Outta here

The weather has cooled here significantly with a fair bit of rain as well. I guess the weather Gods are helping to prepare us for Canada.

We did our final pack yesterday and cleaned up the house and got ready to leave. In the evening we went right down to the bottom of the village to Tourne au Verre. Last time we were here with the Whites we sat out in the patio but it was way too chilly tonight so we were inside and the place was packed. For a Village restaurant this place has always had one of the most impressive wine lists. Unlike Canada they don’t mark up their wines three and 400%. So you can get a really good wine for a really good price. 

Yup we started with a glass of champagne again. Might as well enjoy it while we can afford it. Uncharacteristically for me we ordered a charcuterie board for an opener. Starting to quite like this French sausage. 

Our main course was a daube of beef cheek for Dawn and - Oh Surprise - ravioli with foie gras for me. I hope I don’t start quacking. Sorry, by the time I remembered to take the picture I’d already been into it.

With our main courses we drank what they called a pot of red wine. It was actually a full bottle of Cairanne OratoireSt Martin ( not shabby) likely poured from either a bag or a box. I have no problem with that because their good wine comes in many different forms. Ever looked around a restaurant to see what other people are eating and went hey I want that. That’s what I did for dessert. Dawn had the dessert du jour which was a delicious chocolate mousse while  I had the dessert that the lady next to me was having which turned out to be a really amazing nougat ice cream dessert.

This morning we drove down to what is not actually Marseilles but is in fact the town of Marignane because that’s where the airport is. We met Peter and Margaret who had just flown in from Canada via Munich. It was a pleasant but short reunion as they still had a drive back to Cairanne.  They dropped us at the hotel and we bid adieu. We stayed at the Ibis, a stone’s throw from the airport. As it turns out our room had been recently redone and it was quite nice with a view of the bay.

That just about does it for this version of my travel blog. We are both looking forward to being back in Canada tomorrow and hugging our puppies!! A bientot !!

Counting down!

We did some cleaning & some packing Wednesday and that was about the extent of it. It has now turned rainy and cool so it”s time to blow this joint. We know this is only a blip in Provençal weather at this time of year and it promises to be much better weather after we’re gone -  c”est la vie.

Thursday, we opted for a final lunch out at the Chateau in Rochegude. We’ve been here in past years- this our third visit - so it seemed like a good idea to revisit it. This place is a bump on the horizon from our vantage point in Cairanne. The restaurant is called la Roche Aigue - Sharp Rock. 

The castle is a 12th century fortress, modernized now with a Four star hotel and gastronomique restaurant. As it turned out, we had a private sitting as we were the only guests for lunch. As usual we began with a glass of champagne in their sitting room since we were a little early.

Their 39€ menu gave us 2 choices in each setting.

Dawn started with tuna carpaccio while I had the mushroom ravioli. We had the same main course, pork tenderloin.

With each of those courses, we had a glass of wine, the white from Vacqueras and the red from Visan.

For dessert Dawn had a chocolate delicacy while I had an apple caramel treat.

The private experience with three staff serving us plus the chef was a real treat!! The food was excellent!

Last market?

 If it’s Tuesday that must mean that it’s market day again in Vaison la Romaine. I have yet to miss this market on our visit to France this time. We had a few specific things that we were looking for but in actual fact we were looking forward to staying in Vaison for lunch. Dawn did a lot of walking today - good for her!

We headed up the hill to the old Village that lies just beneath the castle ruins. There are numerous bistros and cafés up here but we were most interested in the one called Bistrot Panoramique that is part of the Maison D’Ou Hotel to which the restaurant is attached.

This place does indeed have a panoramic view of the town and the hills surrounding it and of course Michelin has discovered this one as well. 

For lunch we both opted for the €39 three course menu. As usual we opened with some champagne with some added cherry juice. Since this is snail heaven we both opted for the escargots for our first course. I neglected to take a picture of this dish but it was quite different from normal escargots servings as ours featured a tomato compote with a poached egg.

The photo above is actually the three dozen frozen prepared snails that we bought at the grocery store the other day - like I said, snail heaven. For main course Dawn had cod while I had duck, of course.  Our sommelier made a nice job of choosing a red for me and the white for Dawn that went with our meals. Gotta love the sommelier!

For dessert we both chose a lovely chocolate and caramel dish.

This was another exceptional culinary experience in a fabulous setting.

Vive la cuisine de France!!

As a footnote to today’s adventures, I have a nice story about kind people. Parking in Vaison on market day is always an adventure. Fortunately on this trip we have a disabled sign which has given us much better spots. Those spots are, however, limited given the throngs attending this market. In our attempts at finding a spot close to the restaurant in the old village, we pulled onto the curb + not unusual in Europe - contemplating that as a parking spot. Immediately a French couple rapped on our window asking if we were looking for parking, to which we answered oui. They said they were leaving and just follow them to their car. Shortly thereafter we had convenient parking. Merci beaucoup!

Carrieres des Lumieres

 Yesterday was probably the last really hot day -+30 - that we will have while we’re in France. Dawn has really gotten into holiday mode sitting on the terrace reading her books.

Today we opted for the rather long and winding road to Les Baux de Provence - over 100 kilometres south of Cairanne. This is a very touristy location as much for its perched château and village as it’s now defunct bauxite mines. But we had come for an art show - One we have seen in this location several times before but always different - the Carrieres des Lumieres. This is a sound and light show projected on the very cleanly shaven mine walls, ceilings and floors of the once bauxite mines.

This season’s show featured the works of Dutch masters from Vermeer to Van Gogh. These are not just static pictures. They manipulate the images to bring them to life - the pictures swirl and change around us - and of course there is a music soundtrack. Dawn finds this experience a little overstimulating so we found a good spot to sit and watch the show take place around us. 

Interestingly, one of the last images featured was of Van Gogh’s Starry Night which was the subject of my last jigsaw puzzle - not exactly high art.

This a very interesting area, topographically, which adds to the tourist draw and makes the driver cautious.

No sooner did we return home and we got a good soaking from another turbulent thunderstorm. Once again I’m not certain this will do the grape harvest any great service. But we were safe indoors so let her at it!

Culinary Delight

 Yesterday we made our best effort to do some gardening at Chez Pigeon. But today……

It”s safe to say that over the years we have had multiple wonderful culinary experiences in France. Today we can notch up another one. We opted for the restaurant only a few kilometres down the road from Chez Pigeon called Coteaux & Fourchettes. We have been here before but I guess we forgot how wonderful it was. It’s setting is not spectacular, on a roundabout right in the midst of the Plan de Dieu vineyards - not necessarily the best wines in the Cotes du Rhône area. They have however managed to get themselves into the Michelin guide and as such they clearly are doing something right.

Today we started off with a few showers and the rest of the day was mainly overcast. But by the time lunch came it was nice enough to sit out on the terrace, which has a great outlook towards the Dentelles de Montmirail .

After a glass of champagne and a lobster amuse bouche, we, with the help of the sommelier, ordered a wine from Cairanne and the Vineyard at Rabasse Charavin with its female vintner Corrine Courturier.

This wine was perfectly complementary to the meal that we ordered. We started by sharing a duo of duck liver- foie gras du canard. One was a cold pate while the other half was warm pure unadulterated duck liver. Both were fabulous but even Dawn agreed that the warm one was the best.

We both ordered the same main course which was medallions of beef tenderloin set on a bed of girolles mushrooms. In the past we have been wary of ordering beef in France because it doesn’t tend to live up to the tender reputation of North American beef. So much for that thought.

For dessert, Dawn chose a prune cake while I had the special of the day which was a raspberry sorbet with a chocolate mousse cake.

Today’s meal certainly rates as one of the best that we have had in France on this trip and maybe even over the years. Blown away!!!