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I’m not a black cat…but Happy Halloween from my black cat friends
Breakfast at Le Femme Boulanger
Breakfast at La Femme Boulanger
The Baker’s Wife…a wonderful breakfast in Nice. A basket heaped with multiple kinds of bread sat next to six jars of homemade jams. Of course, I had to sample them all. Orange and Grapefruit Marmalade, Fig Jam, Blueberry Preserves, Cherry Jam, Strawberry Preserves, and Apricot Jam…oh my.
If I was asked to pick a favorite, I’m quite sure I couldn’t. They were all that good.
And, this was before breakfast was brought to us. A fluffy, two egg omelet, fresh fruit, crispy bacon slices, and a grilled tomato graced the plate. But, it was hard not to lick out the jars which held the jams…just sayin’.
Located in the Golden Square in Nice, near the Promenade des Anglais.
Cassis…the First Time
Cassis…you may know the word cassis as the French work for blackcurrant. That’s true. And, it’s a great taste.
However, it’s also the name of a delightful French fishing port complete with impossibly clear turquoise waters, dozens of boats, and yummy-looking pastel houses. Plenty of charm here, too. There’ s just no other way to describe it.
Driving down and down the steep, winding road, past rocky cliffs on one side and glimpses of blue water on the other, you eventually arrive on the edge of Cassis. Without knowing it, you’ve passed right by the centuries-old Chateau. And, yes those were grapevines on the steep rocky slopes. Then you see shimmering water in the distance. The Mediterranean Sea.
Park above the town. You really do not want to drive on the narrow, slightly uneven cobblestone streets where locals and tourists are wandering. Walking gives you the opportunity to experience Cassis the way it should be experienced. Slowly.
Friday, the day we were there, is market day. Even though the guide books said this market was smaller than others in Provence, we found it to be just as diverse and delicious as any others we had been to. We strolled through rows and rows of vendors, tented stalls, and smells so fantastic our mouths couldn’t stop watering.
I visited with a cheesemaker from Germany. In the south of France. Go figure. Another vendor, a woman selling olive wood spoons, knew where San Diego was. Her daughter goes to school there. Small world. Deeply hued, brightly colored bowls, plates, and platters grabbed my attention. The vendor and I talked…her using small amounts of English and me using broken French. We got along just fine.
Even though the cheeses, meats, olives, pottery, flowers, biscuits, baskets, cookies, pastries, and stacks of breads might have appeared to be the same as other street markets, they weren’t. Each village or town has their own unique specialties. Candied orange cookies begged to be eaten with a cup of espresso. Yummy morning treat. They are a specialty here.
Not crowded like its touristy neighbor, St. Tropez, Cassis is a popular place for both international and French tourists on holiday. Everyone takes time to sit at a sidewalk café and people watch. Doesn’t matter if you’re drinking your morning coffee or mid-morning rose wine. Finished? How about shopping for a chic sundress, a stylish straw hat, or colorful, flirty sandals? All of the above, please.
Another thing, not a lot of English is spoken here. Yet, everyone is friendly and regardless of your command of the French language, you don’t even realize you’ve been communicating with the shopkeeper or the couple at the table next to you.
Wine? Sure. This is one of France’s outstanding wine growing areas. In fact, it’s one of the first three French wine regions to be classed as an AOC by decree on May 15, 1936. In this area, 12 wine estates produce 1,000,000 bottles a year. That’s a lot of wine from those steep vineyards. You’ll find mostly white wines with some Roses.
If you’re here for more than a day, you have to take a boat trip to the Calanques. These rocky inlets are called the Fjordes of the Med. A series of rocky cliffs and bays have been formed in the limestone. This area has a unique eco-system with no soil. It has been protected since 2012. The best way to see it is by boat. Be sure to allow enough time…or stay another day.
At the end of the day…Cassis is a place we’ll come back to. Wandering the town, sampling local seafood and wines, watching people enjoying themselves, and relaxing with a view of the sparkling Med in front of us and rows of candy-colored buildings stacked up the cliffs behind us. Oh yeah. We’ll be back. Hold our table. Merci.
If You Go: Cassis is located east of Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur in southern France.
Food and Wine…Here We Come
Avignon Food and Wine Tour
Mention Avignon and many people know this is where the pope lived during the early 14th century. Hence the imposing Palais des Papes which dominates the skyline of Avignon.
I’ll save that for another article.
On our last visit, we signed up for an Avignon Food and Wine Tour. Why? We love discovering and finding local foods on our own. But, thinking this might be something to try…we signed up.
We were promised a unique experience with a local guide, taking us to local shops. That was right on.
Aurelie, our guide, is a local. She shops around the city daily. So, that’s where she took us. The oldest artisan baker in town, an award-winning master chocolate maker, wine sellers, coffee roasters, olive growers, the local, central market…all her favorites. Many are now our favorites, too. Her passion for food, wine, and Avignon were evident. She knew the locals and they knew her.
As we wandered through streets and down alleys, we learned and we ate. What better way to learn about and understand local foods and how they relate to the history of Avignon? This is definitely a unique way to sample a city.
First up, slightly warm, impossibly light, buttery, flaky croissants. In a park. Surrounded by roses in shades of pinks and yellows, ancient stone columns, chirping birds flitting about the branches. And, pigeons begging for a crumb. Any crumb. Sorry…none left.
Except for the pigeons, it was the perfect way to start the day. If only we had some coffee or espresso. Guess what? That was the next stop as we wove our way through the back streets of Avignon.
At Café du Bresil, in Avignon since 1976, rich, fragrant, coffee beckoned to us from several feet down the street. This is a tiny place. Coffee is their passion. Buying the right beans, roasting to achieve the desired taste, and grinding to fit your machine…all important to them. Tastes and aromas. They make you want to taste, smell, touch, and look. What do you get? The perfect combination. We hated to leave.
Until, that is, Aurelie told us the next stop was an artisan chocolate shop. Aline Gehant, the owner and chocolatier of Artisan Chocolatier en Provence, creates chocolates with a variety of flavors and tastes. Our mission that morning, if we chose to accept it, was to decide what each sample piece was infused with. Of course, we all chose to accept that mission.
First taste…definitely lavender. Not heavy perfumey lavender. Just a hint. But, noticeable. Next, an herb. Was it oregano? Or, was it thyme? Turns out it was thyme. Again, just a hint. Last…a hint of pistachio. Since she makes her chocolates by infusing the herbs and flavors, you taste that subtle flavor all the way through the piece of chocolate. Simply amazing. But, we had to leave. A bakery was calling to us.
More walking. Actually, strolling to our next stop. The oldest bakery in Avignon showcased delightful pastries in the window. Decisions. Decisions. How do we know which one to pick? Thankfully, Aurelie had already chosen for us. Sitting beneath huge, shady trees, these disappeared amid sighs of pleasure. No crumbs left here, either. But, it was time to move to our next stop. Wine.
Since Chateauneuf du Pape is the area’s most prestigious wine, guess what we sampled? The wine shop also poured several other samples for us while explaining where his wines come from. Tasty stop.
Now, more walking to our final destination. Lunch at Les Halles d’Avignon. Forty growers and tradesmen from around the area feature and sell their products, which represent the taste, quality, and freshness of the soil. What a sight.
Glistening, ruby red peppers sit next to shiny, amethyst-colored eggplants. Strawberries, so plump you think they might burst, beckon to be sampled. Fruits and vegetables of every color imaginable line stalls up and down the aisles.
Perfect, marbled filets waiting to be cut to your order, fresh liver resting in a pan, giant slabs of bacon, chickens, geese, quail…and more. Duck fat…jars of duck fat. Seafood showcased on ice. Whole fish, mouths open, along the edge. It was all so fresh, you didn’t detect any fishy smell.
Olives…so many olives. Cheeses you may not have heard of but can’t wait to try. Tapenades, pates, garlic spreads, pickles. Baguettes, long, thin, crusty on the outside and melt in your mouth in the middle.
What do you want? Again, we didn’t have to decide. Aurelie had everything arranged for our gourmet lunch. Including wine and dessert.
What a perfect ending to our food and wine tour.
Now, we were off to explore more of Avignon on our own.
Would we do this again? Of course. It was a different way to explore a city. It was long enough and covered enough different areas. That made it ideal. We were introduced to areas and vendors we might never have discovered on our own.
Plus, we had the perfect guide. She kept us moving, yet didn’t hurry us.
This was a great introduction to Avignon.
If You Go: More can be found about this tour at https://www.avignongourmetours.com/#home-2.
Les Baux-de-Provence…A Piece of History
Les Baux-de-Provence
Set in the heart of the Alpilles regional county park, Les Baux-de-Provence is listed as a heritage site. It’s even won the title of one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France. Considering the fact that there are plenty of beautiful villages in France, this is quite an honor.
So, why this designation? We wanted to find out.
For starters, the village literally sits on a rocky plateau. It sort looks like someone perched it there, overlooking the valleys, hills, and marshes below. With its panoramic views, you can see all the way to Arles and the Camargue. If you know where to look, you can see some patches of red earth. These are all that are left of the bauxite quarries, a mineral used to make aluminum.
The Baux outcrop is one of the last foothills of the Alpilles mountains. It’s this craggy cliff formation, with sheer drops of 20 to 45 meters that provided natural protection for the Chateau. And, the Chateau was crucial.
This location was important as far back as early prehistoric times. Defend and protect. In addition to the magnificent drop offs, there are several smaller outcrops where defending troops could see the enemy coming. These somewhat smaller fortresses acted as sort of warning system for the main Chateau.
Keep the Chateau safe. And, they did.
In the Middle Ages, the Baux lineage was one of the leading families in Provence, thanks to the land. They had control of over 79 towns and fortresses until the King took it over.
The Renaissance was a golden age for the town and any buildings in need of repair were rebuilt. Until 1631. Insurgents took it over, leading to a revolt. Cardinal Richelieu’s troops besieged it, once again demolishing it. The village of Les Baux was gradually abandoned until 1821, when a geologist discovered a red rock rich in alum earth…bauxite.
After WWII, the village began a new life as a tourist and cultural center. Raymond Thuillier opened Oustau de Baumaniere, an ambassador for gourmet cuisine which attracted all the world’s best-known names in food.
Then came that distinction of one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France.”
Now, you can only visit the village by foot…which we did.
With its narrow alley-ways or streets, even the foot traffic gets congested at times. Winding our way up through the village, our goal was the Chateau at the top. Our self-guided tour let us explore as much as wanted, learning about the turbulent history, watching a giant catapult hurl rocks at incoming invaders, and experiencing what it would have looked like to watch an enemy approach from miles away.
Walking back into the village after exploring the Chateau, we were looking for lunch. The Renaissance facades, noticeable on many buildings, bring the memories of what this village once was back to mind. Small shops and restaurants now occupy those buildings.
A bottle of wine, lavender soap, a new Panama hat, locally grown olive oil, or perhaps a custom designed knife…whatever you’re looking for, you might see it here.
Restaurants? No shortage of these, from simple take-away deli sandwiches piled high with local meats, olives, and cheeses to sit-down organic meals to ala carte specialties. This village is truly a foodie one.
What did we discover here?
Plan on spending a full day. If you can, arrive early. Wander through the Chateau and its entirety, taking advantage of the free audio recordings. They help explain what you’re looking at and how it functioned many, many years ago. You’ll learn how they used that giant catapult, how they made their amour, where their food was kept, and where the wounded were treated.
Allow time to explore the village. Whether you’re shopping, exploring local fare, or intent on buying, take your time. Look at the buildings and imagine what they housed in their former lives.
Also, explore the type of restaurant and food you want. There’s a variety. So many choices…not enough time.
This a beautiful village in so many ways. It’s a village we’ll go back to. Maybe even stay longer next time…
If You Go: Les Baux-de-Provence is a French commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the province of Provence in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France
It
was after the Second World War that the village began a new life as a tourist and
Legoland Tips
LEGOLAND…
What promised to be a fun day exploring with grandkids…turned out to be just that. I mean, how can you not have a good time surrounded by giant Lego critters, Lego hands-on adventures, and a giant Lego Deathstar?
Although Legoland is primarily geared for families with kids ages 2 to 12, kids of most ages will enjoy something here. With over 60 rides, shows, and attractions, those alone can fill your day.
That doesn’t even cover the aquarium, the water park, wave park, and river.
Things I learned:
Go early. Even during off season, the popular rides and attractions fill up. If you have little ones, they may get tired after a couple of hours.
Head to the back of the park first. Rides at the front attract everyone’s attention as soon as they walk in. By going to the rides at the back, you’ll find less lines. Kids love almost all the rides. They’re happy to be riding or experiencing…not standing in line when they first get there.
Decide if there are rides you absolutely don’t want to miss. Scope them out and figure out the best time to go on them. You may have to wait, but there are things to watch while you’re standing in line.
Take breaks. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and have an ice cream cone or a snack. Chances are there’ll be a giant Lego figure close by the kids can sit on.
Let the kids wander. Keep an eye on them, but let them experience the park. There are so many Lego figures of all sizes to see. There are villages, lakes, Star Wars…absolutely everything Lego.
Let them build a Lego boat and float it down the ramp into the ‘pond’ below. Kids and adults…it’s for everyone.
Wear sunscreen. Even though there a plenty of trees, you are still outside for an entire day.
Check out the Lego hotels if you’re staying in the area.
Tired kids fell asleep on the way home. I’d say that was a good day at Legoland.
LEGOLAND is a registered trademark.
If You Go: Legoland is located at 1 Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, CA. For more information https://www.legoland.com/california/legoland-hotel/legoland-resort-hotel/resort-overview.
Your Luggage Isn’t There
According to the Department of Transportation, the vast majority of bags are reunited with their owners within hours. If your luggage isn’t on the carousel when you arrive, here are some steps to get you started.
Before you leave the airport, report your missing luggage to your airline’s customer service. If you took a connecting flight with multiple carriers, file a report with the airline that brought you to your final destination.
According to the Department of Transportation, you should insist on creating a report no matter what, even if the airline says your bag will be on the next flight. Before you leave the airport, ask for a copy of the report with a file reference number, and a follow-up phone number. Ask about delivery options.
Some carriers allow their employees to give you a cash advance at the airport for purchasing necessities, such as toiletries and a change of clothes. Others will reimburse you for these purchases later. When you report your lost luggage at the airport, ask the agent how your airline handles reimbursement for necessities. You are entitled to this compensation even if your bags are later returned.
International note: For bags that don’t show up after international flights, make a report with your airline as described above. After you receive a delayed bag, international regulations give you 21 days in which to submit a claim for reimbursement for necessities purchased in the interim.
After you’ve made a report, the airline will start tracing your bag. Most airlines will be able to deliver your bag within a day or two. If you receive no notice within a reasonable time after making your initial report at the airport, follow up with the airline by calling the phone number you received. Most carriers will also allow you to track the progress of your report online.
At a certain point, if an airline can’t locate your bag, its status will change from delayed to lost. For domestic flights, the amount of time varies by airline, though it shouldn’t be more than a few weeks. For international flights, luggage must be declared missing if it doesn’t show up within 21 days.
Once the bag is officially declared lost, you may begin the claims process for a lost bag. The exact claims process varies by airline. Regulations cap reimbursement at $3,500 per traveler for domestic flights and around $1,600 for most international flights.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, for example, allow customers to initiate a claim if their luggage isn’t located within five days. United Airlines allows customers to do so after three days.
As part of the claims process, you’ll fill out paperwork detailing the contents of the lost bags and their value. The airline will likely ask for sales receipts or other documentation to back up your estimates. The Department of Transportation cautions that if you don’t have these records, you can expect to negotiate with your airline.
Once your claim has been submitted, it can take an airline anywhere from four weeks to three months to reimburse you.
If you’re traveling with valuables, declare them before you fly. There are caps on reimbursement, and travelers with high-value luggage may want to declare and purchase excess valuation when checking their bags.
I know people who have never recovered their lost luggage…but it is rare. Bottom line…if you know what to do ahead of time, it may make your life easier when the baggage carousel stops, and you have no luggage. Maybe…
Beach Ready
Del Mar Racing…Fun at the Track
Is this one my winner?
Of course, hats are required.
Cassis…One More Time
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