Pétanque & Pastis

Côte d’Azur des Peintres

After another very busy stateside séjour, we are back in Antibes, where the pace is not quite so hectic. We had time for a leisurely stroll around town today, where we came across another painting, like the ones we noticed about the same time last year. We found this one in the square in front of our apartment. It's one of ten reproductions of paintings done by artists inspired by the French Riviera. This permanent exhibit, called la "Côte d'Azur des Peintres" (the French Riviera of the Artists), is scattered all around town thanks to the contribution of the Conseil Régional Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur in collaboration with the Conseil Général des Alpes-Maritimes and the city of Antibes. The ones we've seen so far seem to be placed strategically in front of the actual landscapes that are represented in the paintings. In this one, called "Antibes", painted by Henri-Edmond Cross in 1908, nothing seems to have changed, except maybe some erosion of the rocks in front of the ramparts. It wouldn't look too much different if he painted it today. Other nearby cities on the Côte d'Azur are also participating in this exhibit, including Cagnes-sur-Mer, Le Cannet, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and Villefranche-sur-Mer. 

Canoeing on the Dordogne River

We picked up our pique-nique supplies in Sarlat, and got an early start on our canoeing trip this morning, heading out onto the Dordogne River before 10:00am. We rented our canoes from La Roque-Gageac (tél: 05.53.29.58.50) in the beautiful town of the same name. We weren't sure how the weather was going to hold up, and, apparently, others had the same concern because, as we found out later, we were the only ones who rented canoes today, so we had the whole river to ourselves for the three-hour journey. It wasn't until we had our two canoes in the water that Carol & Dean mentioned that they had never been canoeing before. Fortunately, they figured it out quickly, and without mishap, so we were on our way to explore the beautiful scenery, under the charming bridges, past the ochre-colored buildings, and amazing castles.

Château de Beynac

Since we were headed in the direction of the current, which is always the case here, it didn't take much effort to paddle the canoes. The main effort required is when you want to pull the canoe over to the bank of the river to stop. The current was much less forceful today than the first time Dave and I canoed here, so it was much easier to navigate our canoes than what we remembered. And it only took us one try this time to stop exactly where we intended to stop for our pique-nique with a view. Our pique-nique spot was a sandy shoal just on the other side of the river from Château Beynac.

Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

It wasn't until after we had reached the end of our canoe trip at St. Vincent de Cosse, and we were sitting in the van that came to take us back to our starting point, that the rain started coming down. So, we got back to our car and drove up to Château de Beynac in La Roque-Gageac and decided that it was a good time to tour the 13^th-century French feudal fortress. The Dordogne River was the border which separated the French from the English in the 13^th century. The north bank of the river held the French châteaux while the English châteaux were situated on the south bank of the Dordogne. The most notable of the English châteaux on the south bank was Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, which was the chief rival of the French Château de Beynac. Ownership of the châteaux volleyed back and forth between the French and the English until around the end of the Hundred Years' War in the middle of the 15^th century, when the English finally left France, and the châteaux all reverted back to French rule.

Château de Beynac

Atop Château de Beynac

The Dordogne Valley from Château de Beynac

Château de Fénelon & Sarlat

We headed to Sarlat this morning to meet up with our friends, Carol & Dean Reed, from Santa Cruz, California, who are, once again, vacationing in France for a few weeks. On our way, we happened across The Château de Fénelon, which got our attention because we had just learned about the apéritif of the same name from our friends in St-Martin-de-Vers. Classified as a Historical Monument, this fortress, dating from the 14^th to the 17^th centuries, offers a good example of integrating the war spirit of the middle ages along with the refinement of the Renaissance, as described in the Guide Touristique that we picked up from the Tourist Office. The Château tour was definitely worth an hour of our time, especially since we were able to purchase a bottle of the eponymous apéritif in the gift shop.

The Terrace of La Lanterne in Sarlat

We made it to Sarlat and got settled into our home for the next three nights, a Chambre d'Hôte called La Lanterne, situated perfectly in the old town of Sarlat. We were able to stash our Fénelon into the refrigerator in the kitchen of the hotel before heading out to wander along the cobbled streets in the old town of Sarlat-la-Canéda. Thanks to the Malraux Law enacted in 1962 by the then Minister of Cultural Affairs, Sarlat's historical center with its monuments and buildings have been protected and preserved as they existed in their medieval, Renaissance, and 17th-century pasts. Wandering around this beautiful medieval village of approximately 9700 inhabitants is like being in an outdoor museum, with history in everything you see.

We met up with Carol & Dean on the terrace of our Chambre d'Hôte, where we enjoyed a chilled glass of Fénelon before walking over to Le Quatre Saisons (2 Côte Toulouse; tél: 05.53.29.48.59) for dinner, where we enjoyed some of our favorite local specialties: Duck ~ Foie Gras ~ Pécharmant Wine.

Gastronomy in St-Martin-de-Vers

We lived a gourmand's dream today in the beautiful village of St-Martin-de-Vers, where our friends, and gourmet chefs, Allan & Diana, feted us with local specialties. We started with lunch, which included a smooth, rich foie gras and confiture accompanied by a sweet Jurançon wine, a light and delicate tomato tart, a Cahors wine, and the best gateau aux noix (walnut cake) I've ever tasted.

A Humpback Bridge in St-Martin-de-Vers

Lunch was followed by a much-needed walk around the village and a hike into the hills up above. Diana and Allan seem to know most of the 100 or so inhabitants of this typical Quercy village, as we stopped and chatted with several of them on our scenic tour.

A Hiker's View of St-Martin-de-Vers

There are some nice hiking trails climbing up into the hills above the village, offering picture postcard views of the four-slope rooftops nestled together in the cozy village below, and offering close encounters with grazing sheep, who didn't seem to be bothered at all by our traipsing along.

Grazing Sheep in the Hills above St-Martin-de-Vers

Our rejuvenating hike helped us to work up an appetite for our evening festivities. We started out with an apéritif called Fénelon, which consists of a bit of Crème de Cassis, Vin de Noix, and a generous portion of Cahors wine. To munch along with our Fénelons we had some wonderful homemade spicy almonds roasted in herbs – one of Allan's secret recipes. Dinner included sweet melon and salty Jambon de Bayonne, Magret de Canard with a sweet, thick balsamic reduction on a bed of bitter greens, all washed down with another delicious Cahors wine. As we waddled out to our car to head back to our home base in St-Cirq-Lapopie, we decided that it might be necessary to increase our 30-minute run tomorrow morning to something a little more exertive.

GATEAU AUX NOIX COLBY (c2004 Diana C. Colby)  

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Coat two 8"-round baking dishes with (walnut or canola) oil.   

3. Mix together:

      1/2 c. eggs (whole or egg whites only)

      1 c. sugar

      1/2 c. oil (3/8 c. walnut oil plus 1/8 c. canola oil)

      1/2 c. yoghurt (plain, nonfat)

      Optional: l T. honey and 2 T. Madeira and 1/2 T. vanilla

4. Sift in: 1 1/2 c. SELF-RISING flour.

5. Stir in: 1 c. well-chopped walnut pieces (about 4 oz.).

6. Divide batter in two and pour into the two baking dishes. 

      Optional: Sprinkle top with more walnut pieces and/or decorate with walnut halves.

7. Bake about 35 minutes, then cool on racks.

      Optional: When serving, top each slice with a dollop of crème fraîche and top with a strawberry and a mint leaf.

St-Cirq-Lapopie

The Auberge du Sombral (tél: 05.65.31.26.08) on the main square of the perched village of St-Cirq-Lapopie is our base for two nights, while we visit our friends, Diana & Allan Colby, who live in the picturesque village of St-Martin-de-Vers, a short, scenic drive not too far down the road. Le Gourmet Quercynois was great for our first dinner last night in this region of true gourmands. The first course offerings included:  Escalope de Foie Gras, Duo de Foie Gras, Assiette aux Quatre Foies Gras, and a Salade Gourmet with Terrine de Foie Gras. What's not to like ! This was definitely our type of restaurant.

Running Along the River Lot

Sitting on the edge of a cliff approximately 100 meters up above the River Lot, the medieval village of St-Cirq-Lapopie is truly a sight to behold. The fact that it sits in the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy was an unexpected bonus which made it a perfect place for our morning run. At the suggestion of our friend, Allan, we started our run down below the village, where we ran all along the river, running along beautiful towpaths cut out from the cliffs, past picturesque locks and bridges, and past people walking their dogs and gathering walnuts along the riverbanks. The beautiful setting almost made us forget the misery of having to endure 30 minutes of running - almost.

A Towpath Along the River Lot

Le Viaduc De Millau

It wasn't too long after we departed Arles in the beautiful sunshine that we reached the pouring rain that would stay with us for the remainder of our road trip today. It wasn't the best time, but it was the only time we had, to stop and admire the amazing le Viaduc de Millau, the highest bridge in Europe, which, even in the downpour was quite spectacular to see. The top of the pylons of the cable-stayed bridge reach the highest point of 343 meters, with only seven stream-lined piers touching down into the Vallée du Tarn in the 12^th Département d'Aveyron. We stopped in at the Service Area to get a good view of the bridge, and to find out more information about the construction of this exceptional work of art. One thing that struck us was the test phase of the bridge when approximately 300 semi-trucks drove onto the bridge at the same time and just sat in the middle of it to see how much give there was. Fortunately, the test was successful – no casualties in the group of brave souls who participated in this risky test. The Viaduc de Millau, which is not only the highest bridge in Europe, but also the highest bridge in the world, is part of the E11-A75 Autoroute, which claims the shortest distance between Paris and the Mediterranean. Wouldn't it be amazing to be driving along the autoroute, when all of a sudden you come across this unexpected masterpiece ?

Stopover in Arles

On our way to the Dordogne, we thought we'd get a head start by spending the night in Arles, which is only about 90 minutes by car from Antibes. We stayed at the Hôtel D'Arlatan near the Place Forum, which we quite liked, and we had a lovely dinner at Le Jardin de Manon (14, avenue des Alyscamps; tél: 04.90.93.38.68). The running possibilities were not too interesting in Arles, but we persevered anyway and followed along the Rhone River, which itself was quite picturesque in the morning sunlight.

Paris Séjour: Bois de Boulogne

The Bois de Boulogne played an important role in our Paris séjour, since it was close to the apartment we rented on rue des Belles Feuilles in the 16^th.  First of all, every morning we ran a couple loops around the lake in the park for our daily exercise.  Then, one day we rented a row boat and spent a couple of hours rowing all around the lake, nestling up to the bank under a weeping willow tree for a pique-nique of Asiatique delights that we had purchased at the elegant Président Wilson Market that morning.  And, finally, one evening we hopped onto the small lake ferry for the two-minute crossing to the bucolic island restaurant called Le Châlets des Îles (Tél: 01.42.88.04.69), where we had dinner on the terrace overlooking the lake.   

Morning Run in Bois de Boulogne

The Président Wilson Market in the 16^th

Rowing in Bois de Boulogne

Hiding under a Willow Tree in Bois de Boulogne

Sunbathing Turtles in Bois de Boulogne

Restaurant Le Châlet des Îles in Bois de Boulogne

Paris Séjour: A First-Timer in Paris

For me, the number one highlight of our two-week séjour in Paris was sightseeing with my mother on her first-ever visit to Paris.  For three days we made the rounds to the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée du Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame.  We strolled along the grand boulevards, we lunched at the sidewalk cafés, we cruised down the river Seine, we shopped on the Champs-Elysées, we ogled the beautiful produce at the open markets, we meandered through the Jardin du Luxembourg, we ate ice cream at Berthillon, we browsed at the Bouquinistes along the riverbanks, we snapped pictures of the male rugby fans wandering around the City in their plaid skirts – and there were LOTS of them.

Rugby World Cup 2007 Fans