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Posts from the ‘read more’ Category

Oct 5

No.11: Automne

fall 2012I love fall in France. I suppose I love it more than most because I come from a region of the USA where there is a conspicuous lack of deciduous trees. So, the radiant blushes of color surrounding me in France never cease to amaze. Sometimes I feel like a dolt, pointing out the vibrant reds and oranges that I suppose seem quite normal to most. But lately, I just can’t help myself. With summer gone, and the impending grey winter on my mind, I plan to enjoy every last drop of scarlet, amber and tangerine.

cascading colors

cascading colors

I think what makes fall even more special for me in France, is that there seems to be a boundless amount of planning, both at the public level as well as at the individual level. This dedication to civic design, on the government’s part is seen throughout France, from the smallest village to the major cities. The October flowerbeds and gardens fiery and fierce, compliment the arbors and forest, thoughtfully planted and groomed sometimes centuries ago. Meanwhile I think the Frenchies take pride in their own small piece of the world. They seem to have a very strong sense of follow through and possibly a sense of duty to their fellow citizens to provide their neighbors and community with something lovely to look at. Their sense of esthetics and beauty saturates what might otherwise be a gloomy backdrop to life.  I feel a commitment to beauty in France.

fall 2013 acorns

So when autumn is in the air and the seasons begin to change, not only are we spoiled by nature’s streaking sweep of the paintbrush, we are also spoiled by la madame’s sixth floor window boxes and her not-so-amateur palette of colors.

La jardinière de notre voisin

La jardinière de notre voisin

Sep 30

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No. 7: Orléans

orleansOur newest favorite escape from Paris, when Superman and I are longing for some fresh air and greenery ,is to hop the intercity train to Orléans.

For the past 4 years, we have been listening to the Pimsleur Language Series on our iPods trying, with varying degrees of success, to improve our French. The characters in the lessons are always talking about traveling to Orléans. So finally, we took out a map and decided to find out what the people at Pimsleur were buzzing about.

Well, it just so happens to be a pretty swag city, and an hour away by train from Paris. If you catch the 8h30 train you can have a mini-vacation and be back in time for dinner.

orleansbikeOrléans is located on the Loire River and for some travelers this is the jumping off point to tour the Loire Valley. We like to go just for the pleasure of hanging out in the historic city, biking on the fabulous Loire à Vélo trail (a subject for another post), and for the endearing riverside cafés and half-timbered houses. (The NY Times has also cited Orléans for its “alternative” nightlife, trendy restaurants, including a relatively new, Michelin starred resto—might it be time to head back?)Orleans4

And of course, you can’t step foot tin Orléans without hearing a whole lot about Jeanne d’Arc. If you are a lapsed history buff like me, you might need a refresher on who exactly Joan of Arc was. She was the little lassie who threw on her armor in Orléans and stood against the British invaders during the Hundred Years War. Her devotion to God stirred the French to victory, and Orléans was liberated; of course, as these things never do seem to end well, the English later burned her at the stake for heresy.orleans3

(You can thank the handsome tour guide at the Maison de Jeanne d’Arc Museum for this history lesson, along with this little know fact: the Jeanne d’Arc’s pageboy haircut was also the inspiration for the ubiquitous bob haircut, which was so popular in Paris in the early 1900s!)4929719_f520

Sep 27

No. 5: Annecy, Alpes-Savoie

Ma belle fille, Button

Ma belle fille, Button

The closest I’ve been able to recreate my natural habitat of Colorado was a breathtaking late spring visit to the lakefront city of Annecy (pronounced: ahn-see) in the French Alps. The scenery is drop-dead gorgeous and travel brochure ready. It tops the mountainside towns of Colorado, say Vail or Aspen, because of its romantic canals, enchanting bridges, crystal clear lake, and its fondue savoyarde (Beaufort and Comté melted and mixed with the local Crépy wine, with an added splash of Cognac thrown in for good measure—c’est délicieux).

12th-century Palais de l’Isle, Annecy

12th-century Palais de l’Isle, Annecy

Often referred to as the Venice of France (un peu exagéré), it is actually a mix of several cultures, namely French, Swiss and Italian. The Swiss are represented in those adorable gingerbreadesque chalets—flower boxes and all, chocolate, wheels of cheese, raclette, tartiflettes, and all things cheesy that Switzerland does so well. The Italians make their mark with authentic wood oven pizza, mercifully light on the cheese, and the glut of mouthwatering gelato shops peppering the historic heart of town.

Raclette Fumé

Raclette Fumé

A nod to Italy: colorful and creamy gelato

A nod to Italy: colorful and creamy gelato

Annecy is one of the most popular cities in France both with the French and with les étrangers, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend coming and staying here to get a way from it all. The throngs of tourists come to admire the beauty as well as be admired, and the traffic can be a nightmare. Early mornings are definitely the best and I imagine the off-season is delightful. That said, I would recommend staying just outside of Annecy (at any time of the year), and making day trips in, exploring the countryside, and hoping over to Geneva for a quick visit. We stayed in a gîte in one of the many hamlets that dot the landscape. Our gîte was amazing and cozy and starlit. In the middle of the woods, with quaint mountain roads to cycle through, a hot tub, a barbecue, and a huge yard for Tazzie to feel at home. Ça fait du bien par où ça passe !

Gite with Japanese Garden, Annecy

Gite with Japanese Garden, Annecy

Lac d'Annecy

Lac d’Annecy

Vocabulaire:

Ça fait du bien par où ça passe !   Just what the doctor ordered!

les étrangers: the foreigners

un gîte: a holiday home available for rent, fully furnished and equipped for self-catering, usually less expensive than other lodging

raclette:  a Swiss dish consisting of cheese melted over a fire and then scraped onto bread or boiled potatoes; also the cheese used in this dish

tartiflettes: a creamy and comforting oven bake of potatoes, cream and bacon – originating from France’s Haute-Savoie region

un peu exagéré: a little bit exaggerated