Category: Travel

Destiny and the Dinosaur

No, this is not a post on evolution, creationism, or anything in between. We are visiting my mother and sister in my hometown of Hannibal. This is a small farming town north of Syracuse that hasn’t changed much in population since I grew up. Several of my high school classmates and a few former teachers …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/06/destiny-and-the-dinosaur/

An American’s Take on the French Paradox

We ate and drank very well while we were in France. Yet neither of us gained any weight while we were on the trip. How’d we manage that? We did do a lot of walking around Paris and southern France, sure. However, I think a bigger reason was the concept of assez (enough); in other …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/07/18/an-americans-take-on-the-french-paradox/

Final Stop

The last two days of our trip were spent in Lyon, the third largest city in France. Unlike the bastides, the architecture of Lyon dates to the Renaissance and later. Unlike in Paris, more modern skyscrapers have encroached closer to the center city. However, it’s a vary charming town. We stayed in a hotel on …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/final-stop/

To the Bastides, Parte Deux

Bastide #5 was Cordes-Sur-Ciel. As with the other towns we visited, tourism is the main industry. The city was much more touristy than the other bastides. However, our accommodations here were probably the best of those outside Paris. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast called Le Secret du Chat. Alain and Marie are …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/to-the-bastides-parte-deux/

To The Bastides!

We visited several hilltop villages in southern France called bastides. The peasants could retreat behind their walls when under attack during the Hundred Years’ War. The walls have crumbled, but the towns have survived. Accessing these towns is not easy for modern tourists, even though nobody’s pouring boiling oil on you from the ramparts. The …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/17/to-the-bastides/

Man at Work

This juxtaposition was too good to resist.

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Words from the Wiseacres

The trains in Europe are great. However, they don’t serve some of the smallest towns in France. To visit those, you’ll need to rent a car. We’ve rented cars to travel around Europe twice, and here is our collective wisdom: Rent the smallest model that will fit you, your traveling companions, and your luggage. If …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/15/words-from-the-wiseacres/

More on Rest Stops: The Millau Viaduct

“Why a duck? Why a no chicken?” (Chico Marx, The Cocoanuts) The Millau Viaduct is the highest bridge in the world, and the tallest structure of any kind in France. It opened for traffic in 2005. It’s an amazing bit of engineering and good-looking to boot. We had lunch at the rest stop/visitors’ center just …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/13/more-on-rest-stops-the-millau-viaduct/

Glutenous Maximus

It’s hard to think of a culture more gluten-centered than the French. Baguettes are a daily tradition, as are pastries, croissants, cakes, biscuits (cookies in the US), and tarts. Then you have flour-thickened sauces such as bêchamel and velouté. So it was a bit of a surprise to find a selection of gluten-free fad diet …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/11/glutenous-maximus/

Double-Take Time

Sometimes you drive past an establishment and you have to think twice about what they’re selling…

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