Sep 27 2016
In the last post I listed five things Americans can learn from the French. This post lists five things Americans can teach the French. Integrate your immigrants into society. These people have much to offer an aging workforce. Shuffling them into ugly suburbs called banlieues with little opportunity is counterproductive, given the violence that’s occurred …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/27/five-things-americans-can-teach-the-french/
Oct 12 2015
When we’re just traveling from point A to point B and need a place to flop for the night, our requirements are simple: Clean, comfortable, quiet, and convenient. Cheap doesn’t hurt, either. Free Wi-Fi is essential, especially for blog and email purposes. Complementary companion animals, i.e., insects, are NOT welcome. We once stayed at a …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/10/12/a-philosophy-of-hotels/
Jun 19 2015
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: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/final-stop/
Jun 19 2015
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: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/to-the-bastides-parte-deux/
Jun 17 2015
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: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/17/to-the-bastides/
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/17/man-at-work/
Jun 15 2015
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/15/words-from-the-wiseacres/
Jun 04 2015
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: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/cornfields-in-france/
Jun 04 2015
It’s a good thing we came here during the age of the digital camera. Julian would have gone broke with all the pictures he’s taken on this trip if he still used film. Photoshop has also saved him from over- or underexposed shots. He’ll be spending many hours after we get home tweaking his photos …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/pictorial-observations/
May 31 2015
Today was our last day in Paris. Unfortunately, it rained. We wandered around the Jardin de Luxembourg and the neighborhood where we rented an apartment four years ago. In the afternoon we attended a short organ concert at St. Eustache church, which boasts the largest pipe organ in Europe. We had dinner at Alsace aux …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2015/05/31/off-to-the-hinterlands/
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