Champagne Region, Paris

By the title of this blog post, you can tell that we have been on the go, again. Champagne region a couple of weeks ago and three days in Paris.

We only scratched the surface discovering the champagne region in our two days there. And we learned a thing or two about buying champagne-they want you to buy alot, not just a bottle or two which has been our M-O.

One tasting we had with an older madam was unforgettable, if you can picture this. We knocked on a champagne house door and ask for several tastings. We are invited in and seated while the madam is standing over us-hands on her hips, looking down on us through her thick eye glasses, pouring samples of champagne, no smiles of course. We had two tastings and then she almost demanded (in French) that we buy 24 bottles (a case each) since she opened two for tasting, still no smiles or even a slight, slight upturned mouth, it wasn't in the cards.

George looks at me with a puzzled look. I didn't know exactly what she said, we still don't know French very well, but we are getting there. I think I deciphered that we must buy 24 bottles, I relay that to George. He looks at her, then me. I can see WHAT, written all over his face. We're talking 25-30 euros per bottle. We slowly rise from our chairs and follow madam to the counter. George reached deep down (no, not in his pockets), deep down in the hollows of his patience and "negotiates" with her to buy six, not 24. Me, I'm on the sidelines watching this whole thing hoping that it ends soon and we can get the H-E-double hockey stick (as my brother Jim would say) out of there.

We could have just walked out and been "the rude Americans," we bought 6 reluctantly, but it was very clear that she was displeased with us from start to finish.

On the other hand we had a wonderful experience on the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay, the capital of the champagne region.

On this prestigious Avenue are the leading champagne manufacturers housed in nineteenth century mansions behind ornate iron gates, perfectly manicured scrubs/flowers, and immaculately clean sidewalks. It is quite obvious there is money floating in the bubbly or there's gold in them-there-hills! The Tour de France went through Epernay on July 6th.

The surrounding fields beyond the vineyards have wheat, potatoes in blossom, and unidentified crops. There was a large field of these blue flowers.

If anyone can identify this flower, I would be grateful to know what it is. It is fragrant, so I'm wondering if it is used for perfume making.

In Paris I visited the Auguste Rodin Museum. Rodin donated his collection of art including drawings, photographs, prints, sculptures, buildings, and gardens to the French State in 1916. I learned a little bit more about him during my visit, but for those of you who do not know Rodin, he is most famous for  his sculptures titled The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.

The Thinker

The Gates of Hell

I found this sculpture interesting in that all three figures are identical but are turned at a different angles. A smaller version of this is also at the top of The Gates of Hell.

The Three Shades

Lastly, my American friend in Paris, Mary Kay, suggested that I take the tour of the Garnier Opera and it was a great idea. If I had to use one word to describe the Opera is would be opulence beyond compare! Okay that's three words, but it is magnificent. I would put it on a "must see" list for Paris.

The Opera, by orders from Napoleon III, was completed in 1875 after 15 years of construction. Charles Garnier was a young, unknown architect who was chosen from a competition to build it.

I, unfortunately did not take photos of the outside of the Opera, and I don't think my own photos turned out that great, but you can take a virtual tour by following this link.
http://www.operadeparis.fr/en/L_Opera/Palais_Garnier/visite_virtuelle.php

And by following this link you can see more photos of our travels.
http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt

Tour de France

Yep, we were there. Stages 7 & 8 were about 2 hours from our home and it is a race that we always said we'd enjoy seeing in person, and seize the opportunity-we did. Not exactly sure what we were getting ourselves into as we left the house on Saturday morning. Not sure where to go for the best view, how early to get there. Sitting...waiting for hours for a 10 second glimpse as the riders fly by, sounds a little crazy, huh.

But I can tell you one thing-this race is A BIG DEAL! Five helicopters in chase, luxury buses (the kind rock stars use) for the riders, and at the finish, a quarter mile of grandstands, and not one, but two jumbo-tron televisions.

I can only imagine the multi-millions spent by sponsors for give-aways, signage, and their elaborately embellished caravan of vehicles, not counting the behind the scene expenses. This caravan travels the entire race route.

I never heard of Sammy 1, now there's Sammy 2. Does anyone know this movie?

Before the race along the course, spectators were setting up their spaces. Barbecues, chairs, tables, dining tents, RV's parked, TV's outside-very similar to what we know as tailgating. We did come a little prepared and had our own food and beverages. So before Saturday's race we took a short hike and were awarded a spectacular view.

Le Thillot, France

Le Thillot, France

near Le Thillot, France

The larger towns along the route decorated with various depictions of bicycles, some very creative, some not so, as in this photo. I unfortunately only have this photo to show which doesn't give the others justice. You will have to trust me on this one.

Belonchamp, France

By Sunday we were no longer rookies. The finish line for Stage 8 was in Porrentruy, Switzerland and we set our GPS for Porrentruy or bust! In this town, beverage stands were set up, bands were playing, shops normally not open on Sunday were open. There was more excitement in the air!

Here are some photos of both days following the Tour de France.

http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt

Summer Solstice, Feux de la Saint-Jean

 On June 21, summer solstice, is celebrated with music festivals that take place in cities and villages all over France. We happen to be in Paris that day, and throughout the city various venues were being set up for music performances that evening. Unfortunately, we left for home before we could experience one note of music. But you can be sure that I am making a note on next year's calendar of, "events not to miss."

Out to dinner near the Eiffel Tower

On June 24, Feux de la Saint-Jean (bonfires of St. John) is celebrated by the burning of huge bonfires throughout France. It is a tradition dating back 3000 years in Europe and was originally celebrated on June 21, in honor of the sun. The date changed over the years when Christianity became France's official religion. You can learn more about it here.




We were invited by our American/French friends to a small town near Vittel to witness this event. The wooden owl took several weeks to build by the town people, and stood taller than the trees as you can see. Fireworks exploded in the sky and food and drink stands were available, a DJ was playing music to dance to. We left about midnight and the party was still going strong.

George and I have been wondering if building a fire in the backyard is prohibited - campfires for camping or backyard fires are not part of the French culture, however the French love to barbecue. 

I can just hear it now if we attempted to build a fire in our yard...our neighbor says - call the fire department--there's a fire next door...oh, wait that's those crazy ass Americans doing something with marshmallows and sausages!! How do you say crazy ass in French, just so I know?

This fire on Saturday could be our only one for a long, long time.

Horse Races

The racetrack in Vittel hosts many horse racing events throughout the summer and into the fall and these events are in full swing right now. On Saturday we watched horses compete in a race that I can only describe as a cross country race on horseback. Riders gallop full tilt down hills, around hedgerows, through water, over ditches and bridges, through paths in the forest, and over unbelievable high and wide jumps. The jumps are solid construction (no bars to knock off and fall to the ground) where, if a horse ran into them, it could be very dangerous for the horse and rider.

Competitors from numerous European countries participated in this cross country event and also a second jumping event inside a horse ring. Our French friends told us that some horses and riders participating will go on to the 2012 Olympics. 

I have to admit that the cross country races was more exciting than the event in the ring, and we cringed often during the race thinking, how is that horse going to make it over THAT jump!

Switzerland June, 2012

This past week, I got a chance to return to Switzerland-George had meetings in Montreux. When we were last there in February I was guessing that the summer time would be magnificent with snow capped mountains in the distant and all the greenery just waiting to explode, I wasn't disappointed. Right now Montreux is gearing up for the big Montreux Jazz Festival at the end of June, so there are flowers blooming in every place possible, repainting, and general sprucing up.

Early in the week there was downpours of rain, so I journeyed myself (with a little help from my American friend) to Bern, Switzerland by train. I was only there for several hours, but Bern is an easy city to navigate due in-part to the Aare River that wraps around the Old Town allowing you to keep your bearings. It was a good choice on a rainy day because there are approximately 4 miles of arcades in the Old Town offering covered shopping and site seeing.

Bern was founded in 1191 and legend has it that the brown bear was the first animal hunted and  caught by the Duke who was funding the building of the city. The city mascot, therefore, is the brown bear and several brown bears live in what is called the "bear pit" within the city. The name "bear pit" doesn't denote a pleasant vision in my mind and so I had to see this. But really it is a designated area along the river where the bears live, much like a zoo environment. I always feel sorry for animals in zoos and my feelings didn't change much for these bears either.

One thing about Bern is that it is a German speaking city, I left a French speaking city and traveled 1.5 hours to a German speaking city all in the same country.

Later in the week my American friend and I took the "chocolate train" out of Montreux to the Gruyeres cheese factory and Cailler chocolate factory (Cailler is a Nestle brand).  As you can see from the picture the train on the inside is a blast from the past. It was a picturesque ride on a beautiful, sunny day.

Just down the road from the cheese factory is the town of Gruyeres and it is the cutest little town ever. It has to be the smallest town so far that I have visited. There's a small castle there, artisan shops and touristy shops (of course), several nice restaurants and hotels. I had my first Swiss fondue served with potatoes and bread for dipping. I've been told that wine is a necessity when eating fondue--but hey, no problem here. But in actuality the wine helps with digestion, water supposedly hinders it with all the cheese (no details needed here). Pickles and pearl onions were provided too, but if any of you know my aversion for pickles, my American friend had them all to herself.

One very odd thing about the town of Gruyeres is the H R Giger museum. H R Giger is the Swiss surrealist artist who created the Alien movie life forms. It looked really out of place in the quaint town of Gruyeres.

Across from the museum is a bar that also depicts the Alien theme.

I am beginning to see how important cows are to the economy not only in France, but in Switzerland too, mostly for cheese and yogurt making. But you might find it surprising that I cannot always find fresh milk in the grocery store. The French don't drink milk quite like us Americans.

It appears to me that for many people, cows are a way of life, and for many in the US, this is also true. But since moving to France and living in the country, I am more aware of the cows and lamb in the fields. In Switzerland, you could see many cows grazing high in the meadow pastures. I'm not sure how they get the milk down to where it is needed, but it looks challenging for sure. And they stay up high all summer grazing on the fresh green grass, flowers and herbs. That's what gives the cheese its distinct flavor.

If anyone is wondering if I heard yodeling or tried yodeling while on my excursion, the answer is no. But the most pleasant sounds are the cow and lamb bells. Different size bells, obviously produce different ring tones, and as these animals move, you can hear the gentle clanging of the varying tone of the bells, one after another. I think I could listen to that all day.

Here's a link to more photos:

http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt

Alsace Region, France

Just 2.5 hours from home is the Alsace region that borders Germany. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were in Germany, except everyone speaks French. In fact this area was part of Germany, then France, then Germany, then France, then Germany. I don't know exactly how many times the region switched sides, but it was many. It is a beautiful region.

Monday was a religious holiday for France while Americans were celebrating Memorial Day. With that in mind, we couldn't help but notice memorials in several of the small towns honoring the fallen during WWI and WWII. One monument not only named the soldiers, but also civilians who perished during their fight for freedom in the winter, 1944.

Kaysersberg, France

We stayed two nights in Colmar near the old town. Like other old buildings in the region, it too has the colorful half-timbered buildings along with petite Venice, a small waterway where flat-bottomed boats glide you through the old town. Colmar is also the birthplace of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

There are vineyards, as far as the eye can see with castles dotting the mountain peaks to the west. It is an excellent biking area and hiking trails are easy to find. From time to time you can hear the bill-clattering of the Cigognes (white storks). These birds have a six foot wing so they are hard to miss in the sky. Migration takes them to Africa for the winter, and to Europe for the summer. I found it unusual that their knees bend the opposite way from what our knees bend. Their nests are huge and can be found in the most unusual places.  I know as home owners, we often find bird's nest in unfavorable locations, but I can't image removing this one. 

This stork might be a nice addition to the family, but that bill-clattering is loud!

We toured Haute-Koenigsbourg Castle, built in the 12th century and restored in the 18th century. The castle offers a panoramic view of the Vosges Mountains to the west, the Black Forest to the east, and the Alps to the south.

Haute-Koenigsbourg Castle

Our last stop was the town of Munster, if that sounds maybe like cheese to you, it is. Regarded as the origin of munster cheese, it taste nothing what-so-ever like the munster cheese in the US. That US version I am not a fan of. And speaking of cheese, the most wonderful cheese in the world can be found all over France, bar none!

It seems that every window in France these days has a window box with the most perfect geraniums beautifying the facade of living spaces and businesses. But why geraniums, there are plenty of other nice flowers to adorn your windows. Discussing the lack of window screens that exist in French homes, we question how to keep the mosquitoes and flies from coming in. We have been told that mosquitoes do not like the smell of geraniums and therefore the geraniums are a natural repellent to the varmints! As far as the flies, we have armed our defenses with swatters!

Follow this link for more photos:

http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt

Nimes, France

The month of May has an abundance of French holidays, so many, that I don't think George has worked a full 5 day week so far in May and good for him.

We continue to pinch ourselves with our opportunities for travel, we can't get enough. Our travels this time took us to the southern French city of Nimes. Getting there we traveled through the Rhone River Valley, criss-crossing the wide and fast moving river. The Valley is very wide with mountains on either side similar in size to mountains found in eastern United States. Orchards and vineyards are plentiful, along with heavy industry and what looked like cooling towers for the nuclear industry. Poppy plants with their brilliant red color were growing wild along the roadsides, just beautiful.

Pont du Gard was a must see for us and it was our first stop. This magnificent site was built about 50 AD and it is hard to image how the Romans placed those huge stones in such high places across the Gard River gorge. The original aqueduct was 31 miles in length and was built to supply water to the city of Nimes. Kayaking down the river under the Pont du Gard is a popular pastime as well as bicycling the surrounding paths and landscape. We walked across the pedestrian bridge that was built right in front of the original, as there is no access allowed on the original bridge.

Situated near the border of Provence and the Languedoc region, Nimes and its surrounding areas had a very different feel than where we live. It seemed like a slower, more laid back pace, a definite Mediterranean feel. Roman evidence is at every turn.

Masion Carree:

Maison Carree, built 5 AD.

 Arena, the best preserved amphitheater in the Roman Empire:

Arena, built 100 AD

Tour Magna

Garden of Fountains

We took side trips to Aigues-Mortes, Uzes, St. Marie on the Sea, Avignon and, of course, we could not resist a few winery stops. Both Aigues-Mortes and Avignon are walled cities, something that I have never seen before. We saw people pick-nicking on the side of the road, they just through a blanket out and plopped down in the tall grass. We are going to do this soon, I just know it.

Our stay in St Marie on the Sea was very short due to the weather. We didn't see much of interest there, but we wanted to see the Mediterranean Sea, and so we did.

Aigues-Mortes was originally built as a fortification for the king of France. It was France's only port, at the time, to the Mediterranean Sea. Cute shops to explore and many quaint restaurants. I noticed a Spanish influence here. In the surrounding countryside it looked like white horses were wondering wild in the marsh lands without fences and this was confirmed by a French friend of mine.

Aigues-Mortes

Uzes was a small town that our hotel owner recommended. On Saturdays the entire town has vendors selling everything imaginable, and inexpensive too. The little stores throughout the town were also open, competing for the euro. The plants and flowers were perfect, not a brown pedal in sight. Various musicians and entertainers were performing in street corners. It was difficult to get a feel for the town since the vendors took up every square inch of the sidewalks and squares, but my guess is that Uzes is just as adorable on any day of the week.

Located along the Rhone River, Avignon is best known for the Palace of the Popes. The city become home to the Popes in the 14th century due to turmoil in Rome. Architecture within the walls of the city is spectacular. The streets are winding with stores you would find in any larger city. We witnessed a wedding celebration outside the mayor's office. Lots of horn blowing, clapping, and dancing (see the video). We had a nice dinner in a small restaurant on an, out of the way street. We have learned to stay away from the restaurants on the squares that are serving tourist even though those umbrellaed tables look charming and inviting.

Avignon, Rhone River in the background, view from Palace of the Popes.

On the way home we stopped and rode bikes through the vineyards and small towns in the Burgundy region, about one hour from our home. We out biked this approaching storm by minutes.

Take a look at our photos and videos at this link:

http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt

Chocolat

I was given a mission before I left the states to find Johnny Depp. It should be easy my friend said, he lives in France, it's a small country. "By the time I get there you should have it all scoped out."

Yesterday, I swear I was walking in his foot steps. The town of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is where the movie "Chocolat" was filmed, at least part of it, such is Hollywood. It is about 2 hours from our home and is on the way to Dijon, our destination for the day.

So a little side trip, we took. In addition, the town is labeled as "Les Plus Beaux Village de France."
Criteria for this label includes (according to Wikipedia) the population not exceed 2,000 inhabitants and must have at least 2 protected areas (picturesque or legendary sites, or sites of scientific, artistic, or historical interest).

It was a terrific find. Charming cobblestone streets, 15th century buildings, very picturesque, they prefer you walk the town, it was the best way to see it. Les Anis de Flavigny candy is produced in this town and shipped not only in France, but to the US and Canada. Perhaps you have seen this candy. There are many flavors, but in each candy there is one anise seed. We could occasionally smell the scent of anise in the air.

Near Flavigny-sur-Ozerain there is a winery dating to the 8th century, no surprise, we are in Burgundy country. This place keeps getting better! But, this is where I was told dissappointing news. Johnny Depp never set foot in this town. Ahhhhhh, my search continues.

I want this car, it is so cute.