I wanted to pick out the highlights of my Monday’s Travel Photos posts in 2012 but rather than choose my own favourites, always a difficult task, I asked Relationnel to tell me which of my Monday’s travel photos he preferred month by month. These, of course, are not the places I went to in 2012, but taken from various holidays over the last few years. Which is your favourite? Or is there a photo you remember from another post that you prefer?
Lake Annecy, FranceTivoli Gardens, Italy
Burano Island, Italy
The Dancing House, Prague
Orvieto Cathedral, Italy
Hofkirche, Innsbruck, AustriaSaint PetersburgSaint Paul de Vence, FranceThe Sphinx and the Pyramid of Kheph, EgyptBrisbane, Australia
Black Cat left for New York today with the Flying Dutchman for Christmas and New Year, so we celebrated Christmas early his year, on Saturday evening, as both Relationnel’s sons were free as well. Leonardo, of course, was asleep in Sydney. I got back from Blois on Friday night so Relationnel and I spent Saturday rushing around buying the rest of the presents and ingredients for our Christmas feast. All very exhausting!
We started with 3 verrines (avocado, pink grapefruit & prawns; eggplant purée, ricotta & cherry tomatoes; zucchini, basil & fromage blanc purée with parmesan chips & walnuts) and a spoon (pumpkin & spice purée) with a glass of champagne.
After that, we pulled the Christmas crackers and laughed at the silly jokes, followed by the present opening. We dispensed with the traditional shoes under the Christmas tree, which Black Cat had decorated earlier in the evening and Relationnel played Santa instead.
This was followed by (small portions of) spéciale oysters, smoked salmon and foie gras with quincy bought at the wine fair recently (a Loire Valley sauvignon not unlike sancerre) by which time I totally forgot to take any photos, which is a pity because the foie gras was decorated with mini muffins of my making, a few leaves of leafy greens and 15 year old balsamic vinegar. Three of the plates looked very professional.
The main course was côte de bœuf with Darphin potatoes (Black Cat’s choice) and oven-baked eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers, this time accompanied by a 1979 Saint Emilion.
Dessert consisted of two verrines – Columbian coffee panna cotta with Speculoos (Belgian brown sugar & ginger biscuits) and apple crumble & French custard – and the rest of the mini muffins, with another glass of champagne of course! No cake, of course, because I made it too late …
May I wish you all a very happy and joyous Christmas with a special thought for those who have suffered recent losses.
Relationnel and I have a collection of Australian Akubra and Stetson hats that we wear in winter. When we’re going away and packing the car, we often put two or more on top of each other to carry downstairs.
It’s 1.30 pm and Relationnel’s rushing to get everything in the car as quickly as he can so he can leave Paris straight after work and arrive in Blois in time for our anniversary dinner. When the car’s packed, he leaves it in the street and walks down the street to the office.
On the way, he meets a couple of people he knows and they give him a strange look but he didn’t know why.
When he gets to the office, one of his coworkers says, “That’s an interesting way to wear a hat”, but he still doesn’t understand the problem. “Why, what’s the matter?” “Well, I don’t know. That not the usual way to wear a hat is it.” So he takes it off and discovers he’s wearing two!
Some interesting posts this Wednesday on very different subjects. Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France, interviews English cyclist Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels, about his bike trip across France. Australian blogger Frugal First Class Travel, whom I discovered recently, describes the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. She also has lots of tips for winter travelling. Regina from Petite Paris, the Australian website that has all those wonderful B&Bs in Paris, talks about all the French words that exist in English. Enjoy!
Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs!
Interview by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France
with Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels“… a terrific guide to the culture, history, food, B&Bs and other French delights”. He also blogs on cycling and skiing in Adam’s Blog
It’s amazing who you meet on Twitter. Through my @llamamum account, I happened across Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels. As a keen cyclist, I’m always interested to find out about fellow cyclists so I contacted Adam and asked if he’d write a guest post for me. And here it is.
Many travel books start as a publishing or fundrasing idea, and most travel articles start as that ghastly word, an angle. Others develop out of a real holiday or journey, and my book, France on Two Wheels, falls into that category.
A friend rang me to say he was looking for someone with whom to ‘bicycle’ (he does hate the word ‘cycle’ unless applied to washing machines or the economy) to or from Switzerland. I agreed to the return trip. Read more
One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a FirstClass trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!
I’m not a religious person. In fact I’m a card carrying atheist. But I couldn’t help but be so moved when I recently visited the Sagrada Familia – the Gaudi designed Basilica in Barcelona. Building has been underway for over 100 years now, and there are plans (hopes?) to complete the works in time for the centenary of Gaudi’s death in 2026.
Gaudi was a very religious man apparently, and it was this faith that drove him to spend the bulk of his life (and indeed until the end of his life) dedicated to this project. But the Sagrada Familia is not just a testament to religious faith. Regardless of your own spiritual beliefs, consider this:
Gaudi knew the church would never be completed in his own lifetime, but he did it anyway. Read more
English French Words
by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles
It’s incredible (“uncreaaabl”) how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore…
At this moment I am listening to my Michel Thomas audio – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. Its a practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! [AND SO DO I – Fraussie] Read more
I’ve often featured posts from Steph’s Blog in France in my Wednesday’s Bloggers Round-Up. You know, she’s the Irish llama and alpaca breeder who also runs a carp fishery and a holiday gîte. Anyway, today, she is hosting a Christmas Blog Hop and I signed up to participate. So after reading my post, just click on the links below to discover a whole host of other blogs! There are even lots of giveaways if you make a comment. My free gift (to be drawn on 15th December at midnight) is an e-book edition of Kati Marton’s Paris: A Love Story, definitely my best read this year.
Celebrating Christmas with the Loire Connexion
We’re driving around the village of Céré la Ronde in the Loire Valley looking for the Auberge de Montpoupon, where the Loire Connexion* is holding its Holiday Celebration & Dinner but we can only find the Auberge du Château. Then I spy a pair of Sparkly Antennae and a Santa Claus hat and I know we’re in the right place.
Sparkly Antennae and Santa Clause
We park the car and follow the antennae to the entrance and are soon drawn into a room full of festively-dressed anglophones and anglophiles (except Relationnel, who’s left his suit behind in Paris). Summer, who is the drive and energy behind the Loire Connexion, is greeting each person as they walk in. I see some folks I’ve already met at the Shaker and am soon introduced to new faces.
The Three Revellers
It’s not long before there are forty or fifty of us all talking ten to the dozen in French or English. Summer comes up to me discreetly and says, “I want to show you something.” It turns out that Louisa, from Closerie de Chanteloup, who has already decorated the room, has a surprise for us. We’re soon taking turns to be iphonographed with various Christmas accessories of her making.
Another Three Revellers (well, almost!)
After that, we all go down the stairs inside the inn, then outside and through a courtyard to a second building where tables are set for fifty people. We find our places, which are more of less according to where we live in the Loire, and the meal begins. First, some beautifully cooked sea scallops, followed by guinea fowl stuffed with foie gras and Darphin potatoes, accompanied by white and red wine from the region.
The Two Revellers
The words of Christmas carols appear next to our plates and a fiddler is suddenly standing on a stool. We break into a hearty rendition of Jingle Bells, led by Summer, and followed by other carols including the Twelve Days of Christmas which some of the people seem to be having trouble keeping track of. Not being a very good singer myself, even though I love Christmas carols, I am delighted to have a good male voice at the same table. If he makes a mistake, however, so do I!
Summer and Louisa, the iPhonographers
After the cheese, Summer announces that all the women have to take their spoons and move to another table for dessert, which is a wonderful way of getting people to mix. The « crémeux du chocolat » goes perfectly with Louisa and Fred’s wonderful pétillant. We have our coffee and the tables are cleared away so we can dance.
The Fiddler on the Stool
Relationnel and I, who haven’t seen much of each other all night, then start jiving, one of our great loves that we don’t get to indulge very often these days. The aches and pains from covering the back wall of the fireplace with refractary mortar all day seem to have disappeared, as least for the moment. The sparkly antennae and Santa Claus hat change heads a few times and we suddenly realize it is 1.30 am and we still have to drive home!
End of the evening with Château de Montpoupon in the background
By then, everyone is reluctantly saying goodbye. But we know that Summer has other great ideas up her sleeve and we’ll be seeing each other again very soon!
*a friendly anglophone and anglophile community in the Loire Valley with an “x” factor. We are:
– eXpatriates of all different nationalities.
– eXplorers – French nationals who may have lived abroad, work internationally or just enjoy time spent with an international crowd.
– eXceptionally English – We live in France. We speak French. But, when we get together, we enjoy speaking English. We welcome anyone who wants to join the conversation!
– eXchange eXperience & eXpertise – At our relaXed and informal events, we have a great laugh, but also provide a safe haven of support and friendship. We naturally share contacts, information and support to make Loire Valley living even more pleasurable.
Join us!
If you enjoyed this post, you might like to write a little review for the Expat Blog Awards: http://www.expatsblog.com/blogs/526/aussie-in-france. Closing date: 15th December 2012.
Part 1 of the story of how I closed Leonardo’s one-man company ended with the drab tax office in Saint Maur so that leaves only two more places to go. First, the legal publications office, back in Paris, then the commercial court in Créteil, also in the eastern suburbs. It would have been more logical to start with the LPO, but I didn’t know that when I began. Of course.
Opéra de Paris
I drive to the LPO, but it’s just near the Paris Opera and there is absolutely no chance of parking. I can’t even find the street, let alone park. I take the car back to our garage and decide I’ll leave the LPO until tomorrow . When I get up to the 3rd floor and open the door, I can already hear the workers chiselling and talking loudly.
Scaffolding on my balcony in the Palais Royal
I change my mind about the LPO. Halfway there, on foot this time, I realise that I don’t have the right papers. I’m fading fast. I go back home but I don’t have the keys and can’t remember the downstairs door code . I try Relationnel but he’s not answering. I phone Black Cat who comes to my rescue. I have the code to the home exchange key box upstairs, so that’s fine. I can get in. And stay in.
The workers have not stopped. I dissolve into tears of frustration. I unplug my laptop from the large screen, keyboard, mouse and internet and go into the kitchen to try and get some work done. There is no internet connection. I eventually return to my office and plug everything in again. Nothing happens. The laptop won’t recognise the screen. I jab the plug in and out and it finally works. But the keyboard and mouse aren’t functioning.
Decorations on Printemps in anticipation of the next paragraph
I try all sorts of methods, to no avail. I can’t even turn the laptop off. I google solutions on my iPhone and finally manage to turn it off. I go and have a shower. When I get back, I turn the laptop on and everything works but by then it’s 6.30 pm and I’ve wasted most of the afternoon. The workers have gone home.
Decorations in the window of Galéries Lafayette
It’s next morning so after waking up to the drilling and chiselling, I set out for the LPO. I have to go the long way because they’re making another film in the Palais Royal. Now I’m having problems finding the street again, this time with my iPhone. I ask a lady in a pharmacy who tells me it’s behind Galeries Lafayette. Well, she’s wrong, but at least I get to see the Christmas decorations at Printemps (not bad) and GL (not much better than last year). I go past a tearoom called Pouchkine that looks interesting and make a mental note to go there sometime.
Café Pouchkine 64 boulevard Haussmann
I finally find the street, around the corner from the Apple Store. Now why didn’t anyone tell me it was there? I hand over the announcement with Leonardo’s power of attorney printed out and signed by me. They don’t even ask for his identity card. I find that shocking. That means that anyone can make a legal announcement! I am asked for an advance payment of 250 euro. Why advance ? “Because it could be a little more or a little less”. What is this? Surely they can work out exactly how much it’s going to cost!
Filming in the Palais Royal
One step left: the commercial court in Créteil but we’re going to the wine fair during Relationnel’s lunch break and he’s already late. The court will be closed by the time I get there. Also I won’t feel like it after all that wine tasting! Right then, first thing Monday morning. Next and last episode coming soon.
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If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I recently went on holidays to Australia and it was not always as I expected. In my monthly guest post for My French Life, the global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French, I ponder on where I really belong.
I lobbied alongside fellow expats from the Southern Cross Group a few years ago to have the Australian constitution changed so that Australian citizens living overseas could have dual nationality.
We were successful so I applied for French nationality. Now I can vote in French elections and I have a French ID. I can’t vote in Australia, though, because I have been ‘disenfranchised’ as I no longer reside in Australia.
When I travel to Australia, I use my Australian passport and when I return to France, I use my French passport. It’s like slipping into another skin. Read more
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This is just a quick post to tell you what we just bought at the Salon des Vignerons Indépendants at Porte de Versailles in Paris today – open until 26th November from 10 am to 8 pm (and on Monday until 6 pm). Be prepared for crowds!
Last year, we bought sancerre, margaux, jurançon, vacquéras and quincy.
Domaine de la Rossignole – sancerre
This year, after eating our usual foie gras sandwhich, we went back to François Cherrier at Domaine de la Rossignole (particularly now that we have our own albeit delinquent nightingales) to buy sancerre for ourspéciale oysters on Sunday, but took his Essentiel this time at €9.50 a bottle.
Domaine Jacques Rouzé – quincy
We also returned to Domain Jacques Rouzé for their excellent quincy, cuvée tradition, at € 7.20 a bottle, to have with ordinary oysters and scallops.
Domaine Pierre Adam – pinot gris
Domaine Pierre Adam from Ammerschwihr in Alsace, where we first tasted vin nouveau d’Alsace, won several prizes this year, in particular for their very aromatic Katzenstegel pinot gris at €13.60, a wonderful accompaniment for foie gras and Asian food, but I can recommend any of their wines: riesling (grands crus in particular), gewurtztraminer, etc.
Les Hauts de Caillevel – bergerac
A few years ago, we visited Sylvie Chevallier and MarcDucrocq at Les Hauts de Caillevel near Bergerac (Dordogne) and had a wonderful wine tasting. Their Terres Chaudes 2009 at €8.00 a bottle and Ebène 2010 at €13.00 a bottle have retained their quality over the years. The grape varieties are merlot, cabernet Franc and cabernet sauvignon.
Domaine du Grand Arc – corbières
We were rather hoping our minervois supplier, Domaine Malys-Anne, would be there but hadn’t received an invitation. They weren’t but we saw that Domaine du Grand Arc had received an award this year for their Six Terres Sienne so went to taste their wine. We settled on a corbières rouge 2010 Cuvée des Quarante at €7.60, containing the typical carignan grape (45%), grenache noir (35%) and syrah (20%).
All on the trolley!
So brave the crowds and enjoy yourself! And don’t forget your trolley.
Domaine de la Rossignole, rue de la Croix Michaud, 18300 Verdigny, Tel 02 48 79 34 93 cherrier@easynet.fr
Domaine Jacques Rouzé, 18120 Quincy. Tel +33 248 513 561 rouze@terre-net.frhttp://www.jacques-rouze.com/english/swf/index.htmDomaine Pierre Adam, 8 rue du Lieutenant Louis Mourier, 68770 Ammerschwihr, Tel 03 89 78 23 info@domaine-adam.com. http://www.domaine-adam.com
Les Hauts de Caillevel, 24240 Pomport. Tel 05 53 73 92 72. contact@caillevel.fr. http://www.caillevel.fr/
Domaine du Grand Arc, Fabienne et Bruno SCHENCK, Le Devez, 11350 CUCUGNAN, Tel/Fax: 0468450103, domaine.grandarc@gmail.com, http://www.grand-arc.fr
It’s been one of those days. You know, the sort where no matter what you do, there’s always a problem.
Renovated urns on my balcony in the Palais Royal
I wake up, not to the birds in Blois, but to hammering on the balcony in Paris. After breakfast, I go to see what progress has been made. « It’ll soon be finished”, says worker #1. “Wonderful!”, I reply, getting my hopes up. “When?” “4th December”. My heart leaps! “You mean, there’ll be no morescaffolding then?” “No”, replies worker #2, dashing my hopes. “He just means the chiselling. The scaffolding won’t go until after Christmas.” Sigh.
Today’s the big day that I’m closing Leonardo’s company for him because he’s still in Australia. I start with the accountant, JJ, who’s in Vincennes in the eastern suburbs, about a half an hour away when the traffic’s good. I take a wrong turn at Bercy because I don’t understand what the Tom-Tom’s telling me what to do again. I eventually get there and have trouble parking. Of course. I finally find a spot with a parking meter.
Tax office in Nogent trying to brighten the taxpayers’ day
An hour later, I leave JJ’s for the tax office in Nogent, another 20 to 25 minutes away. I used to live around there but don’t recognise half the places in between so lose my way a bit. I’m driving the Volvo station wagon and it’s very unwieldly. In Nogent, I can’t park either. I have to go to an underground car park 20 minutes walk away. At least I’m getting some exercise.
At the tax office, I breeze upstairs to the “corporate” section, past the large queues in the personal income tax section. I hand over file n° 1 and am told there is something missing. I ring JJ who is very surprised but tells me to come back with all the documents including the archives. I manage to convince the man in the corporate section to take Leonardo’s personal declaration to avoid the daunting queue downstairs.
Bistrot in Nogent called “Au Petit Vin Blanc” but I had a glas of red
When I get outside, I phone JJ back and talk to one of his employees. She says that she personally looked after file n° 1 and she knows I have the missing paper somewhere. I sit down on a bench and go through the entire file, calmly and collectedly this time, and find the paper. I go back upstairs and hand it over. It seems Leonardo will be getting some VAT back so I give them my bank details and hand over Leonardo’s scanned handwritten proxy. They don’t realise it’s a scan and not an original and make a photocopy. Relief.
Cream caramel with unnecessary chantilly cream – but I ate it anyway.
Now that I don’t have to go back to see JJ, I decide to talk to someone about Leonardo’s personal declaration, which is a few months late because he couldn’t contact them from Australia, but it’s ten to twelve and they’re closing for lunch. I try insisting but it doesn’t work. I find myself a little bistro with WIFI and have a blanquette de veau, a crème caramel, a glass of bordeaux (I can tell you, I need it!) and a coffee. All for 19 euros.
I arrive at the tax office 10 minutes early and there are already three other people waiting. Fortunately, I get to see someone straight away. The woman is very understanding and we get it all sorted out. Leonardo won’t even have to pay a late fine. Relief again.
Drab tax office in Saint Maur les Fosses
Next stop is the tax office at Saint Maur, another 20 minutes by car, where I have to register the minutes of the annual general meeting during which it was decided to close his one-man company. A fictive AGM as you can imagine. It’s a drab building in a pretty leafy suburb with no parking. Of course. I finally find a spot miles away and, once again, when I arrive at the tax office, I breeze up to the third floor. There’s no one there but after a while, an employee appears and I’m able to see the appropriate person and hand over file n° 2 (plus 413 euros).
Typical house in Saint Maur near the drab tax office
Now back to Paris for the next step. But I’m sure you’re as exhausted and as bored as me, so I’ll write the next episode on Tuesday!
It’s amazing how quickly Wednesday comes round again! This week’s bloggers’ round-up starts with two interesting restaurants. Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris takes us to Café Signes where sign language is the main means of communication, while fellow Australian Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney introduces us to the “bouchon” in Lyon, the food capital of France. Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France takes us on a different adventure with a history of candles.
Two thumbs up for sign language cafe in Paris, Café Signes
by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use.
Ordering lunch or a cup of coffee in a country where you don’t speak the language can occasionally feel like a daunting task. One restaurant in Paris offers an easy solution because each of their menus has pictures of all the signs needed to communicate an order. If you’re thirsty and would like something to drink, simply make a fist with the fingers of your right hand, extend your thumb and raise your hand towards your mouth. But don’t be surprised if your waiter responds with rapid hand gestures because Café Signes is operated by a mixture of non-hearing and hearing staff. Read more.
The Bouchons of Lyon
by Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney, an Australian who writes about all things French in La Clusaz, Annecy and Haute Savoie as seen by an outsider ...
Lyon is the food capital of France, and part of the reason for that is bouchon restaurants. A bouchon is a traditional Lyonnaise restaurant, usually family-run, serving traditional dishes such as tripe, brains and tête de veau (head of a calf). Pictured is the interior of one such restaurant in Lyon, Le Bouchon des Carnivores. Some might find it amusing that a vegetarian ends up eating at a French restaurant for carnivores, and indeed, my party of four thought it hilarious, but I had the last laugh. But let me rewind. Read more.
Chandelle versus Bougie: A Brief History of Candles
by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France, an Irish llama and alpaca breeder living in the centre of France, who also runs a carp fishery and a holiday gite.
What is it about winter nights and candles? I’ve been having candlelit baths (known as spooky baths in the Dagg household) for about a month now. They’re wonderful! Candles feel cosy and relaxing but I’d never think of lighting one in summer, even late when it is dark.
Candles have been around in various forms since the Chinese Qin Dynasty in 300 BC. Yup, the Chinese got there first as usual and used whale fat. Beeswax came in about rather later. Read more.
