An unknown Abbey in the middle of France and its influence on one of France's greatest dress designers

 In 1895, a young girl from a very poor family was sent to a local Abbey ( in the Limoges region) for schooling for 6 years. The Abbey housed over 150 monks and was at one time the largest in France. Here the young girl was taught among other crafts to sew. 

Every Sunday, she and the other girls housed there would enter the chapel for mass. It was here that this young girl praying, noticed the beautiful stained glass windows. 

Those window designs would be the most important thing in her life and you'll see why.

The abbey today is not longer used as a girls school, but still stands.

The Abbey is in Aubazine and the little girl's name was Gabrielle CHANEL, or as she is known today, Coco Chanel.

Look at the stained glass window and think about Coco's logo.

The old age question from clients: Where in France can I go that has very few tourists?

 That's easy to answer, there are many spots within France, one of my favorites is in the Normandy region, in an area named La Manche ( on the Cotentin Peninsula) . La Manche is the French  name for the English Channel (Which it thrusts into) 

This area just west of the major D Day beaches, is a pretty and wild rural area of Normandy. Some people have called it a version of Ireland. The area stretches from Mont St Michel; to Cherbourg. Its home to charming seaside towns and villages, it has a rich maritime heritage and is home to many WW2 battles beyond the D Day beaches. 

If you are looking  for drop dead landscapes, largely undiscovered by tourists than look no further from here. 

Flavigny: Chocolate-box town

 As a film fan. I'm always looking at where a certain film was shot.

In France, there are so many locations. 

In the heart of Burgundy, I couldn't help pass up the opportunity to discuss one of French cinema's loveliest set locations. Based on the novel by the same name, Chocolate epitomizes the French chocolate-box lifestyle - quite literally.

Located in Cote-d'Or Burgundy, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is a picturesque network of old streets surrounded by countryside. It dates back to the Viking era, when its abbey supposedly served as a hideout for precious local relics during invasions. Brimming with cobbled courtyards, ivy-coated walls and tightly winding allees. It is a deserving owner of the most beautiful villages in France status. 

Switzerland - an amazing eyeful!

 Just returned after three weeks from my sojourn around Switzerland. Its a small country, so I was able to visit every region and used the fantastic rail system to archive that. More about my trip later.

After 18 months being house bound, I'm off to Europe,. more specifically - Not France, but Switzerland

 Because at this point, France has to many restrictions in place and as hard as it is flying and traveling these days, I wish to make my traveling life as easy as I can and Switzerland offers that option.

Tucked in the heart of central Europe, Switzerland is packed with some of the Continent's most beautiful places and epic landscapes.  From fairy tale cities and towns circled by snow capped mountains to some of the worlds purest rivers and lakes, Switzerland is a country where a quick taste simply isn't enough. So, I'm taking it slow for at least two weeks. 

So with my Swiss Rail pass in hand, I plan to travel only by train. 

I plan to visit German speaking Zurich and Lucerne, then take a romantic steamer from Lucerne across Lake Luzern and then catch the scenic Swiss specialty train , the Gotthard Express on to the Swiss/Italian speaking city of Lugano. 

From there I'll train to the French speaking area of western Switzerland - Montreux, Lausanne and Geneva. 

Then train back to Zurich ( on the scenic Golden Pass railway) and fly home.  I'm flying Swiss Air, I believe if you have a chance, to fly a countries flag airline, because when stepping on board, you are almost there in their country of origin. 

Because food is a main focus for me, I'm staying at the lovely Relais/Chateaux chain of hotels, which is not only known for its homey hospitality, but  know for its excellent restaurants, specializing in local traditional food. 

See you again at the end of September.

~ Howard

After the pandemic, the question is , Is there any magic left in the world? - the answer is YES! Chateau de Mercues in France

 

Hidden France countryside  - deep in the heart of central France is the magical Lot Valley. Here you'll find a 13th-century turreted Castle hotel with its own fabled vineyard. 

Standing high on a cliff overlooking the Lot river is one of the truly great experiences of traveling in France.. A member of the Relais/Chateaux family, so of course that means a great restaurant experience is to be had. AND OH! THE EXPERIENCE!

 The owner of this fabulous castle hotel is the well known wine producer, Bertrand-Gabriel VIGOUROUX, whose Malbec wine ( a dark and inky wine ) that will take your taste buds to  new heights and you'll never look back at other red wines you have tasted. 

Charles de Gaulle who stayed here, remarked 'From here you can see history coming towards you'

Although the hotel dates back some 700 years, it has all the modern conveniences one expects from a great hotel, yes even a swimming pool. 

Cruise the Seine

 Many of the world's greatest cities have riverine settings, but not many of those rivers are worth following to the sea. Not so with the Seine, which departs Paris to uncoil itself through Normandy's countryside, heading for the medieval capital of Rouen, a city with an astoundingly intact historic quarter. On this river cruise with Uniworld, essential stops en route include Monet;s beloved home in Giverny and the pretty estuary port of Honfleur. Beyond Honfleur lie the Normandy beaches and scene of the D-Day landings.

Chateau de Versailles, Le Grand Controle is France's most remarkable hotel.

 

For the first time in centuries, now people can sleep on the grounds of the Versailles palace without being royalty or courtiers. 

A long neglected building ( built in 1681)  on the grounds of Versailles has now been turned into a luxury hotel, of only 14 suites (each on different) . The hotel has an Alain Ducasse restaurant, a Valmont spa and an indoor pool ( No, not the original) but the piece de resistance is for guests only - before and after Versailles official hours, you'll be able to stroll your own private stomping ground of 2,000 acres of gardens and three palaces at your leisure. 

August 09, 2021 - after 18 months, we are officially open again!! Hurrah!!!

 Time to get out your guide books and start planning. So many new exciting hotels have opened in France, I can't wait to see them all. 

Please check back in the next few days to get a look see.

Nice to have all of you back!

France is back! July 01, 2021 - Hurrah

A journey, a home, a retreat, a refuge...

 Domaine de Primard - the new dream 5-star hotel just 1 hour out of Paris. The former  18th-century home of French actress Catherine Deneuve has now been transformed into an opulent country hotel with a Michelin kitchen and and fabulous spa.

The hotel is now a part of the Relais/Chateaux family.

The hotel is situated in the northern part of Normandy, close to Giverney.

 

Why BONJOUR is the most sacred word to French people and your entree into France

 

While greetings may not be much of a part of  life here in the USA, in France, the word BONJOUR is sacred. "Honestly, it may be terrible to say (explains a person in Paris) but if a colleague does not greet me in the morning, I'll think he or she is mad at me or in a bad mood and  then, I will be the one in the bad mood, having been offended" 

So, as a visitor in France, to really get along and fit in, when you interact with another human being, say Bonjour before asking anything ( very, very important!!).

Bonjour is not just about saying hello, it is much more, a sign of respect. Knowing this will often give you better service when entering a shop or a bakery or otherwise you will just be perceived as a bad-mannered person. I cannot overstate this to tourists. 

As a shop owner told me 'If you come to me with just a request, I am clearly going to think you see me as a robot that is just here to satisfy your needs and not as a human being that deserves a little respect'

If you can just learn this, your time in France can be so much more lovely.

"We'll always have Paris'..an update on when we'll be able to visit

 

I can't believe its been since January that I have worked on my blog..Time is racing by, but now I'm back.

The pandemic has thrown a wrench into any kind of travel for us, Americans, it looks like until next year, unless we have an effective vaccine and that does not look like until the end of the year. 

I watch the daily French news, French TV travelogues and read the French newspapers to keep up with the goings on in France. I miss it something awful and am straining at the bit to get back. 

I know you are also excited to get back to any international travel, but as of yet, its a sit and wait approach we need to take.

I'l keep you updated to any news. 

I can't wait to arrive in Paris and get over to La Coupole and have a dozen or so oysters and a bottle of flinty Muscadet wine.

Why are French shops asking customers to round up the price of their purchases?

The next time you are shopping in France you might be asked 'l'arrondi solidare" and the question you are being asked is whether you want to round up the total of your purchases to the nearest Euro. 
The reason you are being asked is that the extra money goes to selected charities. Big name brands in France are taking part. 
Last year 259 charities benefited from the donations. 

Paris Place Vendome - a smart , elegant and expensive neighborhood meets a bargain

A place where Stomachs rumble to the the subtle scents of good regional food and the best sandwiches in town.

The bistro Le Petit Vendome ( located around the corner from the Ritz Hotel) you might expect a very smart address; so it's always a pleasant surprise to find a bistro with a  colorful frontage, neon signs, handwritten menu on chalk boards over the bar and hams strung from the ceiling. 

There is always a huge queue out the door ( so be prepared) , but the waiting faithful ( whose regulars include Mark Zukerberg , celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, and model Kate Moss to name a few) are waiting by the promise of rapide croute Auvergne  ( a speedy Auvergne snack), Auvergne Blu Cheese, Garlic sausage, country ham served on a true Baguettes from Boulangerie Julien.

For more than sandwiches, grab a table and treat yourself to the best Confit of duck in town ( so says Chef Ducasse) or veal escalope or farm chicken with hand-,made chips..oh..oh..oh!

A great chef has left us...

Andre Daguin was a man committed to the defense of French terroir, the use of good products and above all, put the French region of Gascony on the culinary map.

Chef Andre took at the time, the breast of duck, known then, little-regarded ingredient; used mainly in confits ( meats simmered and preserved in its own fat) into an international sensation, when he decided to grill the breast like a steak. Clients at first thought it was beef when tasted and the news of the new dish sweep not only France, but world wide, it was that revolutionary. Today, grilled duck breast appears in the top spot in surveys of France's favorite dishes and I  might be so bold as to say now worldwide favorite. 

His philosophy of cooking was always:
'Cooking is simple, it's to put the maximum of taste into the minimum of volume'

Are French waiters really rude?

OK, so French waiters can be a little cold-shouldered ( especially Cafe, ones) But what would you prefer? A serious professional who gets your order right at the first time of asking? Or the eternally cherry American version who asks you ' how your soup is tonight" every three minutes and asks "if there's anything else I can do for you' every six?

The misconception arises because French waiters are not, as in America, youths filling in time until their real lives begin. They are professionals pursuing a profession considered worthy of respect.That is why French service outstrips our own. These fellows (They are generally men) can take an order for 15 different drinks, deliver them on one tray, shouts at a passing taxi, give directions to the Center Pompidou and still get the change right. 
NUF SAID!!!

Cole Porter once penned "I love Paris, every moment ,every moment of the year' Oh! do I!

Once of the hundreds of pleasures I get from being in Paris , is to walk the numerous tree line streets.
Emperor Napoleon III is responsible for the tree-linted avenues that abound in Paris.
Unlike other great capitols of Europe, Paris is alive with green spaces and hundred of miles of lush tree lined streets, avenue and boulevards. 

Restaurants worldwide today are noisy, loud music, uncivilized dinners, silly cuisine.. so in the future...for me I wish...

Paris - French classic dishes are once again back on menus..Hurrah!

Enough of the fancy, pretentious, minimal , foreign inspired, fusion nonsense   on French menus.
A new crop ( actually old restaurants) are putting old French classics (( and cheap) back on the menus. Hurrah!! It's about time.
One of my favorite places in Paris, Chez Julian ( has been converted from an upper-class brasserie) to a modest eatery with only French classic dishes in a stunning settling. 

Until late is was impossible to find good French onion soup or sole meuniere on Paris menus. Oh, there was still a few like my go to bistro in the 7e, La Fontaine de Mars.  
But recently, there has been a score of restaurants highlighting French traditional classic dish and affordable prices. 
Now, restaurants such as Bouillon Julien are offering plates of Veal blanquette, roast chicken and fries, calf's sweetbread and pot-au-feu that are Delicious, simple, honest and stripped of all pretense. The dishes are not pretty: such as a plate of steak with peppercorn sauce ( maybe splodges of sauce all over the dishes rim, BUT BUT this is the kind of meal I have been looking for, a comfort food simple, good and price-wise a bargain. reminiscent of Parisian Sunday Dinners.

https://www.bouillon-julien.com/menu

The sardines, goddess of plates and tins in France

There is a harbor, ( in Brittany)  a bay where sardines meet every year from April to September, as if ending their lives there and their journey in a tin was a sweet dream.
As if in theses small cans, tightly packed with their buddies, the pleasure of being tasted, many months, years after even prolonged their existence a little. 
Ten years of maturing is meant to be the ideal for a vintage box to taste all the confit flavor...
All this a bit poetic , you ask? Why yes, if you never had a tin of these special vintage sardines then you don't know what a sardine is and these sardines, these little clupeidae's ( that's sardines to you) has nothing in common with its comrades!.

In praise of oysters..are the oldest foods of the human race

Although in France, you can get oysters it seems any time of the year, now being September, this time of year offers the best in oysters served.
I found this morning, an article in the London Times (yes, the Brits it seems gives a lot of their seafood treasures away to other countries, but they do like oysters in season)

 an editorial from September 4, 1919!
In part it reads ( and is still true today, I must add)
' Oysters are among the oldest foods of the human race. The presence of their shells in the ancient kitchens of the Baltic  shows that man was eating them in the remote ages when the brackish waters of that land-locked sea were still salt. 
Primitive man, ( American's take heed of this) used no condiments and the modern man ( foodie or epicure, my words) is advised to follow the old way. It seems nowadays,many people ( mainly Americans, my words now) replaces the natural juice, that should be redolent of the sea, with all kinds of things to cover up the taste of this most wondrous product from the sea. 
Stop it! If you must, do what we do in France, the oysters are served with a little bowl containing wine vinegar, onion and herbs into which each oyster is to be plunged for a number of seconds.'
But, but best of all is just the oyster and its juice itself.
As someone once remarked, its like kissing the sea on the lips.
PS: Don't even get me started on cooked oysters..to do so is to take a vintage Bordeaux wine and add a soft drink to it..

A hidden spot in Normandy - just a bit north of Honfleur - Etretat - the dramtic rocky coastline, BUT BUT

Yes, the cliffs of Etretat have attracted painters and tourists for over 100 years,. It's ( but only located in France) a mirror of the English White Cliff s of Dover.

But the real surprise here is something most painters and tourists never see but should. the 'WOW' of Les Jardins d'Etretat high above the cliffs. The blend of landscape art and art sculptures makes the gardens a delight for both garden lovers and art lovers and of course, the dramatic natural landscape only adds to the drama. 

The best time to visit? - early evening as the lights of the village below comes on whilst at the same time the sea and gardens are bathed in a soft evening light.

Ou sont les napps?

As nice and pleasant as it seems, my question, will always be..
          
WHERE ARE THE TABLE CLOTHS?
Not only today are people dressed slovenly and and manners have seem to go out the door with the garbage, restaurants ( nice restaurants) are have dispensed with table cloths.  WHY!!!