All posts by Rosemary Kneipp

France, Loire Valley, Sightseeing, Travelling

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

March 27, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

You no doubt read Susan’s description of a country “Charcuterie” in yesterdays’s bloggers’ round-up. But she doesn’t just spend her time buying “persillé” – she also runs a business. Susan and Simon and Célestine, their 1953 Citroen Traction Avant vintage car, who has just acquired a little sister called Claudette, take visitors on luxury tours of the Loire Valley, visiting châteaux and tasting wine. What more can you ask of life? My post on My French Life this month gives all the details!

Now before you go any further, I’d just like to tell you about a competition I was invited to enter recently. You may remember that I received an honour award from Expat Blogs last year thanks to your help. They are currently running an expat contest. You’ll find my entry, “Ten Top Châteaux in the Loire Valley, if you click here. Please feel free to make a comment and twittter the post if you enjoyed it. You might help me win a prize.

And now for Susan, Simon and Celestine!

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

What better way to visit the beautiful French châteaux of the Loire Valley than in a shiny black 1953 Citroën Traction Avant!

When I learnt that Loire Valley Time Travel is run by two fellow Australians, I was curious to hear their story and learn more about their tours.

Susan and Simon lived in England for many years before coming to the Loire Valley. Susan, the tour leader, worked in one of the world’s leading heritage organisations and has a particular interest in textiles and costume. Having originally trained as a hotel manager, she is passionate about the food and recipes of the Touraine region.

Simon, the driver, was formerly a professional musician and teacher. He loves Célestine and thinks that 80 km/h is the perfect speed to cruise through the countryside. He’s very willing to stop and have visitors take photos or just soak up the scenery. After all, none of the historical sites in the area will disappear “if we take 10 minutes longer to get there,” he says. Read more

Architecture, Art, Food, France, Loire Valley, Paris, Sightseeing

Chateauneuf, my secret hill village – La Charcuterie – Musée Nissim de Camodo, Paris

March 26, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

Some more Australian connections for this Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up, starting with Phoebe from Lou Messugo, who takes us on a visit to Châteauneuf in the south of France; Susan from Days on the Claise who describes her local charcuterie in Touraine and Carolyn from My Sydney Paris Life who gives us a very moving description of the beautiful Nissim de Camondo museum in Paris. Enjoy!

Châteauneuf, my secret hill village

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

The Alpes-Maritimes is bursting with a multitude of pretty hill villages, called “villages perchés” in French, built during the middle ages in strategic spots on mountain tops and hill sides. There are at least 15 within half an hour’s drive of Lou Messugo, all with their own charm and more or less renovated/developed for tourists or left in an authentic untouched state. But there is one so close and yet so hidden that many people visiting the area wouldn’t even realise it exists. (I’d be prepared to bet a significant amount of local residents don’t realise there’s a medieval “perched” bit either). I’m talking about the village of Châteauneuf de Grasse on the outskirts of its famous neighbour, Grasse. Read more

La Charcuterie

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

The charcuterie in Preuilly is well patronised and they have a good range of products. Most are made in house, some brought in. French charcuteries focus mainly on value added pork products — often cured, but sometimes simply cooked and ready to eat. They also do salads and prepared dishes. This is because many of them, like the one in Preuilly, are also traiteurs (caterers). Read more

A Legacy of Beauty and Remembrance: Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart

Earlier this week, Clive and I visited Paris’s Musée Nissim de Camondo. In the days since then, we’ve often found ourselves returning to the story of the family whose sad, horrific history shaped our experience of spending time in what was once their home.

The first time I read about Musée Nissim de Camondo was in Edmund White’s ‘The Flâneur’ (2001). I know little about ‘decorative arts’ and tire quickly of stately homes brimming with historic furniture and all manner of objects — I’d rather explore the gardens and grounds outside. But White’s recounting of the de Camondos’ personal story grabbed me and I’ve had this museum on my Paris to-do list ever since. Read more

Flowers & gardens, Paris

Spring and Sunglasses

March 25, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 12 Comments

I can’t help thinking that there should be some way, in a country such as France, of only having to work when there is no sun. I’m sure that would still give us enough working days. I know I’ve already complained about the awful weather this winter and spring but there hasn’t been a lot of improvement since I last wrote.

Magnolia in bloom in the Palais Royal gardens

Today, the sun came out and the temperature has actually gone up to 14°C. That’s not exactly warm enough to be sitting out-of-doors like my friend Redfern who’s learning French in Montpellier at the moment (and posting photos on Facebook to make me envious) but it’s enough to not want to be cooped up in an office.

Curie Cancer Institute selling daffodils on Place Royale

I could see the sun on the Palais Royal fountain from my office window so after lunch, I found an excuse to go outside. The white magnolia next to the fountain is now in full bloom and the pink one next to it will soon be out as well. There are daffodils and jonquils in all the flowerbeds. This time, I didn’t make the mistake of not wearing my parka but I still found the air surprisingly nippy.

Jonquils and daffodils in the Palais Royal gardens

My excuse to go out was to buy another pair of sunglasses. There must be some trick not to breaking or losing them that I don’t know about. If anyone can fill me in, please do. I seem to go through two or three pairs a year – and I don’t even wear them in winter. The only ones I manage to keep are my photogrey cycling glasses because I religously put them back in my bike bag at the end of the day.

The only sunglasses I don't lose! — The only sunglasses I don’t lose!

My fashionista daughter, Black Cat, is always saying, “You’ve got new sunglasses again”. I don’t know how she can even remember what the last ones were like. I certainly don’t. So, as a result, I don’t buy those expensive ones.

Sunny Seville in spring with its famous oranges

They come from all over the world – Australia, Seville, Hong Kong, Basel, Ljubliana – you name it. First, you have to track down who sells them. In Australia, for example, the starting price at an optician’s is way beyond my budget, which is not the case in France, which they always have a shelf of no-brand sunglasses. In Australia, the cheap ones are in pharmacies, I discovered on my last visit.

Sunny Brisbane most of the time - Goodwill Bridge — Sunny Brisbane most of the time – Goodwill Bridge

Explaining what I want in another language isn’t that easy, but the lady in the optician’s in Seville was very helpful and I found a lovely pair, very reasonably priced. Black Cat said they looked very trendy. I wonder what happened to them?

Today, I went to a couple of optician’s in Rue des Petits Champs (home of the lovely Galerie Vivienne) but their non-brand-name ranges weren’t very good. I have uneven eyebrows so I have to make sure they are both covered. I ended up at the Optical Discount in Rue Vivienne where I usually buy my contacts. I told the man that I wanted some cheap ones but with good optical quality. He told me the glass is exactly the same as the brand names, that only the frame is different, which was reassuring. I don’t want to damage my eyes, after all.

I found a pair I liked and he gave me a nice hard case, not too big so I can put it in my handbag, and I only paid 33 euros. We’ll see how long these last!

Architecture, Art, Loire Valley, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Angers Castle, France

March 24, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

We had passed the castle in Angers on many occasions on our way to Nantes before finally visiting it during a cycling trip. The impressive ramparts of the 13th century fortress built on a spur overlooking the Maine River enclose several buildings, including the Royal Logis and 15th century Chapel. However, its greatest claim to fame is the Apocalypse Tapestry produced between 1377 and 1382, the oldest French mediaeval tapestry to have survived. It consists of six sections, each 24 metres x 6 metres, comprising 90 different scenes, focussing on the heroic aspects of the last confrontation between good and evil. Definitively worth a visit.

Angers Castle from the side of the ramparts

Small building — Logis Royal next to the chapel

View of the Loire from the castle ramparts

Overhead view of ramparts (photo taken from poster)

Food, French language

Friday’s French – persillé

March 21, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

A post by Susan from Days on the Claise in which she described the fare offered at her local charcuterie set me thinking about the word “persillé” which literally means “parsleyed”, used to describe pâté or brawn with parsley through it.

However, when applied to an entrecôté or côte de boeuf, it also means “marbled”, that is, with streaks of fat through it. I couldn’t quite understand how, etymologically, you could get from parsley in a pâté to streaks of fat in meat.

So I checked out my very favourite dictionary, the “Dictionnaire Historique de la Langue Française”, a beautiful two-volume affair that has that lovely thin bible paper. I happened upon it once at the Maison du Dictionnaire in Paris when I was looking for some technical dictionaries and, despite its exorbitant price, couldn’t resist buying it. But I’ve never regretted it.

“Persillé” was first recorded in 1694 with its original meaning of blue or rather green-veined cheese, “not to be confused with persillé meaning a preparation with parsley as a condiment”, a rather strange thing to say as you would imagine that the resemblance to parsley would have come first.

By analogy with the green-veined cheese, it means anything “with green stains” (1864). There’s a cheese called “persillé de Savoie“. But it has another unexpected meaning. In Provençal, “persil” (parsley) is slang for “money”, along with “oseille” (sorrel) and “épinards” (spinach), and, by analogy (once again), for prostitution (1840). As a result, “persiller” also means “to sollicit clients” no less.

So now you can go off to the butcher’s and ask for an “entrecôte bien persillée” (unfortunately the way I prefer it) and to the cheesemongers and surprise them by ordering “fromage persillé“.

Flowers & gardens, French customs, Lifestyle, Paris

It’s Still Cold in Paris

March 20, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 13 Comments

I got caught in the cold today. I was working away in my office and suddenly realised there was sun streaming in through the windows so I thought I should make an effort and go outside. I looked at the temperature and saw it was 9°C but I figured it would be warmer in the sun. So I put on a light wool coat instead of my winter parka. I was over optimistic and nearly had my hands and ears frozen off.

Sun coming through my office window in the Palais Royal

I went into the Palais Royal gardens first to check the state of the vegetation and was delighted to see that the magnolias are just coming into bloom. In a couple of days’ time, they’ll be out completely. Which reminded me that we don’t have a magnolia in Blois, but the only place we could put it is behind the house in our little wood.

Magnolias starting to bloom in the Palais Royal gardens

I wanted to buy some soapless soap (pain dermatologique) so I went to the parapharmacie which is like a drugstore or a pharmacy, but without any medication, just skincare and hygiene products, cosmetics, first aid etc. The products are usually cheaper than you would pay in a normal pharmacy. This one’s in avenue de l’Opéra. The annoying thing is that they’re all arranged in brands. I was looking for a particular brand whose name I can’t remember but I’m sure I’ll recognise it when I see it!

Sun on the fountain in the Palais Royal gardens

I went to another parapharmacie near rue Coquillère on the other side the gardens but it’s turned into a real pharmacy with a snooty pharmacist running the show. Half the shelves were empty and all she could offer, apart from Avène which I didn’t want because it becomes gluggy after a couple of weeks of use, was Lipikar by La Roche Posay. At 5.20 euro a piece, it’s going to be a luxury shower but I was too cold to go anywhere else.

I walked back down rue Coquillère past L’Imprimerie and was surprised to see that one of the two little corner shops (which a friend of mine aptly calls PADC – petit arabe du coin – little Arab on the corner) has turned into a smoothie bar. The other shop doesn’t even have a name any more. I obviously don’t get out enough to see all these changes.

I took a little detour to go past Serge Luten’s perfumery in Palais Royal gallery next to Miss Bibi on the way back home and admired their new window display. You can’t beat them for originality, can you?

Food, French customs, Paris, Wine

What a friend we have in cheeses – Salon Mer & Vigne et Gastronomie – How to Tip When Abroad

March 19, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

This week’s bloggers’ round-up is dedicated to three bloggers whom I haven’t yet featured on Aussie in France: Lisa Rankin from Flavors of Paris recounts the first time she came across an open-air cheese stand; Donna Morris from Best Friend in Paris introduces us to the twice-yearly Salon Mer et Vigne wine and seafood fair; while Whitney Webster from Context gives us very useful tips on how to tip. Enjoy!

What a friend we have in cheeses

by Lisa Rankin in Paris and Michael Lutzmann in Ontario from Flavors of Paris, two Canadian foodies, madly in love with Paris, who give food-based guided tours that offer experience of local areas, ranging from exquisite cheeses and charcuterie to heavenly chocolate.

“Each sort of cheese reveals a pasture of a different green, under a different sky.”

—Italo Calvino

The foggy Saturday morning rains had come in veils, like the northern lights, washing the cobbles. Fool: I’d left my umbrella at the tiny two-star hotel the airline had given me for mucking up my return flight to London. It was midsummer 1994; Paris was in the throes of World Cup fever. I’d made up my mind to wait out the rain in a café beneath a canopy when suddenly the clouds fissured and the rain stopped. Read more

Salon Mer & Vigne et Gastronomie

Donna Morris from Best Friend in Paris, a transplanted North Carolinian is a different sort of tour guide who shows visitors what she knows from living in Paris, both the major monuments and the tiny streets they wouldn’t find for themselves.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris during the Fall and Winter months, there are often special event tradeshows that showcase food and wine, tourism, agriculture,chocolate – you name it. The shows are meant to offer the producers a chance to meet their public and sell directly to them. I buy all sorts of stuff and always end up with an overflowing (and heavy) caddy.

The Salon Mer & Vigne is held around the country and comes to Paris twice – in February and September. It’s a great show for sampling products, buying for yourself or as gifts, having a meal (they serve oysters and other regional specialties) or just wandering up and down the aisles taking it all in. I challenge anyone though, to go and not leave with something! Read more

How to Tip When Abroad

By Whitney Webster from Context, a network of scholars and specialists—in disciplines including archaeology, art history, cuisine, urban planning, history, environmental science, and classics—who, in addition to their normal work as professors and researchers, design and lead in-depth walking seminars for small groups of intellectually curious travelers.

Anyone who has sat in the back of a taxi cab fumbling foreign currency while frantically trying to remember the right amount to tip (is it 5%? 10%? Just a few coins?) knows that it’s a good idea to research local customs around tipping before visiting a new city. It’s tempting to assume that, when in doubt, better to overtip than appear stingy, but it turns out that in some countries, this is a very bad idea. We chatted with our local experts in each of the non-North American cities where we operate to find out exactly how, and how much, it’s appropriate to tip. Read more

France, History, Loire Valley, Loire Valley châteaux

The Many Faces of Joan of Arc

March 18, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

I don’t know how much you know about Jeanne d’Arc, as she’s called in French, but most people probably remember that she was a peasant girl who heard divine voices, then, disguised as a man, led the French army to several victories during the One Hundred Years’ War after which she was sold to the English and burnt on the stake for heresy in Orléans at the age of 19.

Tapisserie de la Reconnaissance: Joan of Arc recognises the Dauphin Charles

Chinon, on the western tip of the Loire Valley, is where she first gained access to the royal court in 1428. She was 16 at the time. I won’t go into any further history because it’s a bit complicated and isn’t really my thing. Suffice to say that historians do not agree on her real participation. Some believe she was mainly a mascot while others maintain that she was a skilled tactician and a successful strategist, although it hardly seems possible when you consider her background and age.

Anyway, the reason I’m writing about her here is that, when we visited the Castle of Chinon a couple of weeks ago, there was a whole room devoted to her, with many illustrations showing various faces of the Maid of Orleans. I only regret that I didn’t note the dates and artists. I found it quite amazing to see how differently she was depicted.

Joan of Arc hearing the voices in a pastoral setting

Joan of Arc no longer disguised as a boy

But the one I liked best was at the end. It’s a poster by William Haskell Coffin to encourage Americans to buy war saving stamps during World War II. This time, I thought to take a photo of the information as well. Isn’t she just what you’d imagine a 15th century peasant girl to look like!

Joan of Arc held up as an example to American women!

Flowers & gardens, France, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Monet’s Garden in Giverny

March 17, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 19 Comments

For years, I didn’t go to Monet’s garden in Giverny because I was told there were too many people. Now we go at least twice a year! The best time to visit is at lunch time, when there aren’t any groups and few people queuing. And to avoid the queues altogether, you can either go to the Impressionism Museum (an offshoot of the Orsay Museum) first and buy a double ticket, or buy your ticket on-line. Both the garden and museum are open from the beginning of April to the end of October. These photos were taken in July when the famous nympheas are in bloom, but every month is beautiful. The tulips in April are stunning and the roses in June are out of this world. Then you can eat outside under the trees at the historical Restaurant Baudy down the road (don’t forget to check the inside).

Nympheas in Monet's garden — Nympheas in Monet’s garden

You can see the famous bridge in the background

Nymphea pond with fuscias in the foreground

From the bottom of the garden looking towards the house

View from the window of Monet's bedroom — View from the window of Monet’s bedroom

Claude Monet Foundation, 84 rue Claude Monet: open every day from March 29th until November 1st included 2013 from 9.30 a.m. till 6 p.m. – last admission 5.30 p.m. http://fondation-monet.com/en/

Musee des impressionnismes Giverny, 99 rue Claude Monet: open March 29th to October 31st, 2013 every day

from 10am to 6pm last admission at 5:30pm. Open on Public Holidays www.museedesimpressionnismesgiverny.com

Restaurant Baudy, 81 rue Claude Monet – Musée Hôtel Baudy 27620, Giverny, Tel 02 32 21 10 03, http://www.restaurantbaudy.com/

Architecture, Spain

Fabulous Gaudi Interiors – La Pedrera

March 14, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

Since we’ve come back from Barcelona, I have got a bit sidetracked, what with fireplaces that smoke and snow in March. But I still have a couple more posts to write, and one of them is Gaudi’s La Pedrera. I’ve already talked about the chimneys and the façade.

You may remember that La Pedrera was built between 1906 and 1912 by Pere Milà and Roser Segimon and is a six-storey apartment building of which they occupied the main floor. The building has two vestibules, both of which are big enough to allow vehicles to go down to the basement, amazing foresight when you consider the year of construction.

The Provença vestibule has a lift, a staircase going down to the basement and another going up to the first floor. It also houses the caretaker’s loggia. The ceilings and walls are decorated with paintings inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, especially the seven capital sins.

Large corridor providing access to the different rooms

Today, the fourth floor apartment is the only one open to visitors. The home and life of a bourgois Barcelona family during the first third of the 20th century have been re-created, including all the original elements of a typical La Pedrera apartment, such as the door knobs, drawers, mouldings, doors and flooring.

Appropriate furniture, works of art, decorative elements, fabrics and household items of the time have been added to give visitors an idea of what it was like to live there.

Duo seat by Gaudi — Double Bench by Gaudi

As I mentioned in another post, Gaudi designed furniture as well, and a couple of pieces are exhibited, plus a video showing how to use them. He was into ergonomics way before his time!

The actual design of the apartment is open plan, with much larger volumes than usual. However, rooms such as the utility room and the maid’s room are surprisingly small.

The attic area, which was designed to house the water tanks and washing lines, consists of no fewer than two hundred and seventy catenary arches of different heights that hold up the roof. Today it’s used as an exhibition area for Gaudi’s life and work.

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

Châteauneuf, my secret hill village

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

La Charcuterie

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

A Legacy of Beauty and Remembrance: Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart

What a friend we have in cheeses

by Lisa Rankin in Paris and Michael Lutzmann in Ontario from Flavors of Paris, two Canadian foodies, madly in love with Paris, who give food-based guided tours that offer experience of local areas, ranging from exquisite cheeses and charcuterie to heavenly chocolate.

Salon Mer & Vigne et Gastronomie

Donna Morris from Best Friend in Paris, a transplanted North Carolinian is a different sort of tour guide who shows visitors what she knows from living in Paris, both the major monuments and the tiny streets they wouldn’t find for themselves.

How to Tip When Abroad

from the Tropics to the City of Light