We made it to Lyon, but not without a little suspense: Would our luggage be joining us? We started off at Sea-Tac Airpot. When we checked our luggage at the Air Canada desk, the attendant said that we’d have to claim and recheck it in Vancouver or Montreal. We asked several other people before we …
Tag: France
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/01/en-route-to-lyon/
Aug 23
Coming Distractions
Next week Edible Thoughts embarks on another sojourn to France. Our first stop is Lyon, where we spent two days at the end of our trip last year. As promised, we’re renting a flat so we can cook with some of the ingredients from the weekend market. After Lyon, we hit the road for points …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/08/23/coming-distractions/
Jul 17
Acting out of Fear
After the attack in France last week, one of my best friends encouraged me to avoid Nice later this year. My mother asked yet again, “You’re really still going to France?” Mercifully, my sister did not ask the same thing when I talked to her today. I know they’re speaking from concern for our welfare. …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/07/17/acting-out-of-fear/
Jun 19
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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/final-stop/
Jun 19
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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/to-the-bastides-parte-deux/
Jun 17
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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/17/to-the-bastides/
Jun 13
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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/13/more-on-rest-stops-the-millau-viaduct/
Jun 11
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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/11/glutenous-maximus/
Jun 04
Cornfields in France
Corn is not a major ingredient in French cuisine except in the Basque country. So how come we saw corn fields in the Dordogne Valley? Two words: Foie gras. Corn is a key component of overfeeding ducks and geese to produce the fatty liver that’s such a delicacy in the region. Julian had some duck …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/cornfields-in-france/
Jun 04
Rest Stops à la Français
Your standard American rest area on an interstate toll road is little more than a bad vending machine. Forty years ago rest areas were run by Howard Johnson in the northeast, Stuckey’s in the south, and other chains elsewhere. If you drive the New Jersey Turnpike these days, you might find a Roy Rogers, Subway, …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/rest-stops-a-la-francais/
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