How fun would it be to have a field trip at the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris analyzing Matisse et al? Very.

The French version of Big Brother is actually Small Brother…..seen in Paris today. LOL

Portions are undoubtedly getting bigger in France. This dessert is so huge you have to eat it with an ice cream scoop.

I guess you would call that a melding of cultures.

No wonder Van Gogh hung around Provence.

My family and I decided to bring planking (à plat ventre) back to France…at least for a short while.

Looking for elephants in France? There’s at least part of one at the Chateau de Prye.

Savon de Marseille

Palais des papes/Pope Palace – Avignon, France

It’s places like Château de Castelnaud (and the village Castelnaud-la-Chapelle) that make the Perigord one of my favorite regions to travel to in France. Alhough privately owned, it’s open to the public, and I highly recommend visiting the château and nearby countryside especially for the spectacular views from the castle/fortress of the surrounding area and the Dordogne River. From atop the fortress, you can see the châteaux of Beynac and Marqueyssac and the medieval village of La Roque-Gageac. NOTE: Like most smaller French villages I feature on this blog, you’ll need a car to get here and explore the vast Black Perigord.

Château de Castelnaud is a treasure trove filled with fascinating history and trivia as well as beautiful medieval architecture.

Château de Castelnaud (website)
Musée de la guerre au Moyen Âge
24250 Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France
Telephone: +33 (0)5 53 31 30 00
GPS :44°48’57.59’’ N
1°08’33.02’’E

Here’s a slideshow of photos I took of Château de Castelnaud:

Erasable Graffiti seen in Honfleur, France.

This photo’s from an art exhibit (sculptures and paintings) we went to called, “Terre, Arbres & Forêts” (Earth, Trees & Forests) – artwork by artist/filmmaker Vincent Lajarige. This is one of the coolest venues for an exhibition held inside the Chapelle Sainte-Anne in Arles.

I know what you’re thinking: these jellified halved pigs’ feet look scrumptious.

Related: What the French Say About Pigs

Not knocking this but does this tarte aux escargots /snail pie (really more like a quiche) entice anybody? I didn’t get it and opted for a yummy apple tart, but maybe if I stay longer in Burgundy, snails will eventually seem like a treat.

Piggy banks seen in Vezelay. Were they made in France? Don’t answer that.

Sometimes a croque monsieur (a ham, melted cheese and bechamel sauce sandwich) and fries hit the spot.

These panda shoes would look cute on one of my little nieces. FYI: Seen in Macon, France.

Seen on the TGV. Why not J’♥ Frites? Because English is so much cooler in France. Soon, we’ll all be speaking English here. No need to learn French!

Tasty appetizer from a hidden place in Burgundy. (I’ll try to write about it later.)

Because pastries rule in France.

Going back to Rue Mouffetard after a long while, reminded me of one of the very first times I was there. I was visiting a film student friend who lived on the street. We were hanging out the 3rd story window of his apartment watching people, and he suddenly jumps and screams, “THAT’S Wim Wenders!” I’m like, “Are you sure? You can only see the top of his head. How can you tell?” He says, “I just know the top of Wim Wender’s head! It’s him sitting outside at that cafe, I swear.” He started running down the stairs. “Let’s go meet him!” I ran down with him. And, it turned out to actually be him; it was the man who made one of my all time favorite movies right before my very eyes. We chatted for a minute or two about nothing in particular. My buddy got his autograph. I wished I had my camera with me but that was when I rarely took any photos. I totally regret that. Anyway, I didn’t see Wim Wenders this time but here are some photos I took on Rue Mouffetard a couple of weeks ago.

Chef Bernard Loiseau, known for his world class fine cuisine, is no longer with us but his Three Michelin starred restaurant, La Côte d’Or and hotel, Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu continue his legacy largely due to his family’s dedication and current chef Patrick Bertron. His attention to detail, focus on exceptional dining and overall perfectionism is felt everywhere here, and if anything, Bernard Loiseau should be remembered for what he was able to achieve during his lifetime and the hallmark he leaves behind. Nothing else.

We loved staying at Le Relais and eating La Côte d’Or. If you come to France and don’t make it to one of Bernard Loiseau’s establishments, you’ll be missing out on what would be one of the most memorable trips and meals you’ve ever had.

Some photos from our trip!

Le Relais Bernard Loiseau
21210 Saulieu – Bourgogne, (Côte d’Or, Burgundy) France
Tel. : + 33 (0)3 80 90 53 53
E-mail : contact@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED Tuesday-Wednesday from November 2 to December 22, 2010

Other Bernard Loiseau locations:

Restaurant Loiseau des vignes
31, rue Maufoux – 21200 Beaune, Bourgogne, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)3 80 24 12 06
E-mail : loiseaudesvignes@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Sunday and Monday

Restaurant Tante Louise
41, rue Boissy d’Anglas – 75008 Paris, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)1 42 65 06 85
E-mail : tante.louise@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Saturday and Sunday

Restaurant Tante Marguerite
5, rue de Bourgogne – 75007 Paris, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)1 45 51 79 42
E-mail : tante.marguerite@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Saturday and Sunday

Who can blame the car rental company, Sixt, for poking fun at Sarkozy’s height? In this German ad, it says, “Do like Ms. Bruni. Get a small French (one).”

A new trend in fashion in France? For those of you who’d like to adopt this style, I certainly hope the weather warms up.

My sweetie HAPPENED to be in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris’ Best Baguette of 2010 and grabbed a couple of warm baguettes to see how spectacular they are. A few shops down, he found an award winning charcuterie for their fromage de tête, Christian Durant Charcuterie, and picked us up some artisanal foie gras (I wouldn’t have minded some of that award winning fromage de tête but oh well!) Both baguette and foie gras were pretty fantastic. A slight bémol regarding the baguette. It could’ve been perhaps more airy inside but that’s how I personally like them. They were, in any case, deliciously thin and crispy on the outside and soft in the inside – and paired with the foie gras, a perfect and typical French indulgence for any time of the day!

Le Grenier à Pain
The Best Baguette in Paris 2010
38 rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris France

Charcuterie Christian Durant
30 Rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris France

The second round of No Sarkozy Day demonstrations will take place March 28, 2010 at Place Denfert Rochereau at 3pm.

Travailler plus pour gagner moins.

Years ago in Paris, you could walk into practically any brasserie or restaurant and not worry that you would be served terrible food. For the most part you wouldn’t be disappointed. Move forward in time and things have changed quite a bit and well, you aren’t as confident walking cold into an unknown restaurant in Paris. Despite those turn of events in recent years, we often find ourselves walking into an unknown restaurant in Paris not having the slightest idea if it’s going to be good! Oh well, we’re still optimistic about things and always hope we’ll be happy with our random choice.

When we were turned away at Breizh Café for not having reservations, we then wandered into Des gars dans la cuisine, a small restaurant in Le Marais, and were very pleased with our accidental selection. Yay. To note was the Parmentier, a dish originally known as a poor man’s meal including mashed potatoes and left over meats, typically ground beef. However, the Parmentier at Des gars dans la cuisine, (a restaurant name, which is a play on words: guys in the kitchen or damage in the kitchen), is a step up from the original dish. Their version features Canard confit au foie gras, jus au miel et poivre vert (duck confit with foie gras, juice from honey and green peppercorns) -  the yummiest Parmentier I’ve ever had. I think it should be listed in this book we refer to from time to time.

^{[Photo courtesy of Travis Moon Photography]}

Just next to Madonna in Paris, is this adorable rendition of Einstein, carrying a sign, “Love is the answer.”

I saw this street art of an Andy Warholesque hommage to Madonna, and thought I’d share. Photo taken in the Latin Quarter, Paris.

What, you’re only welcome if you speak English? AND you’re a biker? Seen in Mesvres, France (Burgundy).

^{Photos of Cluny, France}

The medieval village of Cluny (in the Burgundy region of France) was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1979 and remains a legendary and awe-inspiring point of interest for millions of visitors who come to France every year. Its focus is the Romanesque abbey, founded in 910 by William the Pious (the Duke of Aquitaine) when Cluny was the center of religious reform and efforts were made to restore monastic life. It was the largest church in the world until the construction of Saint Peter’s in Rome. During the French Revolution, the Wars of Religion and its aftermath, the abbey was sold, looted and operated as a quarry. Most of it was demolished and systematically dismantled until 1823. Despite this terrible turn of events, one transept of the church survived and remains standing, as well as 18th-century convent buildings and 15th-century abbots’ residences.

A recent installment has been placed near the transept. It’s a movable screen to create the illusion showcasing the rest of the church, sections that are actually no longer there but were re-created in 3D using augmented reality technology. It’s pretty cool. I took a short video of it (below):

Guided and non-guided tours also include a 10-minute, 3D film Maior Ecclesia, which inculcates a sense of the majesty and purpose of what was once the Christian world’s largest church.

More Visitor Information

Abbaye de Cluny
Palais Jean de Bourbon,
71250 Cluny France
Telephone Number: +33 (0)3 85 59 15 93
For more information:
Email: aymeric.pathier@monuments-nationaux.fr
Websites: National Monuments of France, Cluny Office of Tourism
General Admission Fee: 7 € / Free admission for children under 18 (except for groups)
Open: May 2 to August 31 from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm; September 1 to April 30 from 9.30 am to noon and from 1.30 pm to 5 pm.
Closed: January 1, May 1, November 1, November 11,
December 25

We stopped in Collioure, France on our way back from Barcelona almost a month ago and were impressed and surprised to find such a hidden gem. Collioure is only about 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) from the Spanish border, and if you’re ever in the area, it’s worth a visit. I would never describe anything with (or ever use the word) “enchanting” but it is just that in this unexpectedly gorgeous French port village. By the way, we ate at a restaurant called Copacabana, which has a beautiful view of the sea. It’s a very touristy place we randomly chose but the food was really tasty and the service was extraordinary. I took some photos and made a slide show below:

Thanks to William Lamy for the use of his music.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll remember that we’d gone to Serge Chenet’s new restaurant last year. Since that time, Mr. Chenet earned his first Michelin star, so we thought we’d check him out again. We made it back to our favorite bed and breakfast in Provence – only twice this year!!! – and we decided to revisit one of our favorite restaurants in Provence just a few weeks ago, and we weren’t disappointed. It’s pure yum. If you’re ever in the area please consider having dinner here. Our party of five loved everything and came up with these photos (some dishes are missing):

Pizza grissini, candied cherry tomatoes, herring sorbet on toast

Trilogy of fish, roquette/cheese soup, cow cheek roll

Tenderloin of pork with a soft parmesan polenta and snow peas

Apple Pie Deconstructed

Restaurant Serge Chenet
Le Mas Saint Bruno
Chemin des Falaises
30131 Pujaut
Phone : +33 (0) 4 90 95 20 29
Website

We can’t attest to the food in this restaurant but we can attest to the cuteness of the Deco Cafe. We were in Saint Remy de Provence for their famous, Wednesday street market and walked by this adorable cafe.

Answer: Nothing. Ok, maybe a perfectly made juicy burger. Hee!

Back to this giant croissant. We hit the road again and stopped off at a random bakery in Chevagnes. Their gimmick is giant baked goods! Fun, non?

That last post was so creepy and perhaps a hoax but I just had to post it. Sorry. C’etait plus fort que moi. Anyway, to assuage any horrible aftereffects you might have experienced, here’s a more pleasant blog post with photos of beautiful Annecy from a recent trip.

For Americans, the translation of Barbe à Papa into “candy floss” might dream up visions of fun and flavorful (but inefficient) dental hygiene tools, but in England and Australia, candy floss is just your run-of-the-mill term for cotton candy. There’s probably a crass dental joke in here somewhere but I’m not going there. Instead I’ll leave you with a photo of yummy macarons, candy floss flavored and all, from Les Halles in Lyon.

Some people come to Paris to take photos of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and The Arc de Triomphe, but I come here to take photos of game references. I’m strange that way. I love this “Leave us alone!” from the game, Bubble Bobble. If you’re wondering (I know you are!), this one’s at the corner of rue du Temple and rue Rambuteau.

Space Invaders bonus seen in Paris, Canal Saint Martin yesterday. Game is not over.

Just in case you were wondering, cursing and crying about PMS, at least now you know where it’s from. (We saw this just outside of Besançon, Burgundy.)

Photo by Swedish photographer Therese Aldgard and styled by Lisa Edsal

via

^{Click on the photo to enlarge}
Ok, you got me. This “Eiffel Tower” is in Las Vegas, but I couldn’t help but post about it. We’d just taken a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon, and they fly you over Vegas on the return. One word about the whole trip: spectacular. So hey, if you can’t make it all the way to the real deal, head on over to Sin City!

Previous dialogues: The Dalai Lama et Nicolas Sarkozy, 2 Air France Pilots, Barack Obama et Nicolas Sarkozy, Sarah Palin et Nicolas Sarkozy, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair, Francois Hollande and Maxime Bono, The Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni, Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

[Photo courtesy of Pete Souza's Delivering on Change, an Inside Look (slideshow of Obama's first 100 Days at the White House)]

Photo taken in Aix-en-Provence yesterday.

The sandwich invasion, not the underground transportation system.

Rental Bikes in Dijon

From viewonfashion:

“The Louis Vuitton ad campaign for the Stephen Sprouse collection is really amazing, and it´s a great branding tool too. All around the world, LV shops are using graffiti to promote this long-awaited collection which is already a big sales hit.

To promote the launch of the Louis Vuitton book that pays tribute to Stephen Sprouse, they´ve got legendary graffiti artist Skam to paint an LV mural in Toronto.” [via] (photo courtesy of inqmnd)

What’s more perfect than a pain aux raisins dunked into a steamy bowl of café au lait for breakfast in France? Ok, a lot but this is still tops in my book. What is a pain aux raisins? It’s classified more in the viennoiserie category rather than the patisserie category (so it’s not officially a pastry, but anyway…) – and is a rolled up brioche dough filled with custard and raisins, and baked crispy thin on the outside and soft and moist in the inside, finished with a glaze.

When in France, please do indulge in this classic French treat. I can easily eat two of them but I’m American so I can be a pig like that. It’s expected. Thankfully.

See more French Pastries 101.

I wonder if Jeff Koons, the artist whose sculptures are displayed at the Château de Versailles (until Dec 14), is responsible for those condom ads.

Versailles Exhibition (slideshow and article at nyt)

Can you tell? There’s not a whole lot of excitement goin’ on chez nous these days. Anyway, the little guy from the other day is back. Actually, I think this might be a different one. It’s hard to tell; they all look pretty much the same (sorry, squirrels!). The walnuts have made the French squirrel news because I saw four squirrels around our house yesterday. That, I think, is a bit too much.

It probably helped immensely that my sweetie put out a bunch of walnuts from our last walnut harvest. I don’t think the little guy would be that bold and stay so near to me, being only about 6 feet away when I took the photo. He was alternately watching me and the gros lot (the jackpot) of walnuts.

Protect Nature / Respect the Environment / No Swimming Allowed

tags: signs, photos of france

^{Medieval Tombstones in the courtyard of the Rolin Museum, Autun}

tags: france, french, photos

We were lucky to stumble upon a charming, 14th century, fortified medieval village called Villeneuve les Avignon (Region: Languedoc-Roussillon, Department: Gard), which sits atop Mont Andaon and is situated just a couple of miles outside of the city of Avignon, across the Rhône River. Instead of passing by it, we decided to see what was within the walls. No regrets because inside those walls we found a hidden gem, particularly the abbey and the Italian style gardens of Saint André.

During the same time as the Avignon festivals (July/August), Villeneuve has its own festivities, Villeneuve en Scène, with over 20 groups performing concerts, musicals and plays. Here’s a quick slideshow of some photos I took.

Saint André Abbey in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

tags: france, french, villeneuve les avignon

While driving by this monument in the north of France not far from Fort Mahon and Ambleteuse, I let out a little gasp, “ew,” I added. My sweetie responded by saying, “that’s a classified historical monument you’re ewing…some kind of contemporary bit of architecture for a church.”

“THAT’S a church????”

It’s said that you’ll either be enthralled by this church or apalled by it. I seem to fit into the latter category though i want to like it. I’m used to seeing the beautiful cathedrals or village churches scattered throughout France, so once I saw this one near my brother-in-law’s home, I felt like I was no longer in France.

Despite that the Saint Pierre Church in Audinghen is not very old, there is, nevertheless, much history behind its creation. When you travel on the highway between Calais and Boulogne-sur-mer, you’ll notice there are at least five parish churches that look like they have been around for thousands of years…except this one. Why?

Actually, there was an old church in the very exact spot but it was bombed down in friendly fire by the bumbling Royal Air Force during the second world war. As a humane gesture and to make reparations, The Royal Air Force began building a new one in its place and finished it in 1960. I suppose the bell tower is meant to resemble an airplane wing…

tags: france, french, audinghen, ambleteuse, ugly church

tags: france, french, graffiti, nimes, destructive

Previous dialogues: Dialogue entre Barack Obama et Nicolas Sarkozy, Dialogue entre Sarah Palin et Nicolas Sarkozy, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair, Francois Hollande and Maxime Bono, The Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni, Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, french, air france, air france pilots, strike, la grève

tags: france, french, garden sculpture, Friday France Photo

A well-established restaurant, Le Chalet Bleu, headed by Philippe Bouché, is one of our favorite restaurants in Autun, France (Burgundy). It’s very reasonably priced with a basic menu starting at 18 euros. Of course, that menu features Tête de veau, which I don’t think I could bring myself to eating. It looks so blubbery and well….it’s a baby cow’s face! I might be unreasonable saying this but I don’t really want to eat a calf’s head. Does that include the brains? I know, I know, I should TRY it one day to REALLY tell. It’s not like you see a face with eyes and ears and a nose and BRAINS.. Well. Anyway, we ate lunch at Le Chalet Bleu recently, so here’s a little sampling of what we ate. None of us ordered Tête de veau.

Ballotine et Rillettes de Faisan en Gelée de Lentilles Vertes , Magret de Canard Fumé en Compote de Figue, Effilochée d’Endive, glace aux champignons et au miel

Terrine de lentils, Magret de Canard Fumé, soupe aux lentils

Dos de Flétan et Pétoncles au Safran, Meunière d’Endive, Epinard et Kumquat

Suprême de Sandre et Cuisses de Grenouille aux Petits Oignons Caramélisés , Beurre Emulsionné à l’Ail Doux Façon Pochouse

Pièce de Charolais Taillée dans la « Poire » en Mignonette de Poivre , Mêlée de Légumes d’Automne

Fromage

Arlequinade de Desserts Chalet Bleu

Crème Caramélisée à la Cassonade autour de Trois Parfums
( Chocolat à la Fève de Tonka, Vanille , Lavande)

Symphonie du Maître Chocolatier

Le Chalet Bleu
3 rue Jeannin
71400 Autun France
Tel: 03 85 86 27 30
E-mail:contact@lechaletbleu.com
Website

tags: france, french, le chalet bleu, food

An American Dream, What Obama Will Do, 84% of the French Happy about Obama, Hope Presides

tags: france, obama, french, france loves obama, obamamania

Specializing in beef, apparently. How good have we gotten at disassociating the cow from the steak? Very good.

tags: france, french, nimes, butcher, beef, disassociating the cow from the steak

Though I’m not much of a fan of her music, I loved Vanessa Paradis in the excellent movie with Daniel Auteuil called, Girl on the Bridge, and I really like this recent photo of her by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott (photoshopped and all), which is featured on the November 2008 French Vogue Magazine Cover.

tags: france, french, vanessa paradis, vogue france

Val de Reuil, located just south of Rouen has expressed their Obama love with this hard-to-miss billboard. I thought that was kind of cool.

tags: france, french, obama, val de reuil, yes we can, french billboards

A fountain in Roquemaure, France.

tags: france, french, roquemaure, fountain

Although there are many ways to explore the Camargue, France’s sprawling area of protected marshland, my personal recommendation would be to see it on horseback. That is, if you’re up for that kind of thing.

Because the Camargue is designated as a botanical and zoological nature reserve, it seems fitting to try to see it all the while respecting nature and the wildlife all around. I love riding and I’d been wanting to go horseback riding for ages, so this was the perfect opportunity, and for me, the perfect way to see the Camargue. If riding on a big animal’s back is not your cup of tea, you have many options: jeep safaris, organized tours, and my second choice for seeing the area, bicycling. With many areas of the Camargue being off-limits to motorized traffic plus the advantage of such a flat terrain, you’re good on bike. Hills will NOT be a problem. Hiking’s also a good choice but you must be in enormously great shape to cover a lot of ground, and to run away from charging wild bulls. Just kidding.

^{photo from Les Arnelles}

Looking for places to rent a horse to ride will not be a problem; they are everywhere. Just check out the place and owners a bit and examine the health of the horses. We visited three places before choosing Les Arnelles. The people working there were great, the horses were well taken care of, and since we had specific areas we wanted to see, they let us customize our ride.

If you plan on taking photos on horseback, I’d recommend bringing a small camera that you can use easily with one hand. I made the mistake of bringing my large camera, which is a little too clunky and heavy to use with one hand (carrying reins in the other hand), which is why I took very few pictures. Also, along the way, I lost my lens cover while we’d been galloping for a stretch. Doh!

NOTE: Don’t forget the mosquito repellent! Also try to bring some binoculars.

Les Arnelles
Route d’Arles
13460 Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer France
Tel: +33 (0)603 892 379 | +33 (0)686 601 515 | +33 (0)490 978 286
Website: Les Arnelles

tags: france, camargue, horseback riding camargue