Back to France

Tuesday 16 June

After a week in Bad Salzhausen  it feels wonderful to be back on French soil.  We drove for 6 hours today, circling around the industrial Rhone conurbations of Frankfurt and Mainz, negotitating endless roadwaorks on German autobahns and crossing throught the border hills and into the north-east of France near Metz.  Immediately the roads and roadside facilities improved (thanks to the peage system no doubt) and we enjoyed zooming south-west through the French countryside,  The fields, and forests have the fresh green hues of early summer and plentiful rainfall, with young  crops shooting up out of the fertile soils of the Lorraine region.  The weather today was slightly overcast but fine and warm.  We stopped only for service centre coffee (surprisingly good) and a sandwich, eager to reach our destination, the Cote d'Or wine village of Pommard, just south of Beaune. As we turned up the lane leading into Pommard, Caroline was overcome with the onslaught of charm and beauty - the sudden rise to the hills of the Cote d'Or reveals neat hectares of vines, kilometres of high pale stone walls and little villages dominated by tall church spires, nestled into hollows in the landscape.

Cote d'Or, Burgundy

Down the lane into Pommard

The narrow wall-enclosed lane into Pommard opens up suddenly to reveal the beautiful Chateau de Pommard wine domaine and then our little hotel, Hotel du Pont, on the corner of the main thoroughfare.  The whole village is a mix of pretty terrace houses and grand maisons half hidden behind lovely old metal gates.

Chateau de Pommard

   A few locals were enjoying an apero on the terrace of Hotel du Pont as we checked in - up a narrow stone staircase to a quaint, ancient but beautifully renovated little suite with windows overlooking the busy intersection.  Although bustling at this hour we felt that being a working agricultural town, early to bed would be the go - sure enough it was - with early to rise thrown in for good measure.
No restaurant open in the village so we made the short journey into the centre of Beaune in search of dinner. Beaune was lively but not overcrowded and we made our way through the pedestrianised centre to a cosy brassierie, Le Carnot, where the wait staff were super friendly, the ambience was wonderful and the food simple but very, very tasty.  I had a delicious bowl of onion soup and Caroline chose escargot along with an interesting goats cheese and red fruit salad  - all washed down with a glass of Saint-Veran white ( a local wine).  To follow we shared a decadent tarte tatin  (I love apple desserts in France) - served with lashings of creme chantilly and vanilla ice cream.
Tired after our long journey, we didn't linger in Beaune but headed back to Pommard and our super comfy beds.

Beaune

Wednesday 17 June

A gloriously sunny morning and after a light, delicious breakfast served with great charm by the lovely young man in the bar area of the hotel we set out to explore a few of the little villages of the Cote d'Or before driving south to Uzes.  The vineyards were busy places this morning with people everywhere spraying, pruning and otherwise tending to the vines - such a precious commodity in this part of the world.

Fantastic vine spraying machine 

  First stop was the garden of the Chateau de  Pommard - exquisite! The contrast betwwen the clipped box hedges and the flowers tumbling in a riot of colour over the edges of the beds is very satisfying.

Gardens of Chateau de Pommard

We drove high above pretty Volnay for a splendid view over the Saone Valley and then on to the very notable villages of Mersault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet - the wine from domaines in this part of the Cote d'Or is very good (and very expensive!).

A wonderful landscape more Cote d'Or vines and villages

  It was a shame to leave all this idyllic scenery but the tyranny of distance interrupted our wanderings and we took to the Autoroute du Soleil - hopefully we were heading for more sunshine.

Country roads, Burgundy

Negotiating Lyon was the usual slow and tedious part of the trip south but eventually we made it into the Gard and our overnight stop at Uzes.  It was a joy to see the early lavender in the Rhone Valley as we sped along the autoroute in the Drome department.

Lavender fields in the Drome

Despite the warmth and the sunshine the wind was really blowing  - the end of a Mistral we were told.  Unfortunately my throat virus was a lot worse this evening and Caroline took me to a local doctor who prescribed a basketful of medication to deal with what had become an infection.  We were both quite tired and opted to skip dinner and rest at our lovely hotel on the edge of town - a very kind and hospitable host was most helpful and concerned.  Uzes is not far from Avignon, in the middle of a rich agricultural area - peaches, melons, cherries, apricots, strawberries all being offered at roadside stands.

Thursday 18 June
Another warm and sunny day in the south with a little less wind today.  Uzes is a typical old southern town - narrow streets, shady tree lined squares, pavement cafes and this morning bustling with activity.  It is lovely to amble along taking in the sights, sounds and smells (coffee and croissants).

Main street - Uzes

 There is a grand old palace with views over the surrounding countryside and the jumble of rooftops of the old town.

The Window Tower of Uzes

  We decided to combine breakfast and lunch at charming boulangerie - coffee and quiche at a pavement table. We lingered watching the world and his dog go by - as you do!

Shady square, Uzes

 There was a consensus that we liked Uzes a lot but all too soon it was time to press on. After a rather cursory viewing of some of the historic buildings we were on our way again - towards Beaucaire, Arles and then the autoroute across Provence towards Nice.

Uzes - a lovely town for wandering

  We made a short stop in Beaucaire for a cold drink beside the canal which was full of moored river boats (it is near the delta of the Rhone River).

Beaucaire

Still driving south to connect with an autoroute, we skirted the flat lands of the Camargue and were delighted to catch a glimpse of some of the famous white horses grazing in a field.  By the time we were by-passing Aix-en-Provence the plains of the Camargue had given way to forested hills and valleys with the stark rocky peak of Mount Sainte-Victoire dominating the landscape (Cezanne's favourite haunt).

Mount Sainte-Victoire, near Aix-en-Provence

The rest of the journey to Vence went quickly and soon we were in the peak hour traffic and heading up into the heavily populated hills behind Cannes and Nice.

View from Hotel Diana, Vence

  Another one way road system almost stumped us but a couple of strategically placed signs directed us to Hotel Diana on the edge of the old town.  Our room was spacious and comfortable, the staff spoke only French and the view from the terrace was amazing.  Taking advantage of the balmy evening we strolled through the ancient quarter - narrow twisting lanes, very close-quarter living - all facing inwards away from the spectacular views.

A surprising little garden, Vence

  The mountains rise above Vence to the north and the Mediterranean sparkles below in the south.  Restaurants everywhere but we liked the look of a pretty and busy one on the town square - good choice - the meal was delicious and the live music very cool.

Wonderful dinner in Vence

Tried the local wine - yum - we haven't had a bad one yet.  Tonight we were once again in bed before dark.  An early start tomorrow to meet Cheryl and Christie at Nice Airport ( not far away).  Our journey from Bad Salzhausen to Vence has been mostly confined to autoroutes but we have thoroughly enjoyed our little stopovers  and we have been blessed with magnificent sunny weather all the way.  So glad we decided to take the route through France!

Vence from the hotel roof terrace

On the road again

Sunday 7 June

The clouds have rolled away and the sun is busy ripening the grapes on the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains.  With only a three hour drive to Frankfurt Airport this afternoon we took the opportunity to get amongst the vines this morning, visiting a couple of the charming villages on the Alsace Wine Route.  Hotel breakfast this morning and very nice too.  Jess cleverly manoeuvered our car out of the miniscule parking space in the hotel garage and we were off on the final day of our dash through France.

First stop, Kayserberg

Within 15 minutes of Colmar is the first in a series of delightful villages which nestle into the lower slopes of the mountains (big hills really) surrounded by endless fields of vines.  Kayserberg is very typical - lots of lovely half-timbered buildings, a crystal clear little river rushing through the town, lovely shady trees and pretty cobblestone streets reserved for pedestriansl

Kayserberg

 As we strolled along the main street it became apparent that this is a favourite place for Sunday morning breakfast.  We browsed in some quaint little shops - lots of souvenirs featuring owls, storks, teddy bears and the local red and yellow pottery (watch out for Chinese imports!).

Cutsie souvenirs and sleepy cat

 The bakeries were full of various renditions of the local cake, kugelhopf - pretty to look at but rather dry and tasteless to my mind.

Little kugelhopfs

As in much of Europe the shop signs are are delight - so decorative and charming  - Kayserberg certainly has some very attractive ones!

Whoops - getting a bit obsessive about these - add them to my fascination with European doorways and window architecture.

It is asparagus season right now - yummy!

  Anyway, Kayserberg is a cool place to amble through on a glorious sunny morning - flowers, rainbow coloured houses, little stone bridges, birdsong, enticing smells from restaurants, well behaved dogs out and about - wish we could have stayed longer.

Little river in Kayserberg

How is this for a rose bush!

Mindful of the time (Jess had a plane to catch) we drove a short way through the fields of vines, up and over the hills to our second stop off village, Riquewhir.

Approaching Riquewhir

It was a bit of a mission to find a car park - the Sunday lunch crowds were turning up in droves.  This is a popular place with German people (they did have ownership of Alsace at one time) as it is only 20 km from the Rhine River border crossing.   I do think we parked illegally but we only stayed a short time and there were no irate locals shaking fists when we returned to the car.

Riquewhir is very pretty - lots of little streets to explore but today we stuck to the main one.  Spent a little time and money at the Kathe Wolfahrt Christmas shop and then bought baguettes to munch on our journey to Frankfurt.  Shame we didn't have time to sit at one of the many restaurants and watch the world and his dog go by. 

Main street, Riquewhir

Not much more to say about Riquewhir - mindful of the dreaded "stau" around Frankfurt and didn't want to miss Jessica's flight - well that is another story!. A few photos to whet the appetite for more Riquewhir some other time:

So, a slightly over the top shop front and it is goodbye to Riquewhir.

We continued our drive north through more vineyards and past more pretty villages until we reached the Strasbourg by-pass.  No peage today - yay!

Between France and Germany on this route there is a 20 km section of  two lane road - obviously the two countries could not reach any agreement about highway responsibility here.  Fortunately the traffic was light and we were soon hurtling along the autobahn - bit of a shock to move from 130 km ph in France to open slather in Germany.  Even the tiniest, oldest cars think they are Audis and travel at break-neck speed.

Not knowing that it was the end of a long weekend was a bit sad..  About 100 km out of Frankfurt we encountered the first stau (traffic jam)  and after that it was stop/start most of the way to the airport.  Somehow we arrived on time, checked Jess in for her flight to London and then had a tasty meal in a nice (for an airport) restaurant - just pizza and salad but delicious - we had abandoned our baguettes along the way - they were disgusting.

Jess left me to check through immigration and I set off for Bad Salzhausen, just 75 km north east of Frankfurt.  The traffic was flowing well out of the city - different story on the other side - more stau for the poor people returning from their long weekend break.  Why would you bother - a nightmare!

Bad Salzhausen looks much the same and I received a warm welcome at Pension Weisenau - my home for the next week and a bit.  The couintryside is lush and green but there is still a chill in the air this far north.

Having had no option but to drive all the way from Marseille (my car had left the factory and was en route there when I changed my itinerary) I must say that it was a delightful trip and Jessica's company was a real bonus.  Look forward to seeing her again soon.  Jess enjoyed her weekend away from London (she has a love/hate relationship with that city - understandable!).  The last bit was not so much fun - flight from Frankfurt to London cancelled (engineers on strike) and a bit of a battle to get on an alternative.  Happy ending though - Jess was out of Frankfurt by 9.30 pm and although she had to fly into Heathrow instead of London City, she made it home at a reasonable hour (work for her the next day).

Not sure what this week will bring - just looking forward to having it over and done with,  and getting to the next part of my Europoean adventure.

French Mini Road Trip - Day 2

Saturday 6 June

Ah, the delight of a comfortable bed!  After a good night's rest we woke to a warm sunny morning and foregoing the hotel breakfast, headed for the Intermarche on the edge of town for water and croissants (freshly baked).  Today we had a longish trip (500 km, five and a half hours) of autoroute driving ( and a not insignificant amount of eurocash donated to the Peage) to Colmar in the Alsace region which borders Germany. The A7/E15 up to Lyon was quite busy but it was a pleasant journey through rolling hills cloaked in early summer greenery and looking very lush.  Circumnavigating Lyon was not the nightmare it can sometimes be and we made good time to our stopover, the beautiful medieval village of Perouges (named after Perugia in Italy).

  This lovely hilltop town is a member of the Plus Beaux Villages de France organisation, and rightly so.  It is exquisite.  Being vehicle free, we were required to park in a discreet parking lot half way up the hill and then wandered up a pretty path accompanied by lovely birdsong and enjoying magnificent views over the countryside east of Lyon. In the carpark we were warned by a little posse of gendarmes to hide our bags and lock the car carefully - beware of les voleurs!  Surely not in this delightfully buccolic neck of the woods!

Up the lane to Perouges

There did seem to be a lot of cars and people arriving and on reaching the edge of the village we discovered the reason for Perouges' popularity - a Medieval Festival was due to kick off at 2 pm and the whole place was a hive of activity preparing for this wonderful event.  Unfortunately our schedule did not permit us to linger and take in the festivities.  Anyway we weren't really dressed for it - many folk were arriving in full medieval regalia.  I don't think Jess could quite get her head around the thought spending a Saturday afternoon in medieval drag!  Medieval festivals are very popluar throughout Europe in the summer - a great day out for the family. There is food, music, crafts, falconry, dancing and war games with swords and bows and arrows.

This way to the Medieval Fete

We wandered the ancient cobbled streets and took in the unspoiled beauty of the place - the whole village has been used as a film set (notably The Three Musketeers) at times.  Built in the 14th and 15th centuries it has changed little in the intervening years.

Perouges

  In the centre of the village and well protected by high walls is the Place du Tilleuls dominated by a 200 year old tilleul (flowering lime) tree planted shortly after the French revolution. The restaurants here were filling up but there was little breeze to cool the air so we opted to return to a restaurant just outside the walls.

Place du Tilleuls

 A culinary specialty of Perouges is a kind of galette made with brioche dough, flattened pancake style and baked at high temperature with a caramelised sugar topping. Of course we had to try just a slice - interesting texture and very crunchy on top, but a little sweet for our liking. It was interesting to see the balls of dough proving in the sun on a stone window ledge.

Local galette bakery

We were shown to a table in the garden of the restaurant, Le Veneur Noir (The Black Huntsman - sounds suitably medieval) and decided to have the barbecue meal - entrecote for both of us.  The setting is very pretty, the service delightful and the meal pleasant (what can one really say about a barbecued steak?).  Shaded from the hot sun and with tilleul blossoms floating down to settle on our hair and in our drinks nothing could have been more peaceful. We did notice that most of our dining companions were French - maybe Perouges is not very well known outside the region.

Lunch in Perouges

 The tables are set under two beautiful trees, a tilleul and an amazing acacia with the most fascinating twisted branches sprouting from a tall trunk.

Acacia tree in the garden of Le Venuer Noir - amazing.

Besides the lovley old buildings in Perouges there are two other standouts - firstly the divine rum and raisin ice cream I had for dessert at Le Veneur Noir ( fat juicy golden raisins soaked in rum - not sure if I should drive after a bowl of this delicious stuff!) and secondly the intensely coloured and vigourous flora - trees, vegetable gardens and most of all, the pelargoniums and roses.

The pelargoniums are almost fluorescent!

And somehow the Pierre de Ronsard roses arrange themselves so artfully around a window

Vegies seem to thrive here too!

As we strolled downhill to the carpark we encountered more crowds arriving for the afternoon's festivities - what a perfect day for a fete!  For us it was to be back to the autoroute and a journey north-east to Colmar.

Some medieval citizens in Place du Tilleuls

The three hour drive took us through the gorgeous countryside of the Bresse and the Jura Mountains ( not very high, but forming the border between France and Switzerland). Bresse chickens have a reputation for being a great delicacy - and a price tag to match the reputaion.  Closest we came to one was the roadside rest area named for the famous fowl and complete with a natty sculpture.

A very large Bresse chicken alongside the autoroute

We saw fat cows munching the impossibly green grass, young corn plants ready to shoot up, forests (full of deer and boar so the road side signs claim), rolling hills, deep valleys - what a land of plenty.  This is the birthplace of Raymond Blanc, the delightful chef who is domiciled in the UK and makes the most mouthwatering TV shows. As we approached our turnoff just before the German/French border we noticed towering thunder clouds forming on the horizon.  Our blue skies turned dark and the temperature plummeted.  We had just driven into Colmar when  the rain storm hit and we were very pleased to check into our hotel, the Turenne, circa 1625.  Fortunately the rooms have been revamped since that time and we once again were impressed with the level of comfort.
The rain didn't linger and were were able to head out and wander the cobbled streets of the old city along with a large number of tourists from all over.  Colmar is certainly tourist oriented but this does not detract from the somewhat Germanic charm of the buildings which are a jumble of shdapes, sizes and colours but of a uniform age - distinctly medieval.

Petit Venise, Colmar

  We strolled alongside the canal area (Petit Venise) admiring the pretty houses and spotting a copyu nutria (Strasbourg water rat) frolicing in the water.  Kind of ugly cute and quite large.  Bet they have sharp teeth too!

Copyu nutria in the canal Petit Venise, Colmar

Although we were not especially hungry we found a table at a popular brasserie in the middle of the Place de l'Ancienne Douane  called Schwendi Bier Und Wiestub.  The waiters spoke a strange mix of German and French - totally unintelligible to me  but we managed to order - a kind of chickeny schnitzel in cream sauce for Jess and the local version of pizza for me - known as Tarte Flambee or Flammekeuche in the Alsatian lingo.  Not bad, not great.

Dinner time, Colmar

  The sun came out agian and we strolled along the canal and back to the hotel - two sleepy trippers!  A bit of surprise along the way.  A bottlebrush in full flower - a little out of place but nevertheless very pretty.

A little bit of Aussie in Colmar

European Summer 2015 - Road Trip with Jessica

Thursday 4 June - Friday 5 June



It has been a bumpy few months but taking off for France on Thursday was as exciting as always and of course the actual trip was just as long as ever (but the arrival makes every minute on a plane or in an airport worth the boringness!).  I must say that Air France has become even better this year with the fitout of a new seating configuration - fully flatbed now.  So comfortable for the long haul overnight from Singapore to Paris! The cabin crew were charming, funny and helpful and even made a commendable effort to understand my French.

It was a bit tedious waiting for my Paris/Marseille connection, especially knowing that Jess was already in the sunny south waiting for me.  CDG was busy,busy,busy!

Friday afternoon and a short hop into Marseille - as we approached, the Rhone River sparkled in the 33 degree sunshine as it snaked through the already brown countryside and the heat haze gave a fuzzy blue tinge to the distant hills. Youngest daughter waiting in the arrivals hall - yay!
Fantastic to see Jessica looking so pretty and well - do miss that girl!

Jess and Ann at Marseille -Provence Airport

In no time at all we had completed the Peugeot formalities with the help of a very charming chap and having mastered the push button start and keyless entry we were on the autoroute heading north.  This is a highly populated area of France and the traffic was heavy but moving along at a good pace.  Past Avignon and then into the Rhone Valley with its mix of industry and agriculture, the bland modern commercial buildings a stark contrast to the stunning ancient hilltop villages.

 The kilometres flew by and soon we were leaving Vaucluse and passing through the Drome department where the mountainous terrain in the distance was almost obscured by the heavy heat haze.  A real surprise to me was the sight of flowering lavender fields - a much earlier harvest than on the high plateau region of Provence - maybe a different variety?  The blue haze of the lavender fields so beautifully mimics the colour of the far off peaks which form the beginning of the French Alps.
Feeling quite nostalgic for this area - loved the landscape when I stayed there last year. Into the land of the grape with the fresh green early summer leaves of the vines looking lush and full of promise.

With the sun still high (love the long summer evenings in Europe) we zoomed along, touching on the river at times and enjoying the beautiful countryside.  Just past Valence we left the autoroute and within minutes had traversed the town of Tain-l'Hermitage and the Rhone River to arrive in our overnight destination, Tournon-sur-Rhone - Drome on one side of the river and the Ardeche on the other!  This area is the home of the exquisite Hermitage wines and the steep hills rising up from the river behind these twin towns are covered with vines and some very famous domaines.

Tournon-sur-Rhone

Tournon is smallish (population 10,000) and very much a working town - most of the visitors here are wine afficionados or hikers - there are certainly no hoardes of tourists or tacky souvenir shops.  Our little hotel, Les Azalees, was typically Provencal - a hotpotch of buildings coloured in the soft hues of yellow and terracotta that are evocative of the Mediterranean.  We settled in and walked to the riverside - not very glamourous I must say.  No riverside cafes or gardens - just a busy road leading to the centre of town which is tucked away behind an large open space planted with huge plane trees that appear to have never been pollarded - well not often anyway.

Downtown Tournon

This area seems to be for parking cars, playing petanque and no doubt comes into its own on market day.  Although Les Azalees has a reputation for fine dining we liked the Friday night buzz of the town centre and decided to join locals who were filling the restaurants, bars and cafes across from the square.

Anytime is petanque time - Friday evening, Tournon-sur-Rhone

What a good choice!  We sat outdoors and enjoyed a totally scrumptious meal, attended to by a delightfully friendly and pleasant fellow who appeared to be part of the Cafe des Sports family business.

Friday night, downtown Tournon-sur-Rhone

  Jess enjoyed duck magret with blue cheese sauce, home-made fries and a fresh salad with yummy mustard vinaigrette - nothing out of a supermarket bottle here!.  One of my favourite dishes in France is Tartiflette and I loved this local version using little raviolis instead of potato - reblochon cheese - bliss!

A new take on Tartiflette - delicious!

Now one cannot visit the celebrated Hermitage wine region without sampling the stuff so we indulged in a 25 euro bottle of vin blanc - more bliss!  This is seriously good wine.  Although our waiter/sommelier suggested the rose we were very happy with our choice, lovingly made by Messieurs Jaboulet - yes that is their domaine just across the river on the hills above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage!

Messieurs Jaboulet - producers of vin extraordinaire! (Tain- l'Hermitage)

We lingered over dinner, shared a yummy apple tarte tatin for dessert (accompanied by homemade vanilla icecream) and enjoyed the ambience of the warm evening before making our way along the river and back to the hotel.  One of those massive river cruise boats sailed past and we felt sorry for the passengers  although I am sure they are enjoying their French experience in the lap of luxury.  The river seems to be the playground of the local dog community - all out enjoying an evening swim - watch where you put your feet!

Fading light beside the Rhone

It was strange to go to bed before darkness fell, but we were both feeling the effects of travel and the comfortable beds were beckoning.  So lovely to be in France again but sparing a thought for Helen, her wonderful walk and sad that we won't be sharing some travel adventures in Provence as planned - hopefully next time.

Goodnight, Tournon-sur-Rhone