Monday, February 27, 2017
Canard (Duck) and Champagne - two things that are very French and so naturally.....
Canard & Champagne, a new restaurant in Paris, Occupys the magnificent landmarked former premises of an 18th century stationery shop with black-and-white marble floors and a magnificent carved wooden shop in the moody Passage des Panoramas, this casual convivial place specializes in two of the most quintessentially French products imaginable, duck and Champagne.
57 Passage des Panoramas, 75002 Paris, France
Friday, February 10, 2017
Sèvres porcelain, the grandest of ultimate luxury, artistic ceramics, was favored by European royalty, the aristocracy of the 19th century, and 20th century
Nestled in the picturesque Saint Cloud park outside Paris, the Sèvres factory is a temple to craftsmanship. Some of Europe’s most beautiful ceramics have been made here since 1740. Today, 120 potters use skills and techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation over three centuries
Open to the public in certain areas and a private visit can be arranged in the closed off areas.
The place to stay nearby is the very romantic Inn - Les Etanges de Corot in Ville d'Avray
This is my favorite place to get hidden from the hustle of Paris and enjoy long walks, great food and drink, a wine spa and just a beautiful retreat and yet only 15 minutes fromParis.
Open to the public in certain areas and a private visit can be arranged in the closed off areas.
The place to stay nearby is the very romantic Inn - Les Etanges de Corot in Ville d'Avray
This is my favorite place to get hidden from the hustle of Paris and enjoy long walks, great food and drink, a wine spa and just a beautiful retreat and yet only 15 minutes fromParis.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
A hidden corner of Brittany - The English Cotswolds comes to France
the Brière Regional Nature Park covers a 49,000 hectare surface area. In the heart of this reserve, the Grande Brière Mottière marsh, which extends over 7,000 hectares, offers a series of canals, reed beds, wetland meadows, peat bogs and islands, among which the Fédrun island.
Boat trips are put on to explore the flora and fauna of Brière. From the bell tower of Saint-Lyphard church, there is a panoramic view of the marsh and surrounding area!
The Brière area is also unusual in that it is covered with no less than 3,000 thatched cottages!
I love this area and always during my visit, I have lunch at the enchanting La Mare Aux Oiseaux restaurant, located in the heart of the park, the dining room just oozes charm and the cooking of Eric Guerin is not to be missed.
Boat trips are put on to explore the flora and fauna of Brière. From the bell tower of Saint-Lyphard church, there is a panoramic view of the marsh and surrounding area!
The Brière area is also unusual in that it is covered with no less than 3,000 thatched cottages!
I love this area and always during my visit, I have lunch at the enchanting La Mare Aux Oiseaux restaurant, located in the heart of the park, the dining room just oozes charm and the cooking of Eric Guerin is not to be missed.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Food makes people happy....so when it comes to cheese shops in Paris...
L'Elysee Palace ( The French White House) and I agree that Nicole BARTHELEMY'S cheese shop is one of the best places to go and buy your cheese. It's open 8:30am to 1pm and then 4pm to 7:15pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
La Verna Cave - The Largest Cave system in the world and can hold 10 Cathedrals the size of Paris Notre Dame
..and one can fly a hot air balloon inside also.................
Located about 45 minutes outside of the city of Pau ( next to the French Pyrenees ), it can be visited almost all year.
Follow in the footsteps of the first explorers, accompanied by a qualified caving guide and ardent enthusiast of the La Pierre Saint-Martin cave system. Starting from La Verna, this visit is a good introduction to caving. The narrow passages - where crawling would be required - can be avoided, but the terrain is rough, without paths. The visit takes you
upstream all the way to another big cave room:
Located about 45 minutes outside of the city of Pau ( next to the French Pyrenees ), it can be visited almost all year.
Follow in the footsteps of the first explorers, accompanied by a qualified caving guide and ardent enthusiast of the La Pierre Saint-Martin cave system. Starting from La Verna, this visit is a good introduction to caving. The narrow passages - where crawling would be required - can be avoided, but the terrain is rough, without paths. The visit takes you
upstream all the way to another big cave room:
Monday, February 6, 2017
The Highest train in Europe - Southwest France
The Petit train d'Artouste is a narrow gauge tourist railway situated in the French Pyrenees close to the Spanish border, some 55 km (34.2 mi) south of the town of Pau.
The line runs high above the headwaters of the Gave d'Ossau, and provides access to the Lac d'Artouste, a semi-artificial lake in the mountains at an altitude of over 6,562 ft
The train runs from late May to late September. In July and August it runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and until 3:00pm at other times. Advance booking is advisable.
To reach the train you take a 10 minute cable car ride from the Lac de Fabrèges. The train ride takes about 50 minutes and it’s then a short walk to the Lac d’Artouste.
Please be aware that in peak season you are only able to stay at the top for about 1 ½ hours.
The line runs high above the headwaters of the Gave d'Ossau, and provides access to the Lac d'Artouste, a semi-artificial lake in the mountains at an altitude of over 6,562 ft
The train runs from late May to late September. In July and August it runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and until 3:00pm at other times. Advance booking is advisable.
To reach the train you take a 10 minute cable car ride from the Lac de Fabrèges. The train ride takes about 50 minutes and it’s then a short walk to the Lac d’Artouste.
Please be aware that in peak season you are only able to stay at the top for about 1 ½ hours.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
The Crown Jewel of French Seafood - only in Season!!! La Coquille Saint-Jacques
Considered to be one of the most elegant shellfish in the world, scallops are truly the jewel in the crown of St-Brieuc bay in France.
In France as in other European nations, food is only served in the time that it is in season, unlike America, where you can get any food you want at anytime, even thought its not the best outside of its season. Hurrah for the French!
Harvesting this delicious seafood is a veritable race against time, as not only is the scallop-fishing season only open from October to the end of April, but even during the season, fishing is restricted to 45 minutes twice a week, to protect the species. And so the fishing ports of Erquy, Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Loguivy-de-la-Mer and Paimpol take it in turns each year to organised the Fête de la Coquille Saint-Jacques, to mark the closing of this intense fishing season.
In France as in other European nations, food is only served in the time that it is in season, unlike America, where you can get any food you want at anytime, even thought its not the best outside of its season. Hurrah for the French!
Harvesting this delicious seafood is a veritable race against time, as not only is the scallop-fishing season only open from October to the end of April, but even during the season, fishing is restricted to 45 minutes twice a week, to protect the species. And so the fishing ports of Erquy, Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Loguivy-de-la-Mer and Paimpol take it in turns each year to organised the Fête de la Coquille Saint-Jacques, to mark the closing of this intense fishing season.