"A bottle of wine begs to be shared".

We picked up our hire car in Bordeaux and headed off north to Blaye, a small village on the east bank of the Gironde River. We were told many times that this is the best red wine precinct in the Bordeaux region. It's not smart to believe everything you are told, so we set about our own investigation. We became instant experts via a tasting tutorial followed by an 'educational' tour (with more tasting, of course!) of the vineyard chosen as the best in the country by France's sommelier of the year.

We learnt that Bordeaux wines are mostly a combination of five red grape types, with the grape variety ratio determining the wine taste . Mostly dominated by Cabernet varieties, the wine is very easy to drink, which explains why so much was consumed.

So is the wine in the Blaye district the best in France? We think it best not to make a hasty decision so we are still investigating.....homework is important...n'est pas ?

After three days in Blaye in a delightful B&B, we headed off with our new friend"Karen" (alias the GPS dominatrix) to our cottage in Domme; situated in the Dordogne just south from Sarlat. With both daughters and their beaus scheduled to visit us, we had much to look forward to.

Hard life for dogs in Bordeaux !

Regional France begins with Bordeaux

The first three weeks of our stay in regional France found us somewhat isolated from technology, hence our lack of updates. We have just arrived in Aix, a regional centre in the heart of Provence located about 50 kilometres north of Marsailles. After Paris, we caught the TVG (very fast train) to Bordeaux. What a striking city, with an amazing mix of classic old buildings and modern services, including the space age looking trams. The hub of the famous wine region, Bordeaux is on the UNESCO world heritage list as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th Century . Our visit was brief (3 days), but long enough to take in the beauty and the famous sites including the "Mirror of Water"(photo 1). The shopping is mind boggling - it has the longest shopping street in Europe! While we were there, the clever Cow Parade, recently in Margaret River, (photo 2) was taking place. A great place to begin our French wine investigation !!

Eat ya heart out !!!

We are !!! One can't visit France without enjoying the food of the region. So a comment here about our calorie consumption to date... and yes, there have been a few!!!

While our life in Paris hasn't exactly revolved around the food, it is an important part of our routine. After a week, we have easily adopted the casual approach that is so evident here. One of us dared to suggest lunch at 2.30 pm - far too early!! Tonight we had dinner at 9.45 pm. And the streets are still humming at midnight.

Eating out in Paris is more expensive than Perth, but not excessively so, unless you choose a Michelin Star establishment. For example, a very good meal by a reputable chef at a reputable restaurant (in a good location), with accomplished service will set you back around $300 for 2 courses and a bottle of wine. At the local cafe / bistro you could have two courses and a bottle of wine for around $100. These are city / tourist prices and no doubt the locals do better. The service is usually very efficient, some times friendly and mostly professional.

Some of the meals we have enjoyed include escargot (snails) in garlic butter, pork hock sauteed in beer with sauerkraut, double cooked pig trotter with Bearnaise sauce, the ubiquitous soupe a l'oignon, risotto au noix et Coquilles St Jacques (scallop and walnut risotto), pofiteroles au chocolat, and smoked sausage with lentils; not to mention the bread and the patisseries.

We have also discovered some convenience foods and have indulged in cassoulet (legumes, duck and sausage etc) at home from a can (!!!) as well as the yummy fromages (cheese), terrines and all those preserved meats.

Navigating our way through the menu has been manageable (particularly for Bill) and so far we have only made a couple of gaffs. Ordering two 'cups' of wine caused a bit of mirth for the waiter. To be honest, we would have been happy with a cup for the glasses are quite small!

Musee National d'Art Moderne

A visit to the famous comtemporary art museum at the Centre Pompidou revealed a number of works of art. Here is a sample:

Spoilt for Choice

Visits to the Montmartre area, dinner at Bofinger, and the Musee Rodin have been the highlights of our last two days.

Yesterday we navigated the efficient Metro to Montmartre.

The Sacre Coeur is always fantastic and no matter what the day, there always appears to be an abundance of visitors. It is such an interesting area. Following the Sacre Coeur, we strolled down to the Boulevard de Clichy, past the Moulin Rouge and around the corner to the Montmartre Cemetery.

It rained ! The first rain we have experienced in Paris. Although our visit to the cemetery was cut short, the rain was refreshing and access to the single shared umbrella challenging.

In the evening, after a walk around around the Marais, we dined at Bofinger. What a fantastic establishment ! Anyone contemplating a meal in Paris has to eat here. Just to sit and watch the staff at work, let alone consume the fantastic food; staggeringly good service and food to match - a feast for all senses.

Today we went to the Musee Rodin; had a wonderful afternoon exploring the collection and the gardens. It is astounding how someone can be so prolific in the production of their craft - the collection is so good, as are the stories of controversy surrounding Rodin's work ! And the gardens were a revelation.

Tomorrow...the Louvre...oh well !

Ah...Paris Chic

Weekend Outings

We spent yesterday visiting the Park Royale / Louvre district and photographing the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful day and we managed to get some great photos of the tower. Lucky for us we had no plans to view the city from the viewing platforms as the lines for the lift and the stairs were formidable! Today we travelled on the metro to the markets at Porte de Clignancourt; wonderful antiques and vintage bric-a-brac ranging in price from a couple of euros to hundreds of thousands and some marvellously colourful characters. One day was simply not enough time to even scratch the surface. We bought a silver serviette ring to add to our collection and a vintage clutch (for Tonia!). Great day out... It is however, lovely to return to our apartment at the end of the day, and on the way buy a hot baguette to enjoy with some cheese and wine! And yes, already the belts have moved out a notch!!!