http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/robjame/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from robjame en-us Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:41:23 +0000 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:41:23 +0000 MediterraneanCatalan FoodYou only have to travel a few kilometers in France and you are in a different region with different cuisine and specialties. The Dordogne area is foie gras duck truffles goose mushrooms with Cahors and Bergerac wine. These are the main products raised and served there. This area the Roussillon region on the Mediterranean Sea is all about seafood such as mussels o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Languedoc-Roussillon/blog-382478.html We have left the house in the Dordogne where we very happily spent the last two months. We drove about four hours south to the Roussillon region of France where we have rented an apartment for the next ten days. We are right on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea in the Cote Vermeille. A stonersquos throw from the border of Spain the apartment is in Argeles sur Mer the last of miles of beach to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Languedoc-Roussillon/blog-382135.html Earlier this month we had the opportunity to share an apartment for a week in Paris with our daughter Tracy and her husband Randy. It was their first time to France so we redid a lot of the things that you do on your first time to Paris which was really fun. We visited sites that Sandra and I hadn't been to in years. The weather wasn't fabulous but we had some nice days and it didn't stop us http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-376107.html Sarlat is the Dordogne town close to here that held the Truffle Festival. Today was the first ever Festival of the goose. Oie is French for goose as well as being a French word that is almost impossible for an English speaker to say.The raising of geese for the production of foie gras goose or duck liver is very important in this area. When you drive in the country you pass numerous farms ad http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-375871.html There are many touristy things to do in Dordogne even in winter. Some of the more popular activities such as canoeing on the Dordogne River or camping are seasonal but others are available. Some are even better in the winter due to the limited number of tourists. Cave Visits The cliffs of Dordogne are riddled with caves and rock dwellings that were occupied by prehistoric people for thousands o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-373549.html Our daughter Tracy came to Dordogne to visit us for three days before the three of us went by train to Paris for a week. More of that later. Being her first time to France we decided to take her to three different restaurants in the area.Now Tracy is not at all adventuresome in her eating. Her idea of risktaking gastronomically is to switch from raspberry to strawberry jam on her peanut butte http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-373010.html We have spent several holidays in France including twice before in the Dordogne area in the SW of France. The last time we rented an apartment here in Carlux from a couple originally from Toronto. They manage two other properties in Sarlat as well as their own. These can be seen atwww.yourfriendsinfrance.orgThey spend the months of January and February in South Africa and we were presented with t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-368043.html There are advantages and disadvantages of traveling to France during the winter. A lot of the tourist attractions are closed or on reduced hours. However you have the chance to share in some real life activities. In January and February almost every village has a community meal that is both a bargain and an opportunity to share in the life of the French. Looking over the Sarlat newspaper you could http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-367683.html The storm that is remembered is the storm of 1999. Exactly 10 years later is the next great tempete. Caught unawares last time there was plenty of advance warning for this one.We are situated in the South eastern portion of Dordogne most of the devastation was southwest of here stretching down past Toulouse into Spain. We have experienced more severe winds in Florida and even in Northern Ontari http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-367605.html The French spend a higher proportion of their income on food than we do. Julia Child in her autobiography My Life In France suggests that their obsession with food is inbred after centuries of doing without and famines. That seems a little farfetched but after attending the Truffle Festival in Sarlat we decided to find out more about this tuber which is so highly prized. Truffle Menu at Chateau d http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-365594.html Sarlat is hosting the International Truffle Festival today and tomorrow. This two day event included two truffle markets a reenactment of truffle hunting art depicting the truffle cooking demonstrations truffle products and truffle sampling.If you have never smelled a truffle the odour is very distinctive and was quite evident when we got close to the market. Trying to describe it would be i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Dordogne/blog-364071.html Carrefour in BriveSandy and I are over our flu and decided to head to Brive today. Brive is a medium size city about 40 minutes north of here. It houses a wonderful cathedral major SNCF station for the area and a Carrefour. Carrefour is the reason we made the trip. Carrefour is what Super Walmart should be. Built into a shopping centre it is huge with easily distinguishable departments food div http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Limousin/Brive-la-Gaillarde/blog-362949.html Winter In DordogneThe owner of this gite said to me that some people find it too quiet. Sandra went to read in the sun on the patio while I wandered around the property. A chainsaw was buzzing in the distance a hen next door was particularly pleased about something and was clucking noisily one of the miniature horses across the road snorted while another slurped water from a blue bucket. It was http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/blog-362044.html Happy New Year to everyone from Paris our favourite city in the world.First let me say that we spent a wonderful evening last night at the 56th floor restaurant Le Ciel de Paris Tour Maine Montparnasse. The evening was clear and we had a window seat looking out at the Eiffel Tower. The view was spectacular and we enjoyed the hour's worth of fireworks of which the Paris experts assured us the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-358964.html Three Days in Sete FranceWe took three days to drive south to see our friends Ross and Maureen. They had rented an apartment in Sete.Sete is a fishing village of about 30000 people on the Mediterranean. It is the second largest fishing village in France Marseille is largest. Located in the LanguedocRoussillon area it is often referred to as the Venice of France.The area along the port has an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Languedoc-Roussillon/blog-211813.html Still More Dordogne Food ReportsLe Relais des Cinq Chateaux24220 Vzac en Prigord Tel 33553303072 Fax 33553303008 email 5chateauxperigord.comThis was another revisit for us from our previous trip. Cinq Chateaux is a favourite of ours but never seems to get a lot of respect. I suspect it is partly because of the location in a modern motelhotel place although some have reported terri http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Languedoc-Roussillon/blog-211426.html Dordogne MarketsOne of the joys for us is to visit the local markets that abound in France. The colours the smells the sounds all gently assault you as you wander with the locals. There is also a sense of participating in a custom and commercial enterprise that has flourished for centuries. Living in a gite has allowed us to buy foods and prepare them in our own kitchen.We love the idea of shop http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Auvergne/blog-211226.html Dordogne Food Reports ContinuedLa Belle Etoile Htel La Belle EtoileLe Bourg24250 LA ROQUE GAGEAC FRANCETl. 33 05 53 29 51 44Fax 33 05 53 29 45 63This is another one of those restaurants that we missed last year because of days of closing timing and so on. It is located right along the road and a window table can be favourable. It is more formal and I would guess that th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/blog-209524.html I probably shouldn't have put these two restaurants on the same page as the names are so similar. Be careful when you are looking at the pictures. La Metairie Dordogne Food ReportsLa Metairie outside Les Eyzies near Font de GaumeThis was a revisit for us. Eighteen months ago this restaurant was nearly empty for lunch. This time they opened the second dining room to accommodate. I am sure it was http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/blog-208492.html Our Gite in DordogneLrsquoEcurie at Le Fournil Carlux Dordogne We drove from Paris in mostly rain to our gite in the Dordogne. The highways are wonderful and we love the numerous ldquoairesrdquo rest stops along the way. Some are fully serviced with fuel food washrooms and picnic areas. Others have only washroom facilities and picnic tables.Our home for four weeks is an apartment att http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/blog-208537.html