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We took a tour around in the car the other day and wandered the streets of a couple of villages.
We had lunch at an outdoor cafe. I was feeling under the weather ( too much vin rouge the previous evening, ahem ) and a big bowl of pasta was just what I needed.
Oh, did I mention my Mum and Jen are here. Probably not. So…..my Mum and Jen are here!
John picked a really great restaurant for our last meal in the Ardeche region. I am really going to miss all of this outdoor dining when we go home.
Starter of escargot and mushrooms in puff pastry. NOM NOM NOM.
La Bastide de Virac, France
Lunch on the verandah.
Roquebrune-sur-Argens, France
Another week in France draws to a close. We spent this week in (another) old stone farmhouse. The second floor renovation is um, how shall we say, a little rickety. I fear for my life when I walk on the floorboards. I can actually see down into pthe corner of the kitchen from my bedroom. The rest of the house is lovely with exposed stone throughout the house.
Our next door neighbour is a vineyard.
St Saveur de Cruzieres, France
Every day there is a farmers market in a different village. Even though they all mostly sell the same things, I don’t get tired of seeing them. Yesterday we drove to a local village about 10kms away. It was yet another medieval walled village. We parked our car outside the village and made our way in by foot along the twisting cobblestone streets.
We found the farmers market where John picked out some vegetables for our dinner.
Oh, I realized quickly that this trip has been made infinitely easier by the fact that John speaks French. Just like I do not speak a lick of French, there are a lot of French people that don’t speak a lick of English. So many people will approach Charlotte and start cooing to her in French and then turn to ask me questions - how old is she, what is her name, is she a boy or girl (she’s wearing pink! her stroller is pink!) - and I have to turn helplessly to John and have them repeat the questions to him.
After the farmers market we wanted to get some lunch but the village was so tiny there was only one restaurant with a minimal menu. So we headed back out of the village and drove to another one nearby.
Upon arriving, we quickly found a lunchspot. Later we wandered the streets taking in the beauty of the old buildings and the winding streets. I especially love the shutters on all the windows.
Churches, churches, churches - they are everywhere! I’ve lost count of how many candles I have lit inside French churches!
We are usually home by 2 or 3pm so that John can be ‘at his desk’ in time for New York business hours.
Unrelated: Charlotte is as cute as ever.
Ardeche region, France
Breakfast
Every morning John (and his Dad when he was here) heads to the local boulangerie to pick up croissants, French bread, and pastries. I eat two croissants with jam every day. Not one, but two. EVERY DAY.
Dinner
We have eaten nearly all of our dinners outside - whether it be in a restaurant or at home. A couple of nights ago I cooked (yes, it happens!) and we ate dinner at the table in the front courtyard. We try and buy most of our food from farmers markets and the wine was purchased straight from a vineyard.
St Sauver-de-Cruzieres, France
On the agenda today: wine tasting.
Apt, France
My cousin Denise and her husband Vincent have a home about one hour from where we are staying this week. They drove down on Sunday to spend the day with us. We headed straight into the town of Roussillon for a late lunch, followed by a walk through the village to browse in the shops and admire the views.
We headed back to the house where the guys (and Winston) enjoyed a dip in the pool while Denise and I played with Charlotte.
We didn’t really stop eating all day. Cheeses accompanied by rose were the snack of choice.
We chased the sun, capturing the last few rays on the other side of the swimming pool.
And then it was time to cook dinner. The house we are staying in has what they call a Summer Kitchen - a fully stocked kitchen just off the swimming pool and patio. Vincent and John managed to work out how to use the BBQ. In the photo below, the coals are being heated in a canister.
Dinner was eaten on the patio as the sun set. It was a truly decadent day. It was one of those days when I realized what a lucky lucky woman I am to lead this life of mine.
Roussillon, France
One day last week we drove to Monaco. We were ravenous so as soon as we arrived we sought out a cafe and ordered some lunch. I was going to play it safe and order the Croque Monsieur but at the last second opted for something that sounded quite strange. It was a toasted baguette filled with cheese, onions, bacon and potatos. Yeap, a potato sandwich. I can’t even describe how delicious it was. These Monagasques really know how to make a rip-roaring-good sandwich!
One satiated we climbed the hill to the palace where Prince Albert lives and the cathedral where is father Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly are both buried. I grew up reading the gossip magazines that were filled with news about the Grimaldi family and have always wanted to visit Monaco. I was so excited to see it! And sadly, I was a little bit disappointed. I expected glitz and glamour on every corner, signs of a luxurious life lived by all the residents. And it really wasn’t like that. Even the palace wasn’t all that special.
The photo below shows the city from up near the Palace. There were loads of super-yachts in the harbor.
We didn’t bother going to the casino in Monte Carlo because we had le bebe with us. Plus we both had on flip flops and I think they have a fairly strict dress code.
Monaco
