Blogs from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 2

Réunion is a tropical island twice the size of Okinawa and half the size of Kangaroo Island in the Indian Ocean. The 210 kilometre coastline hugs 2 volcanoes, one active and one dormant, with 3 glorious collapsed caldera known here as Cirques (circuses). We are here to visit a friend and colleague from Okinawa. Not just visiting for the volcanoes! French is the official language spoken here, but the locals speak Creole. Months of study before arriving, is helping bridge the gap, because many people don’t speak English. Total immersion in the language, plus daily conversation with our host helps. I can talk about food, hiking and volcanic activity in faltering French. I cannot understand Creole! The first week has been busy, visiting markets, hiking and flying over the island. The range of food here is ... read more

We have always felt an obligation to support local businesses when we travel, and never is this more true than when we are in a wine-producing area. Therefore, we embarked on a guided tour of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area. This part of the Côtes du Rhône AOC. The rules here for labeling a wine appear to be a little complicated, but as I understand it you can label your wine with the Côtes du Rhône AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) if the wine production and grape sourcing are all within that defined region. As I understand it, you are not allowed to make wine from a single grape variety, but must blend at least two. You can further refine the label if the sourcing and production are done within one of 95 approved communes, and then the label ... read more

Our 10-day sojourn in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, on the beautiful Côte d'Azur, is rapidly drawing to a close. This afternoon we must pack our tucker bags, board a plane in Nice for the return flight to Naples tomorrow morning, and then drive back to Sorrento. If all goes according to plan, we should be back in our apartment by mid-afternoon. Today we decided to have a farewell lunch at Le Bar du Port, where we dined on the night of our arrival in Saint-Jean, in order to say farewell to the friendly, young waiter (Anthony) we've come to know during our brief stay. I had the grilled sardines and frites with a small salad, while Dee ordered a large tomato salad platter. Since it was rather slow on the restaurant's terrace this afternoon, we had time to chat ... read more

Thunderstorms rolled over the Cap Ferrat peninsula overnight, bringing cooler air and clear blue skies this morning; perfect weather for our planned outing to visit the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild today. We got an earlier than usual start for us (10:20 AM), catching the #15 bus shortly before it departed from its starting point a few blocks up the street from our apartment. It's been quite awhile since we've used buses, mostly in Paris over the years, and it felt good to hop aboard such a modern, clean and economical mode of transport once again. The fare of 1.50 euros is quite a bargain, considering that we could ride all the way to Nice on a single ticket. However, today we disembarked after only 3 stops to reach the villa. A curving, slightly uphill driveway of ... read more

Yesterday we laid low, venturing out only to visit the local butcher for a poulet roti (rotisserie chicken); the boulangerie (bakery) for a baguette and croissants; and a vegetable vendor outside our door for some zucchini flowers, fennel, potatoes, apples, tomato, green beans, white asparagus and some shallots. Apparently Chef Dee is planning something special for dinner? Feeling somewhat rejuvenated today, we decided to try one of the designed promenades, or walking trails, that hug the coastline of the Cap Ferrat peninsula where we are located. These walks are of various distances and degrees of difficulty, so we selected one of the least-demanding of them, the Promenade Maurice Rouvier, which runs in a northerly direction for about 1.2 kilometers starting from the Saint-Jean town hall. The path we followed was very flat, with only a few ... read more