. We had a five course dinner the other night and the meal lasted 2-1/2 hours.

DINNER

If we do go out to dinner, we just have a snack for lunch, like a cheese plate with some wine. Our normal routine is to buy items from the grocery store and have a picnic in our room. Some B&B's have a small kitchen for our use, and we might have a bowl of instant soup and of course, wine. If we do got out to dinner it's normally another large slow meal.

Ok, you ask, so what have we been eating, beside drink the wine. Here are some examples:

Besides making new friends, Cathie likes here salads, cut out of the picture here. Most salads here are huge if ordered by themselves. They come with almost anything in them, from the usual to potatoes, bacon, ham, the dreaded anchovy, walnuts and cheese. One that is really good comes with goat cheese melted on small pieces of toast. In most tourist areas, salads like these go from $10 to $16. Get off the beaten track, and the food gets cheaper.

This is a typical carte board showing the special of the day. This one was off the beaten track, so not too expensive. The plate of the day is beef for 8 euors or about $10. For the menu of the day, you get the salad, the plate and dessert for 11 euros, or about $13, a pretty good deal.

Cheese plate with wine and beer from a local bar. Usually enough to hold you over between breakfast and dinner. We stopped one day at a local bar/truck stop for a light lunch. Cathie had soup and beer, I had wine and we split a huge cheese plate. We couldn't eat all the cheese. Anyway, it was 11 euros, the going price where the locals eat.

A word about cheese. I guess you can see we're eating a lot of it, something we never do at home. That's because the cheese here actually tastes good and there is a lot of variety.

Dinners our a usually something special, a feast and expensive. Here's what Cathie ordered in Provence. It's duck breast with potatoes and an olive relish. Besides the main plate came as salad, cheese plate and dessert, not to mention the ever present wine.


I had the rabbit, yes the rabbit, stuffed with olives. The selection on the carte translated to English as, Larded Back Rabbit, which meant it was wrapped in bacon. Really good!

MY DESSERT

On another occasion this was my appatizer, a foie gras pate, a speciality in the Dordogne reigon of France. If you haven't tried it, don't knock it.



For the main course, Quail!

Now with all that, we better warm up the treadmill when we get home.

CARCASSONNE AND THE DORDOGNE

Our last day in Provence was May 8th a national holiday in France. They celebrate the end of WWII and every village, town and city, no matter what size, honor their fallen with a ceremony. It usually involves a band with the local officials making a speech and laying flowers at the war memorial that each community has. We were in small villages with less that 100 people and each had a memorial statute honoring the dead from both WWI and II.

V.E. DAY CELEBRATION

While driving along we came upon this celebration in a small town, which the name I do not remember. Each organization would lay flowers at the monument and then the children would lay their flowers, after which the French National Anthem was played.

You can see by the umbrellas, that it's raining, something that's been occurring more often than not.

We next headed to Carcassone, primarily to see the walled city there. On our way to our B&B we crossed the Canal Du Midi and observed this American Flagged canal boat. It is a popular vacation in these parts to rent a boat and cruise the canal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki.canal_du_midi

While visiting Carcassonne we stayed a a very nice B&B in Cabrespine, a very small village in the local mountains. We were greeted by Elizabeth, who speaks very little English. With our hand jesters and the use of a French/English dictionary we were able to communicate enough to learn about here home. The house, which is three stories has been in her husbands family since 1850. In more recent times it was used as their vacation home, but 5 years ago Elizabeth and her husband moved into the 3rd floor and converted the 2nd floor into individual rooms for the B&B. Breakfast was on the 1st floor where there was a very nice living room to relax in. The rooms were filled with antiques and old photos of the family. It was interesting to see a family photo taken in the late 1800's in front of the house, which looked the same today as it did then.

http://www.olivette-cabrespine.com/

OUR ROOM AT L'OLIVETTE

We visited Carcassonne which is a walled medieval city on a hill overlooking the new city below. The wall is 3 km around and encircles the chateau and the city. The site of the city on the hilltop is very impressive with it's guard towers and high walls. The city part of the interior is less impressive as it is full of shops selling basically junk and restaurants with over priced food. Plastic swords, miniature knights, and the same kind of crap you see at just about any tourist site in the states. OK for the kids, but boring for us. The tour of the chateau was OK, but the interior was devoid of furniture of the era.

Afterwards we went to the new city down below (old by our standard) and wandered the narrow streets. Much more interesting,

THE WALLED CITY

LE RELAIS DU PECH

We next moved on to the Dordogne, a region in France filled with hilltop chateaus overlooking the Dordogne River Valley. The area is a lush green and famous for it's caverns, both geological and prehistoric, the latter with cave paintings dating back thousands of years. We are at a B&B owned by Ken and Linda, who after retiring in England, relocated here in the village of Carlux. It's nice to speak to someone who has a good grasp of the English language, but they do sound funny with that accent and all. It turns out Ken retired at about the same time I did and from the same profession. They are both a wealth of information about the area and very friendly. They can accommodate 7 people in their three rooms and have plans to expand their business with a Gite, an apartment for longer term rentals. I keep forgetting to ask for the translation of the name of their establishment, but when I find out, I'll let you know.

We're still having problems with the weather, but as with everyone we meet, Ken and Linda also tell us we should have been here yesterday.

VIEW OF THE DORDOGNE VALLEY

It may be hard to tell in this photograph, but there are three chateaus on the right side of the river. Around every bend there appears another, some very large, others smaller, but all a sight to see.

THE CHATEAU AT BEYNAC-ET-CAZENAC

After a great lunch and after the rain stopped we climbed the cobblestone streets to the chateau. We did not take the tour, as there are just too many chateau tours in the area. The view from the top overlooked the valley and the river below.

CHATEAU AT LA ROQUE-GAGEAC

The is one of the many chateau that are occupied by the owners and not open to the public.

SOME PHOTOS

DOWNTOWN VENASQUE

CLOCK TOWER IN ROUSSILLON

STATUE

SAINT REMY STREET

WHICH WAY TO GO?

BONNIEUX

JUST ANOTHER HILLTOP VILLAGE

CASTLE GATE IN ANSOUIS

Since I take the pictures, you will see many of Cathie and none of me.

GORDES MARKET IN THE RAIN

MATCHING COLORS

MAKING NEW FRIENDS

ON TO PROVENCE

We leave Cons-Sanite Columbine and head south towards Provence. We have 330 km (200 miles) to travel and we stick to the secondary roads. The freeways here in France are excellent, but expensive to use. We don't mind traveling slow and it allows us to see more of the country. It's slow going navigating the towns and villages the route takes us through. To assist us in finding our way, Alice is with us. Over here she has a English accent and has the assistance of a young French woman who tells us the names of the roads and streets to follow. Alice says, "take the second exit at the roundabout" and then this French woman tells us the name of the road in French. Since I figure together they know more about the roads here than I do, I argue with them less. Anyway I would loose any argument because I am out number 2 to 1.

After about 7 hours we arrive at Venasque, a small hilltop village in the Vaucluse region of Provence, our home for the next six nights.

VENASQUE

You climb the narrow road as it twists and turns up into the village. The road is two way with only enough room for one car at a time.

We enter the village. We are used to signs telling us the height, but here they also tell us the width. So we must do a quick conversion. The height is 9'10", for us not a concern, but the width is 9'2". This would be OK if the streets were one way, but there are not.

LE MAS DU KAIROS

This is our B&B which is run by Josy and Charles Saulnier. We are upstairs, the two windows on the left with the blue shutters. There are other guests here also. Each morning we have breakfast with Mark and his family. He is a businessman from Paris and appears to be in his late 50's. With him is his young wife from Thailand and their two small boys. He is here to oversee the renovation of a vacation home he recently purchased. He has been here for about a month and he tells me that he has no idea when they go home. He says tradesmen the the south of France tell you they can do the job at hand, but then you have to stay on top of them to get them to finish the job. He has been a wealth of information for us, providing ideas on places to go and things to do in the area. He warns us not to leave anything, and he means anything in the car when we are out. He tells us the Arabs have taken over the south and crime is on the rise.

VENASQUE TOWN SQUARE

It's been cold and raining for most of our stay in Provence. Just like we tell visitors in San Diego when it's cloudy in May, we are told we should have been here last week. The weather is unusual for here and has made the news. It hasn't stopped us from exploring though.

SENEANQUE ABBEY

Everyone who visits this area as least drives by the Seneaque Abbey. You may have seen photos of this abbey with the lavender fields around it. Of course we pick a time when the lavender is not in bloom so it looks somewhat plain. We did how ever on the urging of Mark, attend a mass in the chapel. The mass is conducted by the monks and is attended by whomever wants to go. The impressive part of the mass is when the monks sing or chant. The acoustics in the chapel are amazing. There were only 7 monks singing at the mass, but it sounded like 50. It was really something to hear.

www.senanque.fr

ROUSSILLON

GORDES

Both Gordes and Roussillon are hilltop, or perched villages close to where we are staying. They are very touristy but still worth a visit. We went to Gordes in the morning for the town market but in the pouring rain it wasn't a very pleasant experience. The photo was taken later in the day when the sky cleared. It is really a sight to behold from a distance, and when not raining, a great village to explore with it's narrow winding streets. Roussillon nearby is again on a hilltop, but quite different because its buildings are tinted with ochre, mineral in the soil on which the village sits.

PONT DU GARD

A well preserved Roman aqueduct built in 50 AD. Quite impressive as it spans the river. The site was crowded with school children. We also paid a visit to a Roman Coliseum in Nimes. We were told this arena is the best preserved in the world. They us the arena today for bullfights and concerts. Stevie Wonder will preform next month.

Each day takes us to different locations in this area of Provence, where we explore towns and villages. We also explore menus of the local restaurants. Sometimes it is a guessing game as to what's on the menu. We eat our main meal at midday and it is always adventure trying to figure out what is being offered. We are trying to be adventurous in our selection but at times you stick to what you know. Cathie as an example ordered red and green bell pepper salad with olives and tomatoes. Everything was going according to plan until she discovered, too late I might add, that the salad also contained anchovies. But, hey, it's not called Gassaways Adventures for nothing.

BREAKFAST ON THE TERRACE

The morning greeted us with bright sunshine and clear skies. We were served our breakfast on the terrace with the view of the Alps that surround us. One usually thinks of a French breakfast as small, but at most B&B's this is not the case. Although there are no eggs and bacon, there is plenty to eat. Orange juice, milk, coffee drank the French way from a bowl, assorted cereals and granolas, cheese, yogurt, fresh French bread with thick crust and soft hot interior, butter, honey, and four kinds of jams.

With Caralies's husband Laurent off to work and her three daughters off to school, she tells us about things to do and see in the area. She says that rain is expected tomorrow, so she suggest we go to Chamonix Mont-Blanc, the winter resort at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the Alps tallest mountain, while the weather was still good. We take her advice and drive the 60 km to the resort. A portion of the main road is closed for some reason unknown to us, so we must take the signed detour. This puts us on narrow mountain roads which greatly enhanced the scenery and the danger. Very large semi-trucks must use the detour also and on many hairpin turns they use the entire road. Now that I'm writing this and we are alive, I can say it was great fun.

After the 2 hours drive, we arrive in Chamonix Mont-Blanc. There are several options for cable cars and trams up the mountain. There is no way to ride to the summit, but you can get close on a tramway. The tourist office tells us the highest tramway is open, but the top is covered with clouds, so we opt for a cog wheel tram to Mer de Glace, one of the glaciers on the mountain. We buy our tickets and climb aboard. After a 25 minute ride, we arrive at a station overlooking the glacier in the valley below.

Next we board a cable tramway for a ride halfway down to the glacier. The rest of the way you walk down a series of catwalks and stairs to the glacier. Once there, you can walk through the Grotte de Glace, a man made ice cave into the glacier. Because the glacier is slowing moving, each winter a new Grotte de Glace is carved out of the ice for the season. After a cold walk through the glacier, we warm back up by climbing the catwalks and 350 steps, yes count them, 350, to the tramway. We have a leisurely late lunch in Chamonix before returning to our B&B via the same detour as before. We Survived!

A note about driving in France. As a tourist, we tend to drive slow and make sudden turns. The French, whom most seem to drive above the speed limit and who secretly want to be race car drivers, especially on twisty mountain roads, consider my ability to drive with distain. It goes something like this. I going along at my tourist pace when a car approaches from behind.

When they arrive at my bumpers, they use my vehicle to "draft" for a while and to see if I'm going to speed up or get out of the way. They are so close I can see the driver in my rear view mirror mouthing the words, idiot and stupide, two french words I learned on our last trip. Once they know I'm not getting out of their way by driving off the cliff, they pass. It doesn't seem to matter to them that there is a curve or cars coming in the opposite direction, as one must arrive first. It was great fun.

The next day May 1st and a holiday in France. We went to Annecy and walked the promenade beside the lake and into the old part of the city which was crowded with locals enjoying the holiday with their families. Restaurants were doing a booming business, so we picked a busy crowded one thinking the food would be good. We were right. We each had the plat du jour, which consisted of salad, lasagna, and dessert. Cathie had beer and I had too much wine. Cathie did the driving after that. Museums and the tourist sites are closed because of the holiday, which was fine. We just walked around the old town for a couple of hours

The next day we awake to rain. After a slow breakfast, we headed out about 1 pm for the ATM and bakery. We stock up on cash and bread and then it's off to Chateau de Menthon Saint-Bernard. By the name of the Chateau, you might guess it has something to do with the Saint Bernard dog and it does. The Chateau has been inhabited since the 12th century and is the birthplace of Saint Bernard the patron saint of mountaineers. Saint Bernard de Menthon (1008-1081) was the founder of the hospices which bear his name and are widely known for his famous rescue dogs. The Menthon family still owns the Chateau and lives on the grounds in a modern house. More recently, Francois de Menthon (1900-1984), father of the current owner, was one of the founders of the French Resistance during WW-II and was a minister and prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trails at the end of the war.



For our last night at Les Columbines, we had dinner with our hosts. Coralie prepared dishes from the region which included leak soup, la tartiflette, a main dish made with potatoes, herbs, cheese and a cream sauce, thinly sliced ham, salad and cake. All of it was delicious and came with French wine. For all you wine snobs out there, the French also buy, "wine in a box". We had an enjoyable evening with our hosts and couldn't have asked for more.

OUR HOSTS THE MARLIER FAMILY

LAURENT, CORALIE, JULIE, CAPUCINE, AND ANAIS

HEADING ACROSS THE POND

YOU'D LOOK FUZZY TOO AT 5AM

BUT WE'RE OFF

After a long boring plane ride from San Diego to Geneva via Washington DC We arrived in France the next day about 8 am. Because the Airport is on the border with France, we exited onto French territory. We gathered our luggage luggage which arrived in tact and the same plane and headed for the ATM For Some euros. The machine kept refusing to give me money, so we decided to get some later. We then met with the representative from Peugeot who had me sign a couple of documents for the registration and insurance for our new car. He made sure I understood the car ran on diesel and handed me the keys. In about 5 minutes the formalities were over and we were off.

The cheapest place in France to buy gas is at the supermarket. All are self serve and many have no attendants. You pay at the pump with a credit card. European card have a chip rather than a strip which the computer reads. Some card readers read both, some can not. Of course my card did not work. First no money, and now no diesel. We finally found a regular gas station with an employee and filled her up. It was then that I discovered I had been using my credit card instead of the debt card at the ATM card and the dept card at the gas pump, which just does not work here. So much for no sleep in 24 hours. We stopped at a nearby bank and filled up with euros and headed out again.

We drove around the end of Switzerland not wanting to pay 40 euros or about $53 for a pass which allows you to drive on their freeway system. It did not seem like a good deal for a 15 mile short cut. We remained in France and we drove to the area around Annecy before stopping for lunch. Since we could not arrived at our B & B until mid afternoon, we drove around Lake Annecy enjoying the sights. After a stop at a grocery store for supplies, wine, cheese and bread, We arrived at Les Columbines, in the little village of Cons-Sainte-Colombe our home for the next 4 nights.

We were greeted by our hostess, Coralie Marlier, who showed us to our simple but comfortable room. Having been up for 30 hours, we were hardly able to function. Cathie took a nap while I explored the village on foot. The village is situated on a hillside overlooking the valley with the snow capped Alps towering overhead. The village is just about all residential, with the exception of the church, town hall, a butcher and cheese maker. The latter two operate out of their homes.

After a picnic dinner on our terrace, with a view of the high peaks above, we headed off to bed about 8 pm, not being able to keep our eyes open any longer.

OUR B&B FOR THE NEXT 4 NIGHTS

A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS

Here we go again, only this time we’re traveling a little further. With fond memories of our 2006 trip to Europe, we’re heading across the pond for 6 weeks of exploring France, Germany and Austria. The last several days have been worrisome with the volcano closing down all flights to Europe, but it looks like we’re going to make it.

We leave in one week on the 28th for Geneva, where we will walk out of the airport into France. We have leased a new Peugeot which should be waiting for us upon our arrival. Here’s a link to the lease program. http://www.peugeot-openeurope.com/html/en/home/home.aspx On our last trip to Europe, we stayed exclusively in Bed and Breakfasts and we are doing so again.

For me part of the fun of travel is the planning. I’ve been planned this trip for two years now, having cancelled last year due to a terrible exchange rate. It’s somewhat better now and I’m hoping it will stay that way. Our trip looks something like this:

Four nights, south of Geneva near Annecy, France in a small village at the foot of the Alps. http://annecy.lescolombines.free.fr/ When I contacted the owner this B&B, she e-mailed me that it was very rare to have Americans stay in her home. Sounded like my kind of place, so it will be our first stop.

From there it’s south to Provence for six nights at this B&B in a small hilltop village. Here the owner in the last part of her driving directions said, “turn right on the dirt track”. Again my kind of place. http://www.masdukairos.com/site%20gb/index.htm

Then it’s southwest to Carcassonne, France, an old walled city, for a couple of days. Turning north, we will stay five nights in the Dordogne Region of France at a B&B owned by an English couple. http://www.lerelaisdupech.com/index.html.

That’s the last place with reservations, so after that the road may take us just about anywhere. We will spend some time on the Rhine River in Germany, then onto Bavaria and Austria. When heading back across Germany we intend on stopping in Munich for a few days before ending up in the Black Forest to stay a few days with Hans and Silke, our new found German friends.

Last year friends asked us for our advice for their upcoming trip to Europe. When asked if they should take a laptop with them, I told them not to bother. Who wants to carry around the extra weight? Upon their return, they told me it was the worst advice I could give, as a computer would have been beneficial for making reservations and researching the area one is visiting. With that in mind, I went out and purchased a Net Book, or mini-computer, which only weights about 2 pounds. With any luck, I’ll have internet access on occasion and will be updating the blog on this our latest adventure.

CAMPING WITH NEW AND OLD FRIENDS

It’s been awhile since I last posted, but things have been pretty slow around here. We did manage to go to Quartzite in January for a few days and this past week we spent 4 days in Borrego with friends. If you are a regular reader of “Gassaway’s Adventures” you may recall that in Utah last year we met Hans and his son Frank in Bluff. Hans had shipped his motor home from Germany to the States and spent around 5 months traveling the U.S. When he returned to Germany, he left his motor home in storage at our friends Gary and Diane’s house, with plans to return in the spring.

Hans and his girlfriend, Silke, arrived from Germany this past week and after a resupply of their motor home, took us up on our invitation to go camping in Borrego. Joined by Gary and Diane, we camped at Arroyo Salado a primitive camp in the Borrego Badlands. We took great pleasure in showing them our local desert, which because of the recent rains was the greenest we’ve seen it in years. The wildflowers are in bloom with the peak expected in the next several weeks. We visited 17 Palms Oasis, the Pumpkin Patch, Split Mountain, Fish Creek, Sandstone Canyon and took a hike up Palm Canyon. Evenings were spent around the campfire, learning about life in Germany, not to mention a little bit of German. Both Hans and Silke speak excellent English as it is a required subject in every German’s education.

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND IN BORREGO

ARROYO SALADO CAMP


SANDSTONE CANYON

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Last fall, the first time we saw Hans, he was floating down the San Juan River past our campsite. With the water temperature in the high 50’s, we figured he was just some crazy tourist. As it turns out, Hans wants to go swimming where ever he goes. Borrego was no different. He managed to find a deep pool on our Palm Canyon hike and didn’t hesitate to strip down to his underwear and dive in.

HANS IN PALM CANYON

After 4 days, Hans and Silke headed east and plan on taking 4 weeks to cross the country. They have a date with a freighter in Baltimore for shipping the motor home back to Germany. In April, Cathie and I are heading to Europe for six weeks and we’ve been invited to spent time in Hans and Silke’s home in the Black Forrest. We can hardly wait

ON THE WAY EAST