I’m reporting on this trip much after the fact, but thanks to my trusty tape recorder, Tom’s great scrapbooking skills, and the Internet, I was able to piece together (and relive!) a good portion of the trip.
This trip was planned for a long time and scheduled for September, 2005. Unfortunately, we had to cancel after the levee breach following Hurricane Katrina. Off we went the following May, though, with my sister and brother-in-law. Pete first became familiar with this area while working here, and has been back several times and stayed friends with the folks he met here. I think the theme of this trip was wonderful company (our traveling companions) and extraordinarily nice people (their French friends).
We rented a car through Auto Europe. Until she broke down, she was a good car! A Citroën C5 wagon diesel, it fit 4 of us and our luggage very comfortably. Price was USD 660 for an 8-day rental.
We stayed at a Best Western property called Hôtel de Brunville in Bayeux. It was a cute, small hotel and very reasonable at 68 Euro per night. They had a bar, which I always appreciate in a hotel, and in which we likely spent way too much time!
Our first night’s dinner was at a restaurant called Les Arcades in Bayeux. We had a very good meal with a bottle of Brouilly, reasonably priced. I had to have oysters in Normandy (and it was barely still an R month!) so I had some on the half-shell, and then some rouget, one of my favorite fishes to eat in France.
We had a night cap at the hotel bar. I tried a Kir Normande, which is kir with cider. Different and refreshing.
I had been to Normandy before, but nearly 20 years ago. It was just as moving and somber as I remembered. We started at the D-Day landing museum in Arromanches, where we listened to a very animated French tour guide for awhile. We also went to the American cemetery and Pointe du Hoc.
Back in Bayeux, Tom and I went to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum. The tapestry was nothing like I expected! I’m not sure what I expected (it was completed in the 11th century after all) but when I think of tapestries, I think of the Cluny Museum in Paris, which is vastly different. Still, it was fascinating and the audio tour was very well done.
We had a wonderful dinner at L’Adresse, recommended by a shopkeeper in town. The 4 –course meal for 20 Euros (oysters for me again, duck, cheese course, and tarte Tatin) was a bargain – and very good – but we all walked away from the evening with memories of André, an older French gentleman who befriended Denise, and then really wouldn’t go away! He seemed to be a regular at the bar in the restaurant (and they seemed to treat him well) and it showed. The funniest thing about ol’ André, though, was he sounded JUST like Pepe LePew. I kid you not. I felt bad as I saw him walking the streets alone later on, but I’m guessing he makes friends at that restaurant, and other places, often.
We arrived in Brive in the late afternoon. We stayed at the Hôtel Chêne Vert. It was a just fine hotel – no frills, good price. Pete stayed in a different hotel (I’ll get to that later) which he liked better, but it’s located a few miles away, and we really wanted to stay right in town.
We were met in Donzenac by Agnès, one of our gracious hosts in France. We followed her to the vineyard that her family owns. When we got there, we found a party, right out there in the vineyard: a big, long table, filled with people, food, and of course, wine. May Day is a holiday (similar to our Labor Day), and we were told that it was a day to eat garlic. OK by us! We met lots of people and spoke a lot of French (except to the gentlemen who were speaking Patois, of course).
I’ve eaten meals with French families before (and have always wanted to do it again), but eating in a vineyard – in France – well, talk about a dream. Tom was also "très content."
Dinner was very low key (plastic plates) and served by candlelight in an indoor area at the vineyard (think large shed). Everything tasted wonderful: omelet with cèpes, paté, cheese, desserts, phenomenal bread (bien sûr) and of course, wine (perhaps a bit too much of the latter).
Collonges-la-Rouge was a beautiful village, known for, you guessed it: red buildings. Lots of picture-taking here.
Rocamadour Another beautiful place. We went all the way up, stopping at each station of the cross.
We tried Martel for lunch, but got there at the bewitching hour (i.e. after 2:00pm) not much to see or do, and certainly nowhere to eat or drink.
Dinner tonight was at Auberge des Vieux Chênes, where Pete usually stays when he comes here. It was wonderful: foie gras with a prune compote, a trio of fish, and a sable de grand-mère, a big cookie accompanied by lots of fresh strawberries.
Pete’s friend Michel met us at the restaurant. We went back to his place, where we met Véro, and drank champagne, and yes, spoke more French. It was another late night!
I had never been to these parts. We all loved St Emillion – another picturesque town in France. We climbed up the bell tower, which was just about pitch black most of the way up.
About all we had time for in Bordeaux was lunch, which we enjoyed (another gorgeous weather day) outdoors in a Square. Three of us had our favorite Salade Niçoise of the trip (and so pretty!) while Tom had some lamb and frites. A 10-Euro bottle of Bordeaux rounded out a great meal.
Tonight we went to dinner at the home of Eric and Agnès. But first, I started with a motorcycle ride with Eric; the others following behind in the car. It was an incredibly scenic drive, ending with seeing a slate (what this area is known for) quarry. Very cool. It’s hard to explain and hard to photograph because you can’t the right perspective. Next we went to Jean Claude (Eric’s brother) and Marie Claire’s house for munchies and cocktails. I had a very nice Port, actually.
Then it was back to Agnès & Eric’s for dinner. It was amazing. The place setting was lovely (I wish I had photographed it) – lots of yellows and oranges. We started with a charcuterie plate (foie gras with figs, prunes and apricots) and then a wonderful green salad with tomatoes and (I believe) a sort of duck carpaccio. Dinner was duck with mushrooms, then some cheese (Rocamadour, of course), then some ice cream and cake. It was a wonderful, long, leisurely dinner. Actually, we left at 1:00AM and had to miss the coffee. The company – and conversation – was great. Agnès and Eric’s son, Damien, got to speak English, which he does quite well.
This was the day we had set aside to spend in Brive (the Millau bridge was slated for tomorrow). There are not a whole lot of tourist attractions in Brive, but we did plenty of wandering around. Pete actually did some work today. We also did a lot of shopping. I had to buy some short-sleeved shirts since we were having much warmer weather than forecasted. We also picked up some Laguiole steak knives.
Lunch was at La Toupine, which was recommended to us by one of our new friends. It was very good. I had salmon on bed of potatoes with eggplant in puff pastry, and then a warm goat cheese salad for dessert.
Later that afternoon, we met up with Michel at a café and hung around at an outside table. It was another beautiful day. Michel is a photographer (we have one of his photos hanging in our den) and he took us to a photo exposition of his – very cool.
In the evening, we went to Michel & Véro’s house. We sat outside in the garden; beautiful weather again. Dinner was an assortment of appetizery nibbles – very good – and a homemade apple tart, good wine, and very nice company. Another theme of this trip was extraordinarily well-behaved children. Michel and Véro’s (three of them) were no exception. I remarked to Agnès that I think French children are better-behaved (certainly more respectful) than some American children. Another wonderful evening.
Today, we were supposed to see the bridge at Millau, but the Citroën did not want to go there! Pete got the car to work, but given its precarious condition, we decided to stay closer. We arrived at Castelnaud, wondering where everyone was and why the castle was closed? Closer inspection of our brochures revealed there were two Castelnauds!
We took a break and had lunch in Martel before heading off to, we hoped, the right place this time. A few salads (I had a very colorful one with purple potatoes) and many glasses of wine later, we arrived at Castelnaud in the late afternoon. We enjoyed the castle and the Musée de la Guerre au Moyen Age. It was a very well done exposition.
Dinner tonight was at Isabelle’s & Bob’s (his nickname, and I can’t, for the life of me, remember his real name). We had lots of pass-around hors d’oeuvres to start (passed around by Isabelle & Bob’s daughters – very sweet) and lots of champagne.
Dinner began with a salad with what I think were duck livers and chestnuts – just wonderful. Then we had a quiche/frittata loaded with veggies and cheese, then some cheese, including Rocamadour (when in Rome, after all...) and then ended with a fruit salad. We had more champagne throughout the meal and a wonderful Margaux with the cheese (I think it was a 1998 – excellent).
The funny story from the night was one of the girls, who didn’t partake of the salad and quiche, but ate pasta with nothing but ketchup! It was very funny – kids who are picky eaters are universal, I guess.
By the time we finished, it was close to midnight and we walked around Donzenac – very peaceful that late at night.
On Saturday morning, we all went for a long walk with Michel and Véro around a beautiful lake. I think it was about 4 miles around – great exercise.
While Pete tended to car duties (we wanted a replacement before leaving for Paris), the three of us had lunch at a brasserie in Brive that apparently no longer exists! Here's a link to an article about it.
We also went to this wonderful store today to buy eau de noix and vin de noix. I love the walnut liqueur for which this area is known.
Today was our first rainy day! Tom was just about out of clothes, so he bought a few things. I also got some wonderful chocolates at a chocolatière to bring back to our landlady (and me, of course.)
Dinner tonight was at the Bistrot du Boucher, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, is a chain in France! It was very good, though. First we went out for "happy hour." We found a bar that actually played music (not necessarily typical in France, unless you’re at a funky café in Paris).
Well, I hadn’t ordered a steak in France in years. Every time I think I pick up the secret to ordering (and yes, I know all the French words for all donenesses!), I end up with either overcooked or undercooked. I’ll take the latter, for sure. Anyway, my steak was perfectly cooked. I started with a shrimp salad, and had a cornucopia of fruit for dessert (with fromage blanc, a favorite of mine). Everyone liked their dinners, and it was a real bargain. For 26 Euros, you got a kir to start, 3 courses, half a liter of wine, and coffee.
We had a very good time tonight, comme toujours.
It was a long drive to Paris, but we made it. The replacement car was smaller, but everything and everyone fit. We stayed in the 2nd at the Hôtel Favart. I liked it and would probably stay there again if I wasn’t always hunting for the perfect hotel at the perfect price in the perfect neighborhood (and if we didn’t start renting apartments). It’s a 3-star and was 120 Euro a night. One of the rooms was ready, so we put all the bags in it. Pete & Tom took car of returning the car, while D and I walked around, passing by the Bourse, and then through the 1st and over the River, where I showed her my old apartment on the Boul Mich.
It was so good to be back in Paris! The guys had some troubles at the airport, but eventually made it back.
Lunch was at a café on the corner. We had some good salads and some Chinon. Mine was called the Salade Paysane: jambon cru, eggs, Emmenthaler cheese in a good mustard vinaigrette; good tomatoes, too.
Next we walked to Montmartre – always an awesome sight, and one you can see when you are still so far away. We went into Sacré Coeur, which is something I hadn’t done in a long time. A mass was going on, which always makes a church stop a little more special.
Dinner that night was at Le Vaudeville which Denise and I passed while we were walking around. I had heard both good and not so good things about it (mostly good), but the menu looked appealing so we made a reservation.
It may go down as the single-worst meal I ever had in Paris, taking all things into consideration. And it figures because we had someone with us who is not a fan of Paris!
I did not care for the waiter at all. Now, I normally have no problem with waiter attitudes, but even I thought this guy was a bit much – very sarcastic. And no, I really don’t think something was lost in translation. I think he was merely a jerk! It happens everywhere.
Anyway, I started with an appetizer of green beans. It went downhill from there. Tom ordered tuna bleu (rare). It came out light gray. My foie gras was burnt to a crisp. I’m not exaggerating. I can’t believe anyone even let it leave the kitchen! Burnt, I mean burnt, like charcoal! Well, they took back both dinners and did them over (that’s always convenient for your dining companions). They were better the second time around, but certainly nothing to write home about. Oh, and then they overcharged us, which took us some time to work out. I’ve been to other Flo Group restaurants, and nothing like this occurred.
Today, we decided the couples would split up and do their own things. But first, I took everyone to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, a place my father had read about and asked me to visit while I was going to school in Paris.
After that, Tom and I just wandered around all over. It was a great day in Paris – maybe one of my best and I think that’s just because we had no plans and nothing on our agenda to see or do.
We had lunch at a pizza place on the Left Bank – nice, little place, very good pizza. (Apparently, this guy Matthew thinks so, too - Pizza Peppa Bella).
We went to the jewelry shop where Tom bought my amber necklace a few years ago because he remembered they had clip earrings. They were closed!! It was a holiday, so there were a fair amount of shops closed. Oh well, next time (if we can find it again!).
We wandered some more and ended up at this café in the Marais, where we sat outside (another beautiful day after some rain in the AM) and wrote postcards.
Dinner that night was at Allard, which came highly recommended. My notes on this are sparse, but I know I found the service much too rushed. And I remember liking my appetizer better than the entrée. Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was the elderly French lady sitting next to us, telling us how much she hated Americans, and essentially incessantly interrupting our dinner (she was alone) with not-so-nice talk. (Hey, I didn’t vote for W! You’re preaching to the choir, lady!) In all my visits to Paris, something like that had never happened. I was so surprised, given her generation. You usually get that sentiment more from the younger folks. Oh well. Anyway, Allard is most definitely not on my “go back to” list either.
Pete and I spent our last morning in Paris waiting on line at a post office (so SLOW) while Denise and Tom visited a café. We had an uneventful plane ride back. It was truly a fabulous trip!
Check out our trip pictures here.