tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27947714783998848622024-02-22T04:12:52.192+10:30Femmes FrancophilesFemme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-29913079830421387352013-08-27T07:00:00.000+09:302013-08-27T07:00:05.874+09:30Escape to Provence<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been very fortunate to have met the charming Catherine through the Homelink home exchange network. She has kindly accommodated me for 4 weeks both in Vaucluse, Provence as well as Paris when my original travel plans for France fell through. Usually I would stay with my very good Parisian friend, VV, but unfortunately she was away. </div>
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Catherine has a beautiful, ivy-cladded house with mauve shutters, situated only 3km from the ultra-friendly provençal village of Sarrians. My first comment on seeing <i>La Sarriane</i>, her picturesque home, was how it reminded me of Monet's house at Giverny. She confirmed that she had this in mind when she started her 10 year renovation project of the house that she bought 17 years ago. The house fulfilled a long-held desire to live in Vaucluse. She now spends her summers at <i>La Sarriane</i> and winter in her Paris apartment. <i>La Sarriane</i> is surrounded by vineyards that come right up to the edge of the property and has its own olive trees. Mont Ventoux and Les Dentelles are visible from the garden and are easily accessed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Sarriane</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen</td></tr>
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Imagine my delight when I found myself in the dream country kitchen, tastefully decorated in blue and yellow, with copper cooking utensils hung on the walls. This is kitchen for a serious cook which has the benefit of an <i>arrière cuisine</i> (butler's kitchen). The 12 seater table was specially commissioned and had to be assembled in the kitchen due to its enormous size. What would be a country kitchen without a fireplace and a double oven with 5 burners stove top? I can appreciate these things even if I NEVER cook! This may change however. I have now attended 2 cooking classses with Catherine and I can now see that it is possible to easily cook delicious dishes that are not only suitable for everyday meals but also for special dinners with guests. My reportoire now includes: g<i>elée de tomates au caviar d'aubergine, tarte tatin de tomates, filet de rouget et basilic</i> and <i>tiramisu de pêches</i>. I have learnt the importance of removing the centre of the garlic before using it, as well as why you never cut the same piece of a herb a second time. I am sure that my cooking knowledge will continue to expand as tomorrow I travel to stay with VV in Paris. In addition to offering cooking classes, Catherine writes recipe books. She is also about to start a regular spot on radio where she will talk about food in Provence and will record a segment for French television.<br />
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<i>La Sarriane</i> has 8 bedrooms, which includes one with 4 beds for children, which makes it ideal for welcoming not only couples, but also families, in the bed and breakfast business she operates. Catherine offers <i>table d'hôte </i>so guests can enjoy first-hand her cooking expertise. On fine summer days, dinner is eaten under the cedar trees or next to the swimming pool to the song of the cicadas. Difficult to imagine a more idyllic setting.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kicking back next to the pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Sarriane - surrounded by vines</td></tr>
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Each day I would tear myself away from La Sarriane and head off in Catherine's convertible to discover the wineries, towns and villages of the area: Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Séguret, Venasque, Châteauneuf du Pape, Les Baux de Provence, Saint Rémy de Provence, Gordes, Vaison-la-Romaine, Fontaine de Vaucluse, L'Ilse sur la Sorgue, Orange and Avignon. Ideally, I should have blogged about this daily, but to be honest, I have been too busy discovering, eating and drinking.</div>
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The great news is that if you would like to make this lifestyle yours, Catherine has put her labour of love on the market for sale as she prepares for the next part of her life with lots of travel. I am so tempted!!!</div>
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<b>Cooking with Catherine</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.la-cuisine-de-catherine.com/">www.la-cuisine-de-catherine.com/</a></div>
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<b>Chambre d'hôte</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.maisondhotes-lasarriane.com/">www.maisondhotes-lasarriane.com/</a></div>
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Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com0Sarrians, France44.083415 4.971543999999994443.992194500000004 4.8101824999999945 44.1746355 5.1329054999999943tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-81820529165375838262013-08-23T10:02:00.000+09:302013-08-23T10:02:38.949+09:30Marseille - Reputation deserved or undeserved?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
Marseille being only 37 minutes by fast train ( Train Grande Vitesse - TGV) from Avignon provided me with the opportunity to spend a day visiting this famous large French port. I had been reluctant to visit it following lengthy discussions in a French class many years ago. We talked about Marseille having the highest crime rate of all cities in France. Since then, I have heard stories of people being robbed whilst they are in their car or walking in the street. Of course these things can happen anywhere but for some reason these negative images remained. French friends warned me to remove all jewellery, apart from costume jewellery, prior to visiting as I would risk having it forcibly removed. Marseille is one of the two 2013 European Cultural Capitals, so time to face my prejudices and visit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marseille - 2013 European Cultural Capital</td></tr>
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Arriving at Saint-Charles railway station, I found it easy to navigate the metro (only 2 lines) to the old port ( <i>Le Vieux Port</i> ). Guidebooks and friends suggest it is a good place to start any visit to Marseille. It is only 10.30am but sweat is running down my neck. I am eager to visit the <i><a href="http://www.mucem.org/" target="_blank"><b>Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée</b></a></i>, MuCEM for short. I understand that the exhibitions are poorly curated and being on a limited timeframe I decide to just visit the buildings and grounds. An added bonus is that it is free. MuCEM is made up of 3 buildings, 2 of which are at <i>Le Vieux Port</i>. components. Fort Saint-Jean, the 12th century fort, is joined to the architectural marvel, J4, by an external walkway which goes across the sea. It looks rather box-like to start with and then you start to see its true beauty with the play on light and shade. It is topped by a Mediterranean garden and the open cement work allow the sea breezes to cool the ramps that spiral around the building. They also allow visitors to enjoy the views.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Footbridge connecting Fort Saint-Jean and J4</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MuCEM - J4 (left) and Fort Saint-Jean (right) - sorry about the heads in the photo!</td></tr>
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Unfortunately the signage from <i>Le Vieux Port </i>for pedestrians doesn't indicate the path to take to enter via the fort. It was only the mass of people crossing the road to mount some steps that gave me any clue. The fort offers views over the old port which is now predominantly filled with pleasure craft that range from small modest traditional wooden boats to large yachts and sailing. The port is much much larger than I was expecting. The port is lined with restaurants and cafes that seem to all offer almost identical menus. Surely a tourist trap? I tried to find a café with locals in it. A group of business people with their lunch tickets seemed to be a reasonable indicator of people eating locally. The <i>moules (mussels) marinières</i> were very tasty but the glass of rosé was disappointing.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Vieux Port</td></tr>
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From the port I took a 2 hour Calanques Essentials boat trip. For some reason they require people to arrive 45 minutes early. We all dutifully lined up in the sun until shortly before the designated time we were allowed to board. The commentary is only provided in French but booklets are handed out in a variety of languages. Unfortunately it is not very clear to non French speakers the locations making it very difficult to know which information in the booklet is relevant. The commentary in French however was very interesting and well presented. The boat trip was very reasonable at only 22 Euros and probably the highlight of the day. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Calanques</td></tr>
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The last bit of tourism I managed to squeeze in was to visit the basilica of <b><a href="http://www.notredamedelagarde.com/" target="_blank">Notre-Dame de la Garde.</a></b> This church perched high on the hilltop is hard to miss from just about anywhere in the main city area. It looked too high and too far for me to manage accessing by foot. It is the most visited site in Marseille according to the tourism office. The 360 degrees view is outstanding so even if you are starting to feel churched out it is worthwhile. If not 'churched' out, you will enjoy the beautiful decoration within the church. I would recommend taking bus number 60 rather than <i>Le Petit Train</i> (tourist train that goes through the streets) to visit the church. There were long queues to get on Le Petit Train at <i>Le Vieux Port,</i> and again at the church. People were getting rather impatient standing in hot weather as train after train arrived but there was inadequate room to take all of the waiting passengars. You do of course miss out on the commentary.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notre-Dame de la Garde seen from Le Vieux Port </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Notre-Dame de la Garde</td></tr>
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Whilst waiting for my train to go back to Avignon, I called into a neighbourhood cafe. Cafés around railway stations often leave something to be desired. This one was even worse than usual. The photo below shows the powerpoint that they suggested I could use to recharge my phone. Yes, it worked. Rather desperate, I decided to use their toilet facilities as I thought they would be cleaner than those at the railway station. WRONG!! No photos for this.</div>
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Unfortunately my day didn't quite end as I planned. I missed the last train to where I parked the car. This meant a train to another station and then a bus. What should have taken 37 minutes took more than 2 hours. I will certainly be more careful next time.</div>
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Would I go back to Marseille? Yes, I would. I feel that there is a lot more to see and that I was trying to squeeze too much in to the one day. I really would like to explore the areas around the city and to swim in the Calanques etc.</div>
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<b><b>Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée</b></b></div>
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1, esplanade du J4</div>
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13002 Marseille</div>
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Tel: 04 84 35 13 13</div>
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<a href="http://www.mucem.org/" target="_blank">www.mucem.org</a></div>
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<b>Croisieres Marseilles - Les Calanques</b></div>
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Angle du Quai du Port et du Quai des Belges (face à la brasserie La Samaritaine) </div>
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13001 Marseille</div>
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Tel: 04 91 58 50 57</div>
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<a href="http://www.croisieres-marseille-calanques.com/" target="_blank">www.croisieres-marseille-calanques.com</a></div>
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<b>Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde</b></div>
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Rue Fort du Sanctuaire</div>
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13281 MARSEILLE</div>
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Tel : 04 91 13 40 80</div>
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<a href="http://www.notredamedelagarde.com/" target="_blank">www.notredamedelagarde.com</a></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Flh3.ggpht.com%2F-MK1WC7nAJe8%2FUhO2WiPV9YI%2FAAAAAAAAlBM%2Fiv3vGyQZtkM%2Fs640%2FIMG_20130819_152241.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRl8HCP1ocw32mbgIC3rDuc_CX0L2Mv1CSA_wEDTHCbMBu8pPFNYxQEuV1s9lgYSwRIjwfVF5lTS9OjsoumVonmMlIEC3kk0GbHzBD743r_kLOPXsVB9YrHhISopBdsKufcWLkBf5A/s640/IMG_20130819_152241.jpg" -->Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com6Marseille, France43.296482 5.369779999999991642.926569 4.7243329999999917 43.666394999999994 6.0152269999999914tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-88138786159069194942013-08-22T03:20:00.000+09:302013-08-22T03:20:12.764+09:30French Gastronomy has a New Star<div style="text-align: justify;">
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is well known by Australian francophiles for its legendary antiques and second-hand goods market on a Sunday morning. Not so well-known is the <i>Restaurant A Table </i>run by Anne and Clément. This will change, as I am certain this couple and their restaurant are going to be the next big thing in French gastronomy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted langoustine with horseradish, tartar of tomato and basil spaghetti</td></tr>
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I knew when my friend, food expert and writer Catherine said that this restaurant was something special that I was going to be in for a real treat. The restaurant has a simple understated decor which provides a perfect balm to the frantic pace of the markets that spill on to the neighbouring streets. I love the markets here but by the end I am suffering sensory overload.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea bream almonds and rosemary</td></tr>
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I am warmly greeted by Anne who apologises for having to turn me away the night before as they are fully booked. Anne moves effortlessly between French and English as she talks with the diners. She radiates a genuine charm and warmth and is rightfully very proud of the restaurant and the dishes lovingly and creatively prepared by Clém. For dinner there is a 3 course menu for 30 Euros with 2 choices per course. Whilst some may suggest this is too limited, I can only reply that the result is dishes made from the very best and freshest ingredients. The wording in the menus does not provide a hint as to just how wonderful the dishes are. The quality of the dishes exceeds even the highest of expectations. I have been fortunate to eat in Michelin starred restaurants in France and Spain but Clém's dishes exceed these in every way. Minute attention to detail in terms of combinations of flavours, textures, smells and presentation result in dishes that are light and yet have a complexity that rewards the senses.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nectarine, raspberry and verbena</td></tr>
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I highly recommend this restaurant for those who are looking for gourmet fresh creative French cuisine. </div>
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<i>Restaurant "A Table"</i><br />
52-54 rue Carnot<br />
84800 ISLE sur SORGUE<br />
Tél. : 04 90 24 86 62<br />
<a href="http://www.restaurant-a-table.fr/">www.restaurant-a-table.fr</a><br />
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<br />Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-69429646297624220662013-08-21T08:08:00.000+09:302013-08-22T02:33:44.132+09:30Provence: Expect the Unexpected<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
Last week I returned to Catherine's large home near the village of Sarrians in Provence having spent a week in her Paris apartment. I met Catherine earlier this year to arrange a home exchange for 2014. I consider myself extremely fortunate to house and cat sit for her.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux</td></tr>
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Catherine picked me up from the very modern Avignon TGV railway station; reminds me more of an airport than a railway station, and we drove directly to the village of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. I was looking forward to exploring the village's picturesque historic centre. Arriving earlier than expected, we had time for a drink at the local café. Whilst debating whether to sit in the sun or the shade a group of men brandishing guns rushed forward only a couple of metres us. Yelling loudly, they threw a customer to the ground, jumping on him. "Don't move" screamed one of them as he pointed his gun at us. The short double-barrelled gun looked like a toy and I thought it may be a prank or a film being made. It was all very surreal and at odds with the relaxed atmosphere on the sunny terrace of the café. The armed men then pulled on masks and slapped on armbands revealing that they were in fact gendarmes (police). Phones were pulled out and shortly after about a dozen police vehicles with uniformed police arrived. The masked gendarmes placed the man in one of the vehicles and whisked him off. The gendarmes disappeared back down the sidestreets as the uniformed police formed a loose cordon around the square. Gradually the uniformed officer got back into their vehicles one at a time and drove off. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene of the violent arrest</td></tr>
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The whole incident struck me as quite ironic given that only days before I had been in the Saint-Denis area visiting the basilica. Saint-Denis is considered a rough area of Paris. My time there was free from any 'incidents' and yet when I was in the idyllic village setting of Saint-Paul -Trois-Châteaux I had a gun pointed at me. The whole event was so unreal that I don't think I was really as frightened as I would have expected, given the circumstances. A woman and her toddler sat down for a drink at the next table some time after the event. She commented to me about the number of police in the area. If only she knew what had just happened.</div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-80061131529290636582013-08-14T04:19:00.000+09:302013-08-14T04:19:47.620+09:30Dreams do come true - Cycling in Paris<div style="text-align: justify;">
People who know me, know that I don't go in for exercise apart from the occasional sprint from one shop to another. This didn't stop me from finally deciding to try something that I had always wanted to do - cycle in Paris. Thousands, millions do it and think nothing of it. My lack of fitness plus fear for my life had kept me off a bike in Paris until last Sunday. If you are going to cycle in Paris and are nervous about doing it, I can highly recommend doing it on Sunday in August. As <i>Aussie in France</i> points out in her post <a href="http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2013/08/paris-in-august-where-have-all-the-people-gone/" target="_blank">Paris in August – where have all the people gone?</a> Paris is relatively devoid of people at the moment.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lack of people at Arc de Triomphe</td></tr>
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My friend, Olivia, who has just moved to Paris from the Vaucluse was to be my guide and provided my briefing on rules for cycling in Paris. Not owning a bike is not a problem in Paris. Vélib stations with their racks of bikes are to be found even more frequently than metro stops. These bikes are available for hire by residents and visitors alike. You can register online for a day, week or year. Short-term rentals can also be done at the automated kiosks located at the stations. The process is very quick and easy and the rates very cheap. A one day registration is 1,70 euro. If you during this 24 hr period you take a bike out each time for a period of less than 30 minutes there is no additional fee payable. The secret is to return the bike after 29 minutes to any of the 1800 Vélib stations. A short 2 minute wait and you can take it or another one out again. Even if you exceed the 30 minutes the fees are very low.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my Velib in the deserted Place de la Concorde</td></tr>
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Of course being in France no helmet is needed so no dreaded helmet hair. I am reliably informed that <i>Parisiennes </i>ride in high heals with short dresses in the middle of the road. Not me, inelegantly in my cropped pants and Birkenstock-like sandals no-one would confuse me with being a <i>Parisienne</i>. Even less so when I stopped to take a photo and fell off the bike. Oh the embarrassment!!! A young couple kindly helped pick me and the bike back up and even gave me a wet towelette to clean myself.</div>
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Olivia had worked out our route. Seeing I had always wanted to ride in Paris then it had to be the rue Saint-Honoré past l'Elysée; Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde and along the rue de Rivoli and of course the Champs Elysée. Olivia was a wonderful guide keeping an eye out for me and finding routes that I could manage. I thought I would be puffed and exhausted - instead I was exhilarated and felt rejuvenated. The wine and dinner we had partway through our tour may have contributed to these feelings. Monday morning, the bruises and aches and pains started to appear. French friends recommended a homeopathic remedy, arnica granules and gel. I cannot speak highly enough of these. The gel provided instant relief for my knee that smashed into the bitumen with my full weight plus that of my bike. Monday night, I collapsed into my bed not to wake until 9.00am. Unfortunately there are only a limited number of Sundays in August but I am determined to try it again. </div>
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For more information on hiring Vélib bikes: <a href="http://www.velib.paris.fr/">http://www.velib.paris.fr/</a> (French, English and Spanish)</div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-46170859379828229062013-02-17T22:17:00.000+10:302013-02-17T22:17:13.266+10:30The Louvre - Path of Beauty<div style="text-align: justify;">
I discovered this short video thanks to a contributor in <a href="http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/short-video-tour-of-the-louvre-169322-3.cfm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fodors-europe+%28Forums%3A+Europe%29&utm_content=Google+Reader" target="_blank">Fodor's Forums</a>. The women visits some of the most famous works in the Louvre totally alone. Her face reflects her emotional voyage as she connects with the works. When I visit the Louvre and other museums in France I am often overcome with emotion as I take in the beauty and the history of the works. I smile to myself as the tears well up. This video allows me to relive these feelings.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="213" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/57078160" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/57078160">Path of Beauty</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/florentigla">Florent Igla</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<br />Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-66464450095894435452013-02-12T01:41:00.000+10:302013-02-12T01:41:11.567+10:30Barcelona: Out and About (Part 2)Rosemary from Aussie in France is currently enjoying her time in Barcelona. You can read more of her adventures at: <a href="http://aussieinfrance.com/">aussieinfrance.com</a><br />
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Rather belatedly here are some of my favourite things from our visit to Barcelona in January.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; line-height: 34px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria</span></span><br />
<span rel="v:address" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address" property="v:street-address">Plaza de la Boqueria</span> | <span class="extended-address">Ramblas</span>, <span class="locality"><span property="v:postal-code">08001</span> <span property="v:locality">Barcelona</span></span>, <span class="country-name" property="v:country-name">Spain</span> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(El Raval)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of the best presented market produce I have seen anywhere. The stall-holders have cleverly identified the tourist market and you can buy cheese, hams etc in paper cones to be able to eat as you wander. The fruit stalls have fresh juices and fruit salads in takeaway containers. Personally I prefer to sit and watch the world go buy as I eat. A very busy market but it is definitely worth the visit. For where to eat: <a href="http://femmesfrancophiles.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/visiting-barcelona-tapas-and-casual.html" target="_blank">Barcelona : Tapas and Casual Dining</a></span></span></div>
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<b>Guell Park</b></div>
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<span class="street-address" property="v:street-address" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Carrer Olot</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">, </span><span class="locality" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span property="v:locality">Barcelona</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">, </span><span class="country-name" property="v:country-name" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Spain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c;">For much better photos I recommend Rosemary's post: <a href="http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2013/02/first-impressions-of-barcelona-gaudi-and-pintxos/" target="_blank">First Impressions of Barcelona - Gaudi and Pintxos</a>. I am glad I finally got to visit the park although </span><span style="color: #2c2c2c;"> </span><span style="color: #2c2c2c;">I was slightly disappointed. I am still not quite sure why. Perhaps I was expecting something more elaborate. </span><span style="color: #2c2c2c;">After seeing the film '<i>L'auberge espagnole</i>' I was determined to get there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-weight: bold; line-height: 34px;">La Pedrera - Mila </span><span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-weight: bold; line-height: 34px;">House (Casa Mila)</span></span><br />
Carrer de Provenca 261 - 265 | L'Eixample, 08008 Barcelona, Spain (Eixample)<br />
<a href="http://www.lapedrera.com/en">www.lapedrera.com/en</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Visitors rave about the rooftop terrace and the house itself. Unfortunately the house was closed to visitors for the week we were there so se were only able to see the foyer area of the house and the exhibition area. The exhibition <i>'</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><i>The other Pedreras. Architecture and design around the World in the early 20th century</i>' e</span>xhibition is free and very interesting for those with even a passing interest in architecture. It looks at the works of </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Charles R. Mackintosh, Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos and Frank Lloyd Wright</span><span style="color: #706f6f; font-family: Lucida Grande, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The exhibition finishes on 24 February 2013.</span></div>
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<b>Casa Batllo</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.casabatllo.es/en/">www.casabatllo.es/en/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Not cheap to visit at 20€ - but worth every centime. The audioguide is included in the entry price. The explanations are fascinating as is the attention to details by this house designed by Gaudi. The solutions he found to problems of ventilation, lighting to lower levels etc were considered radical in their time.</span></div>
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<b>Sagridia Familia</b></div>
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<span rel="v:address" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address" property="v:street-address">Placa Sagrada Familia</span>, <span class="locality"><span property="v:postal-code">08013</span> <span property="v:locality">Barcelona</span></span>, <span class="country-name" property="v:country-name">Spain</span> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(Eixample)</span></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/">www.sagradafamilia.cat/</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A visit to the interior is highly recommended for this partially completed church. Audioguides are available in a range of languages. I found that this greatly enhanced our self-guided visit to the church. We chose not to visit the towers as the queues were very long.</span></div>
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<span rel="v:address" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address" property="v:street-address"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 34px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eglesia de Santa Maria del Mar</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span rel="v:address" style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address" property="v:street-address">Placa Santa Maria 1, La Ribera, Ciutat Vella</span> | <span class="extended-address">Placa Santa Maria</span>, <span class="locality"><span property="v:postal-code">08003</span> <span property="v:locality">Barcelona</span></span>, <span class="country-name" property="v:country-name">Spain</span> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(Sant Pere - Santa Caterina i la Ribera)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I found this church much more intimate than Gaudi's Sagrida Familia and equally fascinating with its 14th century architecture and interesting statues. At the altar the Catalan pride shone through with flowers arranged to represent the Catalan flag. The church in the gothic quarter is free to visit and definitely worth a detour.</span></span></div>
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<b>San Sebastia</b></div>
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I ventured here to take the cable car to Montjuïc. I probably wouldn't have ventured here otherwise as I am not a huge beach fan. It was however a pleasant spot to wander showing a slightly different view of Barcelona.</div>
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<b>Cable Car to Montjuïc</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.telefericodebarcelona.com/IndexIng.html">www.telefericodebarcelona.com/IndexIng.html</a></div>
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I was very eager to do this trip and to get an overall impression of Barcelona. The views were absolutely fantastic. They were however also extremely good views just by walking or taking the bus to Miramar on Montjuïc so I would recommend skipping the cable car part of the trip. I did not bother with the telerific to go to the top of Montjuïc as I felt that the view was already magnificent at Miramar. There is a small café where you can have a drink or snack and enjoy the view. The food didn't look fantastic, so I would just grab a coffee or cold drink.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Rambla from the cable car</td></tr>
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Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-33114257529537473122013-02-04T00:19:00.002+10:302013-02-04T00:19:54.990+10:30Barcelona: Out and About (Part 1)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Rosemary, of <a href="http://www.aussieinfrance.com/" target="_blank">Aussie in France</a>, is off to Barcelona this week and this has prompted me to reflect on our recent trip.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Interesting architecture everywhere</i></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">Getting There:</b></div>
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We booked only a few weeks prior to travelling and managed to get flights for about 49€ each way from Paris with <b>EasyJet</b> travelling with cabin baggage only. Twice I have flown EasyJet from Paris to Spain and each time in Paris they have been very strict about applying the one bag rule in the cabin. They forced people to put their handbags in their cabin bags when they boarded the plane (even though passengers then removed them). Spanish Easyjet staff did not apply this rule however. EasyJet now thankfully provides allocated seating. The only problem we had with the flights was our return flight. Due to snow in Paris our plane was late arriving in Barcelona for our return trip. When we finally landed at Charles de Gaulle airport the airbridge could not come close enough to the plane. It appeared that the <i>Aéroport de Paris</i> ground staff had swept up the snow into a pile where the wheels of the airbridge needed to go. We then had to wait for the snow plough to arrive to re-arrange it. The tarmac is marked with the areas that need to remain clear so I really don't understand why this happened.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculpture at Sant Sebastià </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With EasyJet, you land at Terminal 2 at Barcelona Airport. We travelled by </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><b><i>Aerobús</i> </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A2 to the centre of Barcelona. There is a stop at <i>Pl. Espanya</i> and then in the city centre at <i>Pl. Catalunya</i> which is essentially located at one end of Las Ramblas. Tickets can be bought from either the driver or staff at the bus stop. One way 5,75€ or return 9,95€ (with 9 day limit to use the return trip). With buses leaving every 10 minutes for each terminal we found this a clean, economical and efficient way to travel to our accommodation.</span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pl Espanya and former bullring - now shopping centre with great free view from roof top cafés and bars</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Accommodation:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We chose the <b><i>Hotel Bagués</i></b> which is located on La Rambla. The building is old on the outside but very much a modern, boutique hotel on the inside. The service is particularly impressive. I have never come across such pleasant, welcoming and knowledgable staff at any hotel. Every one of their recommendations for dinner and activities were spot on. The hotel has a bar on the roof with a lap pool and wonderful views of La Rambla and the Barcelona skyline. Staff kindly opened it up for us one evening so we could enjoy a drink there. They thought it was too cold for us but we still enjoyed it. There is a hotel in the restaurant but we chose to eat out including for breakfast. With the markets only a one minute walk there are so many options on top of all the other nearby locations. I can highly recommend this hotel for its wonderful staff, location and comfort. The welcome bottle of water and strawberries may only be a little thing, as is the turn down service in the evenings, but it does make you feel special.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Granja Viader - operating for 125 years makes great place for a quiet breakfast or coffee</i></td></tr>
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<b>Getting Around:</b></div>
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After spending time in Paris I was most impressed by the cleanliness and moderness of the <b>metro service</b>. I often saw people cleaning the stations. The floor, seats, entrances were all very clean. There were escalators that worked! The ticketing machine was multilingual and very easy to use. I bought a T-10 pass (9,80€) for 10 trips in zone 1 which covers most of the sights in Barcelona. The pass can be used by multiple people travelling together. You just pass it back for others to swipe. The pass can be used on buses as well. While the hop-on, hop-off bus makes it easy for tourists who are perhaps a little unsure about navigating public transport, it does come at a significant cost (26€ for 1 day).<br />
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<b>Random Observations:</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The weather in mid-January was relatively mild with lots of sun. The maximum was 12-15°C. Young women wore shorts with boots and stockings. I must be getting old as I did not find this a very good look. Shorts with bare legs - sure. But boots and stockings - no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The streets were nealy empty around midday but were full around 5.00pm. It was sales time in the shops but unlike Paris, the shops were not packed. No doubt a reflection of the financial difficulties being experienced in Spain. It was easy to look at things and get into a change room to try items on. Regretfully, service was pretty well non-existent in most shops although there were some exceptions.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pl. Espagna from the shopping centre roof in former bull-fighting ring</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">When visiting tourist sites such as <i><b>Par</b></i></span><i><b>c Güell</b></i> t<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">here were many hawkers. Unlike those in Paris, such as around the Louvre, they did not approach people to make purchases. I also noticed many amputees who were on the streets with signs requesting money. Again they did not ask for money. I was only approached once for money during the 4 day period. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beautiful façade</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Online travel forums are full of questions about personal safety when visiting Barcelona. Our hotel provided an information leaflet about safe practices which really are those that you would expect wherever you are travelling as well as at home. At all times I felt safe with the standard precautions.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La Rambla</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I saw this sign in a bank window. Even using Google translator for Catalan I am not much wiser. Are they offering a set of knives when opening a bank account? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kFFfIlzbMUdyFUg3BDyIJJQUHkJLB1cHpoTux5yAtiKRN-ub7nqbF7tm8UGgzzOzKOG2ot78h-yyJnhoJhUnVKU-o4XuIhecM9X3ltNWlF8JdCRy8xlkmNwtjAuGx_ktqEjI621D-Q/s1600/IMG_9576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kFFfIlzbMUdyFUg3BDyIJJQUHkJLB1cHpoTux5yAtiKRN-ub7nqbF7tm8UGgzzOzKOG2ot78h-yyJnhoJhUnVKU-o4XuIhecM9X3ltNWlF8JdCRy8xlkmNwtjAuGx_ktqEjI621D-Q/s1600/IMG_9576.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A set of kn<span style="color: #222222;">ives with that account??</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you visited Barcelona or other parts of Spain? What were your observations?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Aerobús</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.aerobusbcn.com/index.php">www.aerobusbcn.com/index.php</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #999999;"><b>Hotel Bagués</b><br />La Rambla 105, 08002 Barcelona</span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.derbyhotels.com/en/hotel-bagues/">www.derbyhotels.com/en/hotel-bagues/</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Granja Viader </b></span><br />Xucla, 4 - 6, 08001 Barcelona</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.granjaviader.cat/">www.granjaviader.cat</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><b><span style="color: #999999;">Transports Metropolitains de Barcelone</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.tmb.cat/">http://www.tmb.cat</a></span></div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-64000385071529092172013-01-28T19:27:00.001+10:302013-01-28T19:27:11.876+10:30Barcelona : Gastronomic Dining<div style="text-align: justify;">
I visited Spain for the first time in 2001 as part of a whirlwind tour around Europe. I couldn't understand people who raved about Spanish food. The food served to tourists on bus trips is generally lacking flavour and unexciting. All this changed last year when I stayed with Isa and Julio in Andalusia. What a revelation. </div>
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In January this year, in addition to <a href="http://femmesfrancophiles.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/visiting-barcelona-tapas-and-casual.html" target="_blank">tapas</a>, I was fortunate to dine in the Michelin starred <i>Cinc Sentits </i>restaurant in Barcelona. The restaurant showcases contemporary Catalan cuisine and is owned by brother and sister duo, Jordi and Amèlia Artal, the chef and maître d'. We contacted the restaurant via their website to book and promptly received a response. </div>
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The restaurant in Eixample was accessible by foot from Las Ramblas where we were staying. We were warmly greeted by staff and shown to our table, one of only 10 in the restaurant. Plenty of space between the tables and dimmed lighting make it an intimate spot for dining with a loved one. The decor is minimalist without being cold. It provided an ideal contrast for showing off the elaborate presentation of the dishes. The staff were very pleasant, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about the dishes and the wines. Always attentive, but never intrusive, there was a sense of theatre about the service. The philosophy of the restaurant is around sourcing fresh, high quality ingredients. Staff elaborated on how they not only choose wines but regularly review them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pMoKrKTLWM78PA9HdHdeKZGPpkT2UgEHtXvlBhFFvKIeu5TPmUi_rsVmZdDXnklQneyYJDsUetZXcxwg0ky48S2-S7BeAipO6JKdPzsTgh49n5QAyP7n7ecf-T0CNBDvPj8nsv_dFA/s1600/IMG_9173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pMoKrKTLWM78PA9HdHdeKZGPpkT2UgEHtXvlBhFFvKIeu5TPmUi_rsVmZdDXnklQneyYJDsUetZXcxwg0ky48S2-S7BeAipO6JKdPzsTgh49n5QAyP7n7ecf-T0CNBDvPj8nsv_dFA/s400/IMG_9173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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For an apéritif we cho<span style="font-family: inherit;">se <span lang="EN-US"><i>Gran Juvé y Camps Gran Reserva</i>, </span>a local sparkling white wine which we really enjoyed and reasonably priced at 8€ a glass. The restaurant does not serve à la carte. We had a choice of 2 tasting menus, the 8 course '<i>Sensacions</i>' and the more rustic 6 course '<i>Essència</i>'. We chose the <i>Sensacions </i>menu and the Spanish wines to match.</span><br />
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After the last of our savoury dishes, our waiter brought to our table what looked like a large mint on a small glass dish. Armed with an atomiser he meticulously described the various spices and flavours of the spray. He sprayed the mint-like object which swelled to the size of my thumb. No additional cutlery was provided, so we assumed we were to eat it with our fingers. I bit into it... my teeth came to a sudden halt in this solid, fibrous mass. The waiter did well not to laugh as he explained that in fact it was a towel to wipe our fingers. Up until then, I had done a reasonable job of impressing them with my sophistication. In five seconds this was all undone. The real girl from Wollongong (an industrial city in Australia) and the naive boy from Woodenbong (rural backwater in Australia) were instantly revealed.<br />
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Each dish was truly a feast for the five senses. The wines were perfectly matched, enhancing the dishes. It was one of the most memorable meals I have ever enjoyed. I would highly recommend <i>Cinc Sentits</i> to those who enjoy great food, wine and service and who like to indulge. It is a very special restaurant for a special occasion.<br />
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* No photos of the amuse-guele, tapas or cheese courses.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9tp5vMCD0ECun3YvLX6Xs_vUJ1zoOe3OYFvtJmLjlnz9Qc1nvXP0X8mzktxfhtwM9NnyTlcbLFOmekC9b1YorJAJBc7PiYQ65vHpOsw5SMWJTpA_bOf_pbYIv1-Z2bL1vn1Gkg0xWA/s1600/IMG_9153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9tp5vMCD0ECun3YvLX6Xs_vUJ1zoOe3OYFvtJmLjlnz9Qc1nvXP0X8mzktxfhtwM9NnyTlcbLFOmekC9b1YorJAJBc7PiYQ65vHpOsw5SMWJTpA_bOf_pbYIv1-Z2bL1vn1Gkg0xWA/s640/IMG_9153.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gran Juvé y Camps Gran Reserva</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKhUAvLr9N6jP3a_fcBAxTmUpuUxp05VO0ZHkHMKQ8oEX7UXhVqrhK1-E-mDNQsXURUgjEv3YXQ8XX_FfpCTajpUOHLrH9RNCkkvq_gfDoi65_z20BDZ20aW_bUGRx_m3QLUVYdQFbA/s1600/IMG_9164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKhUAvLr9N6jP3a_fcBAxTmUpuUxp05VO0ZHkHMKQ8oEX7UXhVqrhK1-E-mDNQsXURUgjEv3YXQ8XX_FfpCTajpUOHLrH9RNCkkvq_gfDoi65_z20BDZ20aW_bUGRx_m3QLUVYdQFbA/s640/IMG_9164.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Albacore salad - smoked apple sorbet, pickled onion, green beans and olive air</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5wzC9juANBIR3sFDpHPqaKG2smOJwzPOlo0qIg4mkVk5c8O2vWiwB1MDtbFhdBKmA4v0YXo96FbZPAsTZR1MzIQmlLnM_goHyahrpxNjM0V3i1oPzFncxiLoVDIq0Ea-69jaJc0BPw/s1600/IMG_9168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5wzC9juANBIR3sFDpHPqaKG2smOJwzPOlo0qIg4mkVk5c8O2vWiwB1MDtbFhdBKmA4v0YXo96FbZPAsTZR1MzIQmlLnM_goHyahrpxNjM0V3i1oPzFncxiLoVDIq0Ea-69jaJc0BPw/s640/IMG_9168.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caramelised foie gras 'Coca' - pastry crust, chive arrop and leeks</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIzHfETMNR9ZTHdEFbG7zMXs8sdNJnZ3ITYexDBLkGoqkVbtip2dG_U_tdNWAEuTCsdcsVDzukTRtBJXLDwnILFX0LlhGN5hyphenhyphenjoYv9ACjZzl3n32HhguZaO557EX7Q04OVZ-jTJCPkw/s1600/IMG_9172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIzHfETMNR9ZTHdEFbG7zMXs8sdNJnZ3ITYexDBLkGoqkVbtip2dG_U_tdNWAEuTCsdcsVDzukTRtBJXLDwnILFX0LlhGN5hyphenhyphenjoYv9ACjZzl3n32HhguZaO557EX7Q04OVZ-jTJCPkw/s640/IMG_9172.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Razor clam - crisp green bean, mini potato, traditional pil pil sauce</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxR8VTtv9ArZ04xJMrNb8yt6iS81nQfGKu98fCG6VELPMath5SLejM3c3koJ7LVwe_pXSqR6pVVoOR-u8O-Sq5FhfVk2G53B14mrx5QqWU-MoDT_UheJhNJL50WsrS78UiWqra9zBRw/s1600/IMG_9175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxR8VTtv9ArZ04xJMrNb8yt6iS81nQfGKu98fCG6VELPMath5SLejM3c3koJ7LVwe_pXSqR6pVVoOR-u8O-Sq5FhfVk2G53B14mrx5QqWU-MoDT_UheJhNJL50WsrS78UiWqra9zBRw/s640/IMG_9175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>John Dory - salsify, brussel sprouts, bone marrow, green olive, almond bread crumbs</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpSUXyB4WBLsXy11Sc5L-vZU3SktMVoC04iuvsbYO5RPo2looYhYNQaTVBCtcFfvoGNN57NhRBQmrNhoaajH9yNjktBkT5mu7PFa5Se9PcUveRkEOTKQjlMXWJCx8wOe3jIfjTjYPNg/s1600/IMG_9176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpSUXyB4WBLsXy11Sc5L-vZU3SktMVoC04iuvsbYO5RPo2looYhYNQaTVBCtcFfvoGNN57NhRBQmrNhoaajH9yNjktBkT5mu7PFa5Se9PcUveRkEOTKQjlMXWJCx8wOe3jIfjTjYPNg/s640/IMG_9176.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Squab from Araiz - red wine poached pear, red fruits, croqueta</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6k1QSVI9rH8FksJu7_X8N29MmVBMxGgd6BwWL8ojXTetND6_vfbLSt7-l5Gbj5-Ri5wuXCNaTR2Zzt3I-yfK97HYxc1CGp6xUTSuYZ2wo-ZXhEU0acGTqJUH5iflKpeEt-6z3egt5g/s1600/IMG_9192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6k1QSVI9rH8FksJu7_X8N29MmVBMxGgd6BwWL8ojXTetND6_vfbLSt7-l5Gbj5-Ri5wuXCNaTR2Zzt3I-yfK97HYxc1CGp6xUTSuYZ2wo-ZXhEU0acGTqJUH5iflKpeEt-6z3egt5g/s320/IMG_9192.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not so delicious hand towel</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKuQNLeK7z7v6XWIGz3a9h1CjURujeS2STVSmEIVIqFfHVU1ME0wxf4whj46G61sFxgnbG1_Xq7bqMeqTeFc990KveJiIdmP6xd_D_bcEiS7L4ku3XgHnUqMuYZqjhPOeEx_DWa0nSg/s1600/IMG_9193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKuQNLeK7z7v6XWIGz3a9h1CjURujeS2STVSmEIVIqFfHVU1ME0wxf4whj46G61sFxgnbG1_Xq7bqMeqTeFc990KveJiIdmP6xd_D_bcEiS7L4ku3XgHnUqMuYZqjhPOeEx_DWa0nSg/s640/IMG_9193.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tangerine - passionfruit, fresh herbs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Banana - warm salted caramel, black beer, hazelnut</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VJkL3lXwwjeU59EfDmMyJn9tyx8jh9r_kNPbTjhl8o-VTnOQ5ieqz5ecEfBA1tm7zcOj4UNN-vPE0yH6MDm-7HMHL_He57rC3GPJthOTCZiO-g8XFypwdx6Z3F8Aj9R3wIn3aZ7YtA/s1600/IMG_9206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VJkL3lXwwjeU59EfDmMyJn9tyx8jh9r_kNPbTjhl8o-VTnOQ5ieqz5ecEfBA1tm7zcOj4UNN-vPE0yH6MDm-7HMHL_He57rC3GPJthOTCZiO-g8XFypwdx6Z3F8Aj9R3wIn3aZ7YtA/s640/IMG_9206.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tentacions - coconut marzipan; cannelé; chocolate and mint truffle; frozen peanut sandwich</i></td></tr>
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<i style="color: #999999; font-family: inherit;"><b>Cinc Sentits</b></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: inherit;"><i>Aribau 58 E 08011 Barcelona</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="http://www.cincsentits.com/">www.cincsentits.com</a></i></span></div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-86845891024557534652013-01-27T23:01:00.001+10:302013-01-27T23:03:42.431+10:30Barcelona : Tapas and Casual Dining<div style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;">
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I have been expanding my horizons beyond France with a four day visit to Barcelona in Spain. After the grey skies and cold in northern France it was a relief to arrive to warm sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. I use 'warm' here as a relative term. It was a mild 16°C. Certainly nothing like the mid 40°C that family have been experiencing in Australia.</div>
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High on my priorities for Barcelona was eating tapas. Here are some of the tapas bars that I have tried.</div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Ciudad Condad</b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I found this standout tapas bar thanks to a recommendation from staff in our hotel. It is only a short walk from La Rambla. There is an area with table service but it is much more fun in the bar area. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I ended up chatting away with people from Andalucia, Catalonia, and Italy. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As it was crowded the strategy for obtaining a seat at the bar is just to hover around and catch the eye of the patient and helpful staff behind the bar who will help you secure a stool. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The tapas are a little dearer than I tried elsewhere but the quality are also a step up. I found them to be good value for money. They do have standard offerings which are supplemented by the daily specials of approximately another 12 tapas. Some are pre-prepared, whilst others such as the seafood are cooked to order. The ingredients were <b>very </b>fresh and tasty. A menu in English is available on request but we found that pointing to what others were eating and those already prepared was actually better than trying to pick from the English version of the menu. The daily specials are not included in the translated menu. Without doubt some of the best tapas anywhere. I have never tasted olives so bursting with flavour and with such perfect texture. Neither too soft nor too hard. I finally tried the shellfish that I had seen in a tapas bar in Seville. It appears to be a very popular choice but I found it not really to my taste.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As the food, service and atmosphere was so good we went back a second time and were thrilled that our server remembered us. This bar is highly recommended.</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fresh produce makes great tapas</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A part of our tasty selection</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Unknown shellfish </span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Pinotxo Bar</b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This institution in the Mercat (Market) de la Boqueria was recommended by a Spanish friend. Like Ciudad Condad it is well known, appearing in many travel guides hence there may be a bit of a wait for a stool. This is all part of the fun giving you a chance to observe the activities at the neighbouring market stores. One of the staff managed 'crowd control' so that it was fair for everyone. He was able to confidently translate into English the day's seasonal offerings from his list. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I made the mistake of assuming that the dishes would be very small 'tapas-size' servings. The servings were generous and approaching main-course size. It become evident very quickly that I had over-ordered. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I was so enthused by what they were offering I wanted to try lots of dishes. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As with tapas, the dishes were brought out as they were prepared. We enjoyed the tastiest rabbit dish ever, variety of fried mushrooms, toast rubbed with garlic, tomato and olive oil, grilled lamb, chickpeas, chevre and the list goes on. The dishes were not the prettiest but they well and truly made up for it in terms of flavours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">More casual than Ciudad Condad, I would highly recommend it for brunch when you visit what I think is one of the best food markets anywhere.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Toast</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chevre</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mushrooms</span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: justify;">Bar Lobo</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Jamon on bread</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">This bar, only one street back from the hustle and bustle of La Ramblas, provides a haven with delicious food and a laid back atmosphere. It may have been the time that I was there, but it has a much quieter, slower pace than the exuberance and noise of Ciudad Condad. A great place in terms of food when you want to be able to sit back, relax, chat with friends etc</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Quirky fun setting with lights made from books and huge old fashioned meat safes or cold storage set into the walls.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spot the problem. Not an ideal location for those in a wheel chair.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Sagardi Euskal Taberna</b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I found this tavern in the El Born area </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">by chance</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. This tavern has seated outdoor eating, standing in the bar area and a seated restaurant area. The tapas (Basque style) is available in the bar and outdoor eating area. It is more expensive when eating outdoors. Another menu is available for the restaurant. The tapas is self-serve which makes it much easier when you don't speak the language. All tapas was served either on bread, or in a roll or croissant. The roll I had was not as fresh as I had at other tapas bars. It was a pleasant meal sitting outside at night (under a heater) in January. I certainly was not cold. I probably would not rush back here for the food given the superior quality available at other locations. The atmosphere outdoors in the pedestrian only square however does make it worthy of another visit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #272727; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: white;">Olives, anchovies with green peppers; croissant with crab; anchovy and red cabbage </i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Bar Ca</span>ñ<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">ete</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This bar was one of three recommended by the concièrge at our hotel. Like Ciudad Condad and Bar Lobo we really enjoyed this bar. Don't be put off by the dingy sidestreet of Las Ramblas where it is located. There is no menu in English but pointing at what others eat makes it easy to order. The standard of the food was again excellent as was the service. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 17.98611068725586px;">The bar is narrow and, noisy but provided us with the perfect vantage spot to o</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">bserve the skills of the cooks in the kitchen. The kitchen is completemy open forming part of the bar area. Lightning fast and exceptionally well organised we watched as if in a trance. Cooking and serving staff seemed to dance around each other. It appeared that there may be more seating next door but it was undergoing renovations. If you would like something more substantial, they do serve full size dishes and desserts. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Observing the cooks was highly entertaining</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Only one of the waiters appears to be allowed to slice the jamon</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Group enjoying côte du boeuf</i></td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ciudad Condad</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rambla de Catalunya, 18, 08007 Barcelona</i></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Open every day 8.00am to 1.30am</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><i><b>Pinotxo Bar</b><br />La Rambla, 91, (Barcelona). Boqueria market, 66-67<br />Closed Sundays</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.pinotxobar.com/" target="_blank">www.pinotxobar.com/</a></i></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 19.185184478759766px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i>Bar Lobo</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Carrer Pintor Fortuny, 3, 08001 Barcelona</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Open 9.00 to 12.00am (Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 2.30am)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.grupotragaluz.com/restaurantes/bar-lobo/" target="_blank">www.grupotragaluz.com/restaurantes/bar-lobo/</a></i></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Sagardi Euskal Taberna</i></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Placeta de Montcada, 1-3, 08003 Barcelona</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>10.00am to 0.30am (Saturday and Sunday until 1.00am)</i></span><br />
<span class="locality" style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span property="v:locality"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.euskaletxeataberna.com/">www.euskaletxeataberna.com/</a></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Bar Ca</b>ñ<b>ete</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Carrer Unio, 17, 08001 Barcelona</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>1.00pm - 1.00am Monday to Saturday</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.antiguobarorgia.com/">www.antiguobarorgia.com/</a></i></span></div>
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Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-39260020269063275192013-01-02T08:05:00.000+10:302013-01-02T08:05:17.926+10:30Celebrating Christmas in France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p8vUmqJsUT8_2iAEuDnU2VYQ9uYveSYLxyA1_1fViHrCTF1qMWKCl6ghfvys45ZUnl7BreQ8hGqd1GsGJdBjdOcgiVfRdtFj2Th84wFEpcMiDRWewg9xVlIWTF6UGjdmc4susZyPuw/s1600/IMG_7999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p8vUmqJsUT8_2iAEuDnU2VYQ9uYveSYLxyA1_1fViHrCTF1qMWKCl6ghfvys45ZUnl7BreQ8hGqd1GsGJdBjdOcgiVfRdtFj2Th84wFEpcMiDRWewg9xVlIWTF6UGjdmc4susZyPuw/s1600/IMG_7999.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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My love for<i> La France</i> is intrinsically linked with my passion for food. I have been extremely spoilt in staying with Valérie who is a generous and wonderful cook. In France the main meal at Christmas time is usually on Christmas Eve. Valérie's son Grego offered to prepare this meal. Having lost weight for a film role he had been dreaming about an extra special Christmas Eve dinner. He devised the dishes, bought the ingredients and then he and Valérie worked as a team to create the dishes.</div>
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We started with champagne, foie gras on toast, radishes, carrot, foie gras and fig macarons from Pierre Hermé. I was rather sceptical about the foie gras and fig macarons as I have only ever known macarons as a sweet rather than something savoury. They however worked very well. I even bought some for New Year's Eve.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6kS1TysYuYg-908rhA8wuEDBj_JZg2LcKOjLwZ4dbFCLxmvNG3eGe6wzJa5iwuet60WrzRdf_faaYyFMlQgNmQI5Tz0jtLrcYoDjemeu_7tCyEG0Jqpb7YakkDuFVbLZ8VNL8J82Fw/s1600/IMG_8007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6kS1TysYuYg-908rhA8wuEDBj_JZg2LcKOjLwZ4dbFCLxmvNG3eGe6wzJa5iwuet60WrzRdf_faaYyFMlQgNmQI5Tz0jtLrcYoDjemeu_7tCyEG0Jqpb7YakkDuFVbLZ8VNL8J82Fw/s1600/IMG_8007.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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For entrée it was aumônière: parcels of chevre, sundried tomatoes, and dried duck breast. They were fiddly to make but the outcome was a huge success. This was followed by lamb crusted with gingerbread accompanied by rice with truffles, a cheese platter, homemade Christmas biscuits and bûche de Noël. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGQe3UrIF6ZxROEpszciY-gqdrdOX1IBX5RMVoQSYerqefJen_0DNRRm5KQ1vOIxUGjyiV5l-F8TeWAC0e1kglCi19cgZgn-OTgmgEu_uuKOfxcPkZX6T1LZ3_FY32KLG-i9nOqmuuQ/s1600/IMG_8012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGQe3UrIF6ZxROEpszciY-gqdrdOX1IBX5RMVoQSYerqefJen_0DNRRm5KQ1vOIxUGjyiV5l-F8TeWAC0e1kglCi19cgZgn-OTgmgEu_uuKOfxcPkZX6T1LZ3_FY32KLG-i9nOqmuuQ/s1600/IMG_8012.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aumonière</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Carré d'agneau en croûte de pain d'épicé</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EwdTuMlBCjxLlDGftftDKg9M5SAgpHYwa9qWvUnRaV9qSlDCJHbRavN7Cz4n26irN6msjhEbkUMf248blwTXvancquEcmsrPjEUzZRr937ZmQgzNZQvgIroj7AHPlaaGgPYsVo0Hgg/s1600/IMAG0381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EwdTuMlBCjxLlDGftftDKg9M5SAgpHYwa9qWvUnRaV9qSlDCJHbRavN7Cz4n26irN6msjhEbkUMf248blwTXvancquEcmsrPjEUzZRr937ZmQgzNZQvgIroj7AHPlaaGgPYsVo0Hgg/s1600/IMAG0381.jpg" height="382" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bûches de Noël</i></td></tr>
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There were nine of us for lunch on Christmas Day. Christmas gifts were exchanged at different times throughout the lunch. I really like the way that this was done rather than the focus put on the gifts before the meal in Australia. Of course, this may just be the difference between different families rather than that between different countries. We again enjoyed foie gras and many other tempting nibbles with our champagne. Our main course were châpons (castrated chicken and turkey) with potatos cooked in the duck fat. Cheese and a chocolate bûche de Noël completed our meal. There was so much food that the young ones were sent off with large doggy bags that I am sure they are still eating.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXayoK5oEoLs2Wp-87Ofi_tONGln4NecU0Xer9-X1kUMCd7s-z1xWm9F72wCmjs364-Apa4fDY86Z3HodwD2vUpSoaiHeTMnEqvqg1Mv0juKNeeXdrx3qnNU_FsBisQGWpPBnNPin70w/s1600/IMAG0388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXayoK5oEoLs2Wp-87Ofi_tONGln4NecU0Xer9-X1kUMCd7s-z1xWm9F72wCmjs364-Apa4fDY86Z3HodwD2vUpSoaiHeTMnEqvqg1Mv0juKNeeXdrx3qnNU_FsBisQGWpPBnNPin70w/s1600/IMAG0388.jpg" height="382" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKP9pDNKVjFeKqcaYt7xkzXoChyphenhyphenxsHEHx8AyKsZqqLiXVNVnj9yKuTpUtochqnYJ2q4ojPDHPbEQmjEqBJ9usKgn4iy5BTyH8nshuZ4CKGJBvARStunyfJAVG5xY5Q_OXtQXJQdxwiw/s1600/IMG_8028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKP9pDNKVjFeKqcaYt7xkzXoChyphenhyphenxsHEHx8AyKsZqqLiXVNVnj9yKuTpUtochqnYJ2q4ojPDHPbEQmjEqBJ9usKgn4iy5BTyH8nshuZ4CKGJBvARStunyfJAVG5xY5Q_OXtQXJQdxwiw/s1600/IMG_8028.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wine on window sill for cooling</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchP03294cAXQXaUipB7XIwA_U7tRacAb5qOLlQLEkBSOdge7w9YbjbzDfulZPnYusoe7GjMj_Zi6JZ42WaiA5MYZBpagqNVbdWamm6qeGcqxI7emc8rBA735t1qNlafh1_P0fQ7zqHw/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchP03294cAXQXaUipB7XIwA_U7tRacAb5qOLlQLEkBSOdge7w9YbjbzDfulZPnYusoe7GjMj_Zi6JZ42WaiA5MYZBpagqNVbdWamm6qeGcqxI7emc8rBA735t1qNlafh1_P0fQ7zqHw/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thank you Valérie, JeF and your families for the privilege of sharing these wonderful meals with you.</div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-90857587725713508352012-12-26T07:49:00.003+10:302012-12-26T07:58:16.207+10:30Belated Christmas greetings from Paris<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thank you to friends and family who have contacted us to wish us a merry Christmas. I have been very slack about updating my blog and also not individually responding to emails. I do apologise. Your kind thoughts and best wishes are nevertheless greatly appreciated.</div>
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Here are some miscellaneous photos of some of the wonderful times from Paris over the Christmas period.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf0G6LpAL0DquTM8kXv3GYN9affYknSQDzICI_TwNMW_XV13lzT8yoq1lD5Pgs_AVPiFVi8KHRogntwdeEKC8SW46u8blVmQ-RpeZAvJF_VMUkGMX2Cj7AcQqRL5ZCwZLPCpH65fCmg/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf0G6LpAL0DquTM8kXv3GYN9affYknSQDzICI_TwNMW_XV13lzT8yoq1lD5Pgs_AVPiFVi8KHRogntwdeEKC8SW46u8blVmQ-RpeZAvJF_VMUkGMX2Cj7AcQqRL5ZCwZLPCpH65fCmg/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Christmas Trees are everywhere. These are near Saint Sulpice, Saint Germain des Prés.</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKwa-8Ej8z4qS-mmZm2mkW_t6rOwhb-7s42Y2BTY7ea6pjcgXFRMqlcHFBlOlEDRTX5x9byCuH7C_6dhKUYdBCp1A-NB9vlPJiRKxLvy33dZMwRHkkfCklJ6NDewVgVuwc6sHnUqVDw/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKwa-8Ej8z4qS-mmZm2mkW_t6rOwhb-7s42Y2BTY7ea6pjcgXFRMqlcHFBlOlEDRTX5x9byCuH7C_6dhKUYdBCp1A-NB9vlPJiRKxLvy33dZMwRHkkfCklJ6NDewVgVuwc6sHnUqVDw/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3lsYnneYcenanI7n00KrLHxkvkGOOB4uhglxSLvhXZddSDJR8JCfbe6A2LgdJ25RBS_4dvGpEiJ_KqbeDheLUGDn9ph-rGZ1zMRl6n3FYUZZ9zqnKK488NyjK0cpnXHgTiFUeeLPuA/s1600/IMAG0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3lsYnneYcenanI7n00KrLHxkvkGOOB4uhglxSLvhXZddSDJR8JCfbe6A2LgdJ25RBS_4dvGpEiJ_KqbeDheLUGDn9ph-rGZ1zMRl6n3FYUZZ9zqnKK488NyjK0cpnXHgTiFUeeLPuA/s1600/IMAG0090.jpg" height="377" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Somedays the weather is perfect, and everyone is out to enjoy it. </i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRHHyLqDRldCMAV_OdEsb0xkxnw8Oeb2hp5N8WswXPyB1QG9sXl_it7tQIWfzfsQEsg9mdrPt6JShjwJImEoH5ewwcQsQOmvUk4AuSN546UQKEu6vhbKhdZNkx8igOj7Wuz2QHsQRPw/s1600/IMAG0092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRHHyLqDRldCMAV_OdEsb0xkxnw8Oeb2hp5N8WswXPyB1QG9sXl_it7tQIWfzfsQEsg9mdrPt6JShjwJImEoH5ewwcQsQOmvUk4AuSN546UQKEu6vhbKhdZNkx8igOj7Wuz2QHsQRPw/s1600/IMAG0092.jpg" height="288" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Family time.</i> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmStZbpHUQUhNHcW6l-RiuAfc5xPMYOrXk5eibzd64HBSfnWUAx56VzIcSvu8Ya3os9ZtQ7uVNpZoUTvShAdzeMqsQ9XmBrVisjfQL4PMI2Mi3mqHS-Ls4mWM7oZ8yrWKWX1JytkMT5g/s1600/IMG_7972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmStZbpHUQUhNHcW6l-RiuAfc5xPMYOrXk5eibzd64HBSfnWUAx56VzIcSvu8Ya3os9ZtQ7uVNpZoUTvShAdzeMqsQ9XmBrVisjfQL4PMI2Mi3mqHS-Ls4mWM7oZ8yrWKWX1JytkMT5g/s1600/IMG_7972.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maybe not Christmassy, but at 110 metres tall, La Grande Arche is striking architecture at La Défense</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2gAUGN5zs3JhxbmvKTCjgSVU4Beh_u6lJ2LPMVBZJX5Op_edtOHR8lFw2fZXgbNrvVJBovWzHqtAqv0crsX_-BK-qwvTLl1_Ujx1M64MkX-IpCRGpcqJLSVTTzml8TpUyqI9jyAxSA/s1600/IMG_7716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2gAUGN5zs3JhxbmvKTCjgSVU4Beh_u6lJ2LPMVBZJX5Op_edtOHR8lFw2fZXgbNrvVJBovWzHqtAqv0crsX_-BK-qwvTLl1_Ujx1M64MkX-IpCRGpcqJLSVTTzml8TpUyqI9jyAxSA/s1600/IMG_7716.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Love looking in the windows at the fresh goods on offer.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9s9CByHOmxrGGrndwCdivVYtmB4Cs8yXmVjZfDR6NKsnwKcUW1oLgc_vLVIXmfrJ07Vnt6YQr4aCDzcgy8DcaFpuPZehpURgrmA3BJ5f8I7Q8Avz29zrzT8HzMsPpV6iGA_9QEQK7w/s1600/IMG_7669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9s9CByHOmxrGGrndwCdivVYtmB4Cs8yXmVjZfDR6NKsnwKcUW1oLgc_vLVIXmfrJ07Vnt6YQr4aCDzcgy8DcaFpuPZehpURgrmA3BJ5f8I7Q8Avz29zrzT8HzMsPpV6iGA_9QEQK7w/s1600/IMG_7669.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The department stores have amazing window displays many of which are animated and are created by well-known designers. My photos just do not do justice to them.</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe_m37AssrdE2R6uRmQs_WqUQgUc_Y5the98j9_xwDygr48-cUWKoBgh3IOuxcq-LHCY78JA5q7_VP3kh82iDQWXn9ZTxlkwtX7WDFSyIZMgKDIeeXRsVqRhpsCCJmFoHcu836ejspg/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe_m37AssrdE2R6uRmQs_WqUQgUc_Y5the98j9_xwDygr48-cUWKoBgh3IOuxcq-LHCY78JA5q7_VP3kh82iDQWXn9ZTxlkwtX7WDFSyIZMgKDIeeXRsVqRhpsCCJmFoHcu836ejspg/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvMH_r0UTekpNq1tDYbGz9xi7AMHKYX5NY2dSisHBcPzU_ZlCamZJ1zrIZMASmPybguFaF-U0PSOlm8P5njZofUBqxFJDnNZ83ktiHRVlCWFWCTmvYUxfDAK71ODJTkYu9sBYqMBcVg/s1600/IMG_6481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvMH_r0UTekpNq1tDYbGz9xi7AMHKYX5NY2dSisHBcPzU_ZlCamZJ1zrIZMASmPybguFaF-U0PSOlm8P5njZofUBqxFJDnNZ83ktiHRVlCWFWCTmvYUxfDAK71ODJTkYu9sBYqMBcVg/s1600/IMG_6481.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Champs-Elysées and its markets and illuminations</i></td></tr>
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For truly beautiful photos of Paris see <a href="http://www.carinaokula.com/blog/" target="_blank">Carina Okula's blog and website</a>. She is an Australian expat living just outside of Paris.<br />
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A quick Google search or checking your favourite Paris blogs reveals a number of bars, cafés, restaurants and terraces that have wonderful rooftop views. I am not sure if it is a new trend but there are a couple of temporary 'popup' additions to existing terraces that are worth considering if you are fortunate enough to be visiting Paris over Christmas and New Year.</div>
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<b>Angelina's,</b> a <i>rue de Rivoli</i> institution famous for its hot chocolate and Mont Blanc patisserie, has taken over one end of the 8th floor terrace at <i>Galeries Lafayette</i>. It is free to go up to the terrace and enjoy the views of Paris. With heating provided in the café you can enjoy the view of Opera Garnier, Madeleine and through to the Eiffel Tower for a little longer. It still does get quite chilly. You do need to make a bit of a sprint if it is raining. I think from memory we paid about 7-8 €uros each for our hot chocolate. Not exactly cheap - but it is delicious and the view is stunning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View towards Madeleine and Eiffel Tower</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View back towards Sacre Coeur</i></td></tr>
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<b>Le Bar Etoilé à BHV: </b>I was just planning on taking in the view from the restaurant lower down in BHV early one evening. I love reading signs. As soon as I saw the sign I was interested in spite of not knowing that it was a bar sponsored by Grey Goose vodka. Technically you are supposed to book ahead via their facebook page but we just turned up. You pay 10€ for your cocktail. They are vodka-based although a non-alcoholic one is available. The area is very exposed and not much seating.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Enjoying a cocktail (just for the photo of course)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hôtel de Ville from BHV rooftop bar</i></td></tr>
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<b><i>Angelina's </i></b>(12 November to 31 December 2012)</div>
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8th Floor Galeries Lafayette</div>
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40 bd Haussmann</div>
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PARIS 75009</div>
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11.00am to 6.00pm </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Le Bar Etoilé </i></b></span>(12 November to 23 December 2012)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">BHV</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">52, rue de Rivoli</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">PARIS 75001 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5.30pm to 7.45pm Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri and Satu</span></div>
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5.30pm to 8.45pm Wed</div>
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5.30pm to 7.15pm Sun</div>
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Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-42254759387547473592012-12-15T11:08:00.001+10:302012-12-15T11:08:33.973+10:30Outstanding Dinner in the Outskirts of Paris<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am very fortunate to have a wonderful local restaurant in La Garenne Colombes on the outskirts of Paris. Le Saint Joseph was recognised earlier this year for its excellence with an <a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/espace-premium/hauts-de-seine-92/le-saint-joseph-entre-dans-le-guide-michelin-01-03-2012-1883932.php" target="_blank">entry into the Michelin Guide</a>. It is not hard to see why they have received this commendation.</div>
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It was my second visit, and once again the welcome was both warm and sincere. It is a very popular place, as evidenced by the need to book at least 3 days ahead. I was stunned that the helpful and charming lady in charge of front of house waitress remembered me from my last visit nearly 4 months ago. </div>
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The 29€ three course dinner represents excellent value. We paid a supplement for some of our dishes. I was guided towards the snails with chorizo, mushrooms and red wine (<i>cocotte escargots bourgogne, chorizo, champignons</i>) which was served in a small cast-iron casserole dish. I have only ever had snails with garlic, parsley and butter before. As much as I like them that way - this was much better. The individual flavours were detectable with the rich flavour very warming on this cold, December evening. So enthused, I mopped up the last of the remnants of the sauce with the fresh, crusty bread. The staff were so thoughtful that they even brought out a second dish for me to photograph when I thought I had lost the first photo. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cocotte escargots bourgogne, chorizo, champignons</i></td></tr>
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My main course was lighter and more subtle in flavour but equally rewarding - scallops and prawns lightly flavoured with vanilla (<i>noix St Jacques à la vanille</i>). The recommended riesling was the ideal accompaniment for this dish. The scallops were succulant and plump, perfectly cooked.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Noix St Jacques à la vanille</i></td></tr>
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Dessert was equally rewarding. I can't recall the description on the menu but it was like a chocolate mousse served in a glass jar with biscuits. It was smooth, rich and very chocolatey. Not too sweet. The perfect finish to an outstanding meal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetm9P3kgWiyiGwL2wawsgYfJURiIXS8-PQDjN5ihqz_99lmdcrbBfo3IRS6r0DlTPJvhqhiQ8e9xDoMJy492YCFZl41obhzh0Krih6jPwihNjg2IgzzEpoiPSfGwCk2tdhYIcYbcMNw/s1600/IMG_7740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetm9P3kgWiyiGwL2wawsgYfJURiIXS8-PQDjN5ihqz_99lmdcrbBfo3IRS6r0DlTPJvhqhiQ8e9xDoMJy492YCFZl41obhzh0Krih6jPwihNjg2IgzzEpoiPSfGwCk2tdhYIcYbcMNw/s1600/IMG_7740.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The very personable chef, <i>Denis Jublan</i>, does an amazing job balancing the flavours in his dishes. The freshness and the quality of the ingredients are evident. He is ably supported by knowledgable, enthusiastic front of house staff. This is not a fancy restaurant where you leave feeling hungry. It is down to earth with the focus on providing quality food prepared with attention to detail and passion. It feels like you a sharing a very special meal surrounded by friends and locals who enjoy good food. I am looking forward to my next visit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Monsieur Le Chef was kind enough to invite me visit the kitchen</i></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Saint-Joseph/131866703544048?fref=ts" target="_blank">Le Saint Joseph</a></i><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #464646; line-height: 22px;">100, boulevard de la République</span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #464646; line-height: 22px;">La Garenne-Colombes 92250</span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #464646; line-height: 22px;">Tel: 01.42.42.64.49.89</span></i></div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-16111952516510444242012-12-04T08:26:00.001+10:302012-12-05T06:43:21.705+10:30Snow in Alsace and Strasbourg Christmas Markets<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had always wanted to spend at least one Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Even in Australia we have images of Christmas with snow. Imagine my unrestrained delight as the TGV (<i>Train à Grande Vitesse</i>) sped towards Strasbourg in Alsace and I looked out and saw snow in the fields and forests. I am not sure what the other passengers made of my excitement and incessant photo-taking. Of course the photos are really not much more than a blur.</div>
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Not quite so exciting was having to descend from the train in the Arctic conditions when we reached Strasbourg. By now it was actually snowing. I was rather pleased with my foresight in booking Hotel Cathedrale directly opposite the cathedral and surrounded by Christmas markets. What's more there is a bath so I can duck back to the room for a long, hot soak between checking out the markets.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel is the blue building</td></tr>
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We started our visit with the Cathedral so that we could see the nativity scene and the special exhibitions of tapestries and Neapolitan figurines. The tapestries were extraordinarily well-preserved with their colours and patterns still very clear.</div>
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Although it was very cold, I enjoyed wandering around the market. Storeholders and visitors alike were good-natured. I found the mulled wine too sweet for my taste but I did enjoy one of the best crepes I have ever bought on the street. It was huge and topped with cinnamon sugar. Delicious and very warming. The markets sell Christmas decorations, foods such as pain d'épice (although I am not sure if they are as good as <a href="http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/11/pain-depices-and-pumpkin-chestnut-soup/" target="_blank">Aussie in France's</a> homemade one), bredle, macaroons, etc and handicrafts. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much better than going to the local discount store to buy a tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One very large Christmas tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel</td></tr>
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Dinner at <i>Dôme Café</i> was rather unremarkable. The prices were slightly higher than I saw elsewhere but it was warm and convenient. The vegetable soup was a little too watery and the <i>flammekueche</i> of cream, onions and bacon was crispy and generously proportioned but somewhat lacking in taste. I did however really enjoy my glass of champagne.</div>
Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-77690094777282959802012-11-30T11:13:00.003+10:302012-11-30T11:16:44.864+10:30Returning to France and La Défense in Winter<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been fortunate in being able to return to France for a further two months, having already spent three months here this year. This is my first trip to France in winter.</div>
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Travelling in business class in the Singapore Airlines A380 from Singapore to Paris was a special treat. The seat was a massive 86cm wide and was folded down to turn into a bed. No wonder I arrived in Paris refreshed and ready to explore.</div>
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La Défense is about a 20 minute walk from our accommodation <i>chez </i>Valérie. It is possible to take the bus or the train but I really needed some exercise and fresh air after the 22 hour flight from Adelaide. I hadn't though counted on it raining during the last 10 minutes across the open plaza.</div>
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La Défense is a business area north-west of Paris made up of many high rise buildings and of course the <i>Grande Arche</i> and the <i><a href="http://www.les4temps.com/" target="_blank">Quatre Temps</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.cnit.com/" target="_blank">CNIT</a></i> commercial centres. The shops are generally chain stores of reasonable standard. The Christmas decorations were particularly pretty within the <i>CNIT</i> atrium area.</div>
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As excited as I was about the commercial shopping centres my attention was quickly drawn to the Christmas market on the plaza in front of the gi-normous <i>Grand Arche</i>. In spite of starting out refreshed, I quickly wilted and could not be tempted by the <i>vin chaud, tartiflette, fois gras, champagne, saucisson</i> etc. Perhaps next time I should not have second helpings of Valérie's tomato tarte with gruyère, parmesan and comté cheese. </div>
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<br />Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-4518323817450342872012-07-17T09:39:00.000+09:302012-07-17T09:42:16.157+09:30Christian and Islamic Cultures Come Together in Córdoba<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_heTCWGtNXt7G_tGL-8xxd41_UJwtT0pmIY1NEi4bG2ZaXSzukhYxGBJkR4IRDsiFwMZf8BxrlBzurO-OulFE_G_dK9FS5Hq9qgu8t5YIjcVkB_u2Y5jqAv0a7fUaaNKAtClWTUD2Jw/s1600/IMG_4340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_heTCWGtNXt7G_tGL-8xxd41_UJwtT0pmIY1NEi4bG2ZaXSzukhYxGBJkR4IRDsiFwMZf8BxrlBzurO-OulFE_G_dK9FS5Hq9qgu8t5YIjcVkB_u2Y5jqAv0a7fUaaNKAtClWTUD2Jw/s400/IMG_4340.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Islamic influence in <span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">C</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 17.77777862548828px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ó</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">rdoba </span></span></td></tr>
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C<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ó</span></span>rdoba, in Andalusia, is reported to have the highest summer average in Europe. It certainly was hot when I visited with friends, Isa and Julio. Apart from the heat, I was <span style="background-color: white;">struck me by </span><span style="background-color: white;">the Islamic influence in the architecture and decoration. I was very much reminded of my stay at Riad Sekkat in Marrakech. </span>C<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 17.77777862548828px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ó</span></span>rdoba, <span style="background-color: white;">historically was Spain's most significant Islamic city.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTuIgRNc-Cp-XfI7rCdzSjTdhD2FYjxtmjhgw-8Tcr3EBav_o3NBWfudlt4zCtT_-Dt597bTqimoGApQxDbXLxOVQVNfqoWUt7k4IN9nyh5Ds2PMaJsNwarE9sEvFVLw8Rc1xXWuzaA/s1600/IMAG3684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTuIgRNc-Cp-XfI7rCdzSjTdhD2FYjxtmjhgw-8Tcr3EBav_o3NBWfudlt4zCtT_-Dt597bTqimoGApQxDbXLxOVQVNfqoWUt7k4IN9nyh5Ds2PMaJsNwarE9sEvFVLw8Rc1xXWuzaA/s640/IMAG3684.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Great Mosque complex</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Mosque gardens and courtyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWH37tbciD1JJKmZnorjDAMnnHJyxMlGlQnWF7GhmJuSdqtY0-6sIAn5K92luVtfV0GTtNSZBs13mKGOMI5U3gAMBiqJ_NaM6Mn6K_ss6CjcfC3P33p-jTYK3Yj9TAojN4VYuQFiSWTQ/s1600/IMG_4427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWH37tbciD1JJKmZnorjDAMnnHJyxMlGlQnWF7GhmJuSdqtY0-6sIAn5K92luVtfV0GTtNSZBs13mKGOMI5U3gAMBiqJ_NaM6Mn6K_ss6CjcfC3P33p-jTYK3Yj9TAojN4VYuQFiSWTQ/s640/IMG_4427.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Islamic elements in the Great Mosque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Great Mosque is considered to be the city's main tourist attraction and can be found in the heart of the old town. The old town is one of the largest in Europe and is probably best explored when the temperatures are not in the range of more than 40°C. The mosque is rather unusual in that since the 15th century it has been a Christian cathedral.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZHjmyczw74UhmdkooPCMhFgoQdX4wsSMsqtAsJUWTyBYQQkbAHm_tymO5oFW0TjRCnejXRNXkc9WAOHuHzOg6XBd42NCkIbT3NEbau1ZuDzoSK_MJbkCWqUySzbonC_7rQ-5-VFtUA/s1600/IMG_4424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZHjmyczw74UhmdkooPCMhFgoQdX4wsSMsqtAsJUWTyBYQQkbAHm_tymO5oFW0TjRCnejXRNXkc9WAOHuHzOg6XBd42NCkIbT3NEbau1ZuDzoSK_MJbkCWqUySzbonC_7rQ-5-VFtUA/s640/IMG_4424.JPG" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Córdoba Cathedral's ornate altar within the Great Mosque<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkKujPvVBUNMxE0obGkjnCtihkX2OjVQ8M5nJfEZoRNnWLwGdNVIzgy80X_y2_LFY5OcpVfBCrm4eXVtZ6XT7kd_MME-SffVIE4iavoZ6dSvzW5UUIgaDujV-1GmasifOOEjOlZEJ6A/s1600/IMG_4344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkKujPvVBUNMxE0obGkjnCtihkX2OjVQ8M5nJfEZoRNnWLwGdNVIzgy80X_y2_LFY5OcpVfBCrm4eXVtZ6XT7kd_MME-SffVIE4iavoZ6dSvzW5UUIgaDujV-1GmasifOOEjOlZEJ6A/s640/IMG_4344.JPG" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautifully maintained buildings</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvdpCATl4EaaMGLdJvHk7EWIxZSy23m_ClAI0uCaic7ngfJlXVOuTTq-AvKu0UGaiNERDQb4IxnRBEvCy1hR7WXF9x_1DHm7Kc8LCRlsAHurKk2QiMwKd46VkUHSyxuh-UmVozQOlxw/s1600/IMG_4342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvdpCATl4EaaMGLdJvHk7EWIxZSy23m_ClAI0uCaic7ngfJlXVOuTTq-AvKu0UGaiNERDQb4IxnRBEvCy1hR7WXF9x_1DHm7Kc8LCRlsAHurKk2QiMwKd46VkUHSyxuh-UmVozQOlxw/s400/IMG_4342.JPG" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramics are well known in Andalousie and this café has their tapas menu on ceramic tiles </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6rNGeS6yNa9QVLjEa0piX9fsOUjJySkWU4royAgCjWlnN_0s8D15ZS9VdfqVc36ISCZ4hAg-bnNFwpqtU0cvXNQcjX3iDNE6ATi3sKf7Yq3yD5nB65mXdv7O7pj7doUOUfaeXjSbgg/s1600/IMG_4459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6rNGeS6yNa9QVLjEa0piX9fsOUjJySkWU4royAgCjWlnN_0s8D15ZS9VdfqVc36ISCZ4hAg-bnNFwpqtU0cvXNQcjX3iDNE6ATi3sKf7Yq3yD5nB65mXdv7O7pj7doUOUfaeXjSbgg/s400/IMG_4459.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
For friendly service, cold beer and some great <i>jamon and tapas </i>(including my favourite <i>croquettes </i>which were so light and fluffy)<i>,</i> I can highly recommend the<i> B</i><i>odegas Campos Taverna</i>.<br />
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If you are thinking of visiting Andalusie, then Córdoba should definitely be on your list of places to see.<br />
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.%20bodegascampos.com/" target="_blank">Bodegas Campos</a><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Los
Lineros, 32<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>14002
Cordoba Espana</i></span></span></div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-72028726496891683512012-07-13T01:38:00.004+09:302012-07-13T01:38:48.052+09:30Looking for Warmth in Andalucia, Spain<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">My trip to Spain got off to an exciting start
with an aborted landing at Malaga airport. The animated Spaniards at the back of
the plane, who had not stopped talking since leaving Paris, only momentarily draw
breath as we sharply took off again due to a sudden wind change. In spite of
the pleasant company of Tom, a lovely Canadian man who was making the trip that
he and his recently deceased wife had planned, I was rather relieved to finally
land. I was surprised by the large size of the airport as well as how modern it
was. Isabel, a former student at the Alliance française de Rouen and now a very
dear friend, was there to greet me. Isabel doesn’t speak much English so the
plan was that we would speak French given I have no Spanish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">The weather in France this spring and summer
has been rather awful so it was quite a shock to step out into the 31°C heat.
We took the coast road passing through <b>Torre
del Mar</b>. This is a popular vacationing location and now in addition to the
Spaniards, Germans and English there is a increasing French presence. The area
is typified by the towns and villages hugging the coast, the dry rocky
mountains that soar close by and are spotted with villages glowing in white.
Mansions can be found spread-eagled on the mountain ridges making the most of
the view to the ocean. Scattered between are the modest farmhouses, their
orchards and the vineyards.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdRA19DzmMM9guhlXV_KnMIq8yYqOSEjPfPGS1cjxsy9pfcWyKeBiSd52NTklQ_yQqtlSe5w7P-5xgmoY7zRhSEo78p2p-QHE7fclCPnWl_noTmXkjpAToG5pqYCj8VDHXo-_Aej6HA/s1600/IMG_20120711_170656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdRA19DzmMM9guhlXV_KnMIq8yYqOSEjPfPGS1cjxsy9pfcWyKeBiSd52NTklQ_yQqtlSe5w7P-5xgmoY7zRhSEo78p2p-QHE7fclCPnWl_noTmXkjpAToG5pqYCj8VDHXo-_Aej6HA/s640/IMG_20120711_170656.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torrox</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Approaching Isabel’s village, <b>Torrox</b>, about 60km from Malaga, one
can’t fail to be impressed. It is nearing 10pm and starting to get dark. I am
convinced that what I am seeing is not real. It has to be a movie set with the
pristine white buildings, the palms and flowers. The tiled rooves and the
drainpipes let you know you must be in the Mediterranean region. Some of the buildings
have tiled frontages, the footpaths are spotless – literally gleaming in the
central plaza. Public seating is bountiful, but demand is high from the Spanish
grandmothers who are enjoying catching up with each other. To say that the
atmosphere is laidback would be significantly understating thing the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIFUdvJbECLmQrFHonfogMoBEC0q2YswJinaEAohxPveU80t9bw1NIiwTyBYVJs0WncE91gOCsbNgSt824sQhnHtDdX38ylLWK6o4kJpq748myAJtahLtLxtN3642SOD7pGWkOBaawA/s1600/IMG_20120712_135240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIFUdvJbECLmQrFHonfogMoBEC0q2YswJinaEAohxPveU80t9bw1NIiwTyBYVJs0WncE91gOCsbNgSt824sQhnHtDdX38ylLWK6o4kJpq748myAJtahLtLxtN3642SOD7pGWkOBaawA/s640/IMG_20120712_135240.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torrox</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">The smell of jasmine greets us we approach Isabel’s
home. The sensuous perfume fills my bedroom. Isabel talks
about her home and the connections she has with it. It is where she was born
and was formerly her grandmother’s home. Beautifully decorated with mementos
from her travels creatively grouped and displayed, it is spread over two floors with an additional large rooftop
terrace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Quickly dropping off my luggage, we take the 2
minute walk to her parents’ home. Here I am greeted not only by her parents but
also by her brother, his wife and 3 children who are visiting. It is a family
home filled with lots of warmth, love and laughter, not to mention great food! Isabel’s
brother is cooking <i>hamburguesa de pollo</i>
that are divine. I think I was asleep in under two seconds when I finally got
to bed about 1.00am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWcnWLAyxzaA3loq9hpRRXMTXrZIBihc318a2w3MWHgCfeerTQpNu-Iw5_e3Fopiw7ZQCBQiyjZ2PZAV6eI3HbjEqo21SbbwGGfm7r3Rvxx7IvLCuSudMsGexGpUZ0Ult_1twIwZAmA/s1600/IMG_3793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWcnWLAyxzaA3loq9hpRRXMTXrZIBihc318a2w3MWHgCfeerTQpNu-Iw5_e3Fopiw7ZQCBQiyjZ2PZAV6eI3HbjEqo21SbbwGGfm7r3Rvxx7IvLCuSudMsGexGpUZ0Ult_1twIwZAmA/s640/IMG_3793.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torrox</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Breakfast on the terrace includes coffee and
fresh bread spread with olive oil. What a great way to start the day. I wonder
what the Australian Customs people would say if I tried to bring in 5 litres of
the oil which has been pressed at the local cooperative from Isabel’s father’s
olive trees.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxg9-bxP2kmv0vi13xhpTXY73k3jTZ6SyK134dPzC1kUwI0006InfRutRTGS6yiRLGVhwZ80bWgJmkpkD3G8W7YyiWEbEXhOQn7CYcy4e8jM6E6_6oSxM9pbB1L0b4QPmGxH1WVtHyiA/s1600/la+foto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxg9-bxP2kmv0vi13xhpTXY73k3jTZ6SyK134dPzC1kUwI0006InfRutRTGS6yiRLGVhwZ80bWgJmkpkD3G8W7YyiWEbEXhOQn7CYcy4e8jM6E6_6oSxM9pbB1L0b4QPmGxH1WVtHyiA/s320/la+foto.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">I really hadn’t done any planning for this part
of my holiday apart from the flights to and from Spain. Isabel has thankfully
taken everything into hand and shows me a suggested outline for my 10 day
visit. Would it do? I hug her – it is everything I could have wished for and
more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QgFXlCd2-sNPH8jZUtSZJOYTtJBPV0CrC5eTkpZlGC1HbN7bNHzzMjjoMIckwF_HzbH7-3yc4pEwCl0eWbC4gqkD9dlweMTSzZxzJhI3CYpzzPcxH9hAE5Or6nqgWW6ZdwnY0ben1w/s1600/IMG_3773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QgFXlCd2-sNPH8jZUtSZJOYTtJBPV0CrC5eTkpZlGC1HbN7bNHzzMjjoMIckwF_HzbH7-3yc4pEwCl0eWbC4gqkD9dlweMTSzZxzJhI3CYpzzPcxH9hAE5Or6nqgWW6ZdwnY0ben1w/s640/IMG_3773.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nerja</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-AU">Nerja</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white;"> could be considered a touristic
location – but it has great reason to be. There is some seriously spectacular
scenery. The village sits high up on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean
Sea with its beaches and rocky outcrops. Having tackled getting a sim card for
my smartphone it is time to explore. We buy an icecream, listen to some
flamenco music being played by some buskers and wander the pedestrianised town
centre.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKbOZ5Ov8mL5K2V2zMT8z2J2oc-OOMB8mO08fkZH_EzplmeELeIhawCxa_tn14mmwfx6vdAI3A2zsalR3ivB-O4KsifmAVM97kjUPL3FYwqQnHvB48jjDoQebZBmatibjoClXn_mUyQ/s1600/IMG_20120711_171253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKbOZ5Ov8mL5K2V2zMT8z2J2oc-OOMB8mO08fkZH_EzplmeELeIhawCxa_tn14mmwfx6vdAI3A2zsalR3ivB-O4KsifmAVM97kjUPL3FYwqQnHvB48jjDoQebZBmatibjoClXn_mUyQ/s640/IMG_20120711_171253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nerja</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Isabel has not only planned out activities but
also local dishes that I must try and where she recommends eating them. Wanting
to be the perfect guest I am happy to comply. Lunch is at 2.30pm and is called </span><i style="background-color: white;">patatas a lo pobre. </i><span style="background-color: white;">It is a potato dish
cooked the way that poor people would have prepared it. The potatoes, green
capsicums, garlic and olive oil are cooked in a fry pan. A fried egg is served
with the dish and is eaten with the accompanying bread. Delicious and hearty. I
am fortunate to be able to attend my first Spanish birthday party. Paula has
turned 9.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">An elderly neighbour telephones and Isabel and
I are charged with translating from Spanish a request to be sent to a French
bank. It is this sense of family and community that has really impressed me in
the very short term I have been here. In spite of not being able to speak
Spanish and Isabel’s family speaking very little English we have managed to
communicate with lots of hand gestures and miming. I have managed to learn a
couple of Spanish words and this has everyone laughing. After lunch, Isabel and
I, armed with our laptops, go to the local tapas bar, 20 m away, where we buy a
couple of bottles of water and a couple coffees for the measly price of 4€ all
up. We spread out our laptops, bags and I plug into their power. No-one minds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Evening and we take the scenic route to <b>Frigiliana</b>. We stop so many times so
that I can take photos as we climb to the summit (in the car – you know I
wouldn’t be walking). Every bend in the road presents yet another stunning
vista. Poor Isabel must be wondering if we shall ever get there. The village is
perched on the hilltop looking down a valley towards the sea. Can it get any
better than this...it does. I know as soon as I arrive and see the fountain
with the Star of David, the Christian Cross and the Islamic Crescent that this
place is special. These people have worked hard to maintain their homes in the
tradition style. The stones that form the serpentine streets form decorative
patterns both in terms of colour and layout. In several hours of wandering the
streets I don’t see any dog pooh and see one cigarette butt. There is NO other
litter whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Rb8JCB7TGV1fdoXEs_B44vMbO8glXhPXMbz5jPYkgsl-TzZcMin4Iplt3CVNtgr94S_zhoHyTQPq5X8Bvym1gdG3Q8oQ0zbMw1Zt7IwrvLKTtqE4Ttjyx0Me_Eh4vYEy0lkZee8eg/s1600/IMG_4025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_Rb8JCB7TGV1fdoXEs_B44vMbO8glXhPXMbz5jPYkgsl-TzZcMin4Iplt3CVNtgr94S_zhoHyTQPq5X8Bvym1gdG3Q8oQ0zbMw1Zt7IwrvLKTtqE4Ttjyx0Me_Eh4vYEy0lkZee8eg/s640/IMG_4025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frigiliana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzL5V9zmLrrYd01DWk6xcCKbCJwOKDBlgFd6CpbnTP3YC-IzqswGdKz2U-W8VeDk8qfxp87e1PZzUj_b03ZC4HhvBYGymD5AnyWp3T2QE3azsrZW-PscPwIvG0PyGZgcUYjpuqhxT2w/s1600/IMAG3610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzL5V9zmLrrYd01DWk6xcCKbCJwOKDBlgFd6CpbnTP3YC-IzqswGdKz2U-W8VeDk8qfxp87e1PZzUj_b03ZC4HhvBYGymD5AnyWp3T2QE3azsrZW-PscPwIvG0PyGZgcUYjpuqhxT2w/s640/IMAG3610.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frigiliana</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I am privileged to taste a family speciality
for dinner: cold garlic soup. We then have garlic chicken. Isabel’s
sister-in-law confesses that she likes to have garlic at breakfast rubbed on to
toast with the homegrown olive oil. Her husband jokes about not having any
friends with all the garlic. Isabelle’s mother hugs me warmly as I leave and I
know that this is one very special family.</span></div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-74747008076401539692012-07-10T07:59:00.000+09:302012-07-10T08:15:12.879+09:30Liège-Guillemins - Europe's Most Impressive Railway Station<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFkj85hlbXMFUGfLv0z-NnnP1BMwJL5f1F7qbFzLUBcsXCOZY8BDSsUC6S9VJcda9zkP8jjqvGb9pseDpCzu1YN8KTtyYTHEkyXRhAJBW65GOgxWhLkJ3dOXTBn4XxIoivc9ObpIo_g/s1600/IMG_3621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFkj85hlbXMFUGfLv0z-NnnP1BMwJL5f1F7qbFzLUBcsXCOZY8BDSsUC6S9VJcda9zkP8jjqvGb9pseDpCzu1YN8KTtyYTHEkyXRhAJBW65GOgxWhLkJ3dOXTBn4XxIoivc9ObpIo_g/s640/IMG_3621.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gare de
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Liège-Guillemins</span></td></tr>
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In just over 2 hours after boarding the Thalys train at Gard de Nord in Paris, I arrived in Liège, Belgium at the spectacular Liège-Guillemins station. It has been described as one of the most impressive railway stations in Europe - and I would have to agree. Designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava Valls, it was inaugurated in 2009. Nestled against a tree-covered hill, the station is described to be in the shape of a woman lying on her back. It is easy to see why with its steel, glass and white concrete, wavelike structure rises 32 metres and extends 160 metres. It may seem odd to devote a blog post to a <span style="background-color: white;">railway station, but I really felt that it was something extra-special.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">It took about 10 years to build at a cost of €312 million. As I stepped from the train on to the platform, next to the rocket from Hergé's Tintin, I had an uninterrupted view of the town of the Liège. The platforms are open having no walls, just the amazing roof structure. The shops and various services are underneath the platforms. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Being in</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Europe, Béatrice and I did manage a to have a glass of excellent champagne at the railway station prior to my departure. I understand that the restaurant at the station is exceptionally good and has become a destination for locals when dining out. </span><span style="background-color: white;">This breathtaking structure is a wonderful introduction for any visit to Belgium although I do wonder how travellers manage in the depths of winter. </span><br />
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Just a brief mention regarding the service on the Thalys train. For an extra 5€, I opted to travel first class on the train from Paris to Liège. Normally I would not bother with travelling first class as I find trains in France to generally be excellent. I thought however it was worth trialling first class. The seating is a configuration of 2 + 1 so I was able to request a seat by itself giving me the advantages of both being next to the window as well as the aisle seat. <i>Parfait</i>! In addition I also was offered both at lunch and dinner times a three course meal including cheese as well as wine, tea and coffee. The meal was not exceptional - but it was certainly adequate for the brief journey. WiFi is available on the train and is free in first class.<br />
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I will certainly check out the inclusions and compare the prices for future trips. The staff were very friendly and swapped effortlessly between French, German and English. I wouldn't be surprised if they also spoke Flemish. They went out of their way to make the trip pleasant. We were also given the option of booking a taxi for our arrival. The pleasant service started at Gare de Nord when I first queried with one of the staff about composting my 'printout' and continued for both the forward and return journeys. Congratulations to the Thalys staff.<br />
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If you are interested in a 3D view of the Liège-Guillemins railway station check out: <a href="http://www.outline.be/stereo/Guillemins3D/" style="background-color: white;">http://www.outline.be/stereo/Guillemins3D/</a></div>
<span id="goog_160339173"></span><span id="goog_160339174"></span>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-13984437284797813202012-07-09T04:43:00.003+09:302012-07-09T04:43:48.899+09:30Visiting the Belgian Countryside: Spa and Lac de Warfaaz<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgefLqt2XhWi3OzNtx6WRJOzSE71d32VEBl5PzqviR2_kmZS3gCgysI3_9rVqVz9jIvgeTZbuYtDxgZnA99iM2EhroQ9iPj32tEhwvZNmdKxwiRGLW7iOZDjIdzGkiAJzY9AD11V7eQ/s1600/IMG_3511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgefLqt2XhWi3OzNtx6WRJOzSE71d32VEBl5PzqviR2_kmZS3gCgysI3_9rVqVz9jIvgeTZbuYtDxgZnA99iM2EhroQ9iPj32tEhwvZNmdKxwiRGLW7iOZDjIdzGkiAJzY9AD11V7eQ/s320/IMG_3511.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villa Marie-Henriette (houses local museums)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Béatrice, with whom I have been staying near Liège, suggested a visit to the pretty town of <b><a href="http://www.spa-info.be/tourisme/" target="_blank">Spa</a></b>. Surrounded by hills and a dense forest, the</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><i>Pearl of the Ardennes</i><span style="background-color: white;"> is not only known for its healing, iron containing water sources but also for its proximity to the Belgian Grand Prix and Les Francopholies de Spa. The francopholies is a music festival promoting francophone music. Unfortunately we were a week too early for this festival. Instead we were greeted by the thump, thump of a techno music festival. Not exactly the quiet atmosphere we were expecting. </span></div>
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<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.vdotrip.com/cgi-bin/file.pl?sw=load-id=10605-format=flv&height=242&width=430&autostart=false&logo=http://www.vdotrip.com/layout/vdotriplogo.png&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vdotrip.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fvdotrip.pl%3Fsw%3Ddetail%26id%3D10605" height="242" src="http://www.vdotrip.com/lib/mediaplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430"></embed></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vdotrip.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fvdotrip.pl%3Fsw%3Ddetail%26id%3D10605">Spa presentation</a></div>
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par <a "="" href="http://www.spa-info.be/" target="_BLANK">Office du Tourisme de Spa</a> - <a href="http://www.vdotrip.com/cgi-bin/vdotrip.pl?&sw=profile&id=101"><img alt="Voir le profil sur VDOtrip.com" src="http://www.vdotrip.com/gfx/icons/user_orange.png" title="Voir le profil sur VDOtrip.com" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asbestos covering side of buildings</td></tr>
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Many of the homes in and around Belgium have the distinctive diamond shaped covering on the external walls. I am informed that they are made from asbestos and are designed to prevent moisture entering the house.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mg1PZvmeEI1CPmZgMzc5eHhyphenhyphen_taeWt-o9a25sGTTD3oWio-iDlYHefM25EZg7BHnq1D0zvBN06OhtrUOlU7YfBYZl_xsVc_hJO51B0d62wX2Ps20qCqeIVQ9lsppisH-YvgUtGfmvA/s1600/IMG_3521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mg1PZvmeEI1CPmZgMzc5eHhyphenhyphen_taeWt-o9a25sGTTD3oWio-iDlYHefM25EZg7BHnq1D0zvBN06OhtrUOlU7YfBYZl_xsVc_hJO51B0d62wX2Ps20qCqeIVQ9lsppisH-YvgUtGfmvA/s400/IMG_3521.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staircase next to the casino (oldest casino in the world)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXRhAO543SgGbkZvYs6wYGC_IKHlykWGpTFwyFqttJN654NxdhyphenhyphenLBYe9gMspAsJB00YPKPjo75D6aIlmCyyPeEa2L9qJqNKQUeexSHTw3Rk9ekXxT1C-pwM0OYMib6rlYq0cjTOv3tw/s1600/IMG_3527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXRhAO543SgGbkZvYs6wYGC_IKHlykWGpTFwyFqttJN654NxdhyphenhyphenLBYe9gMspAsJB00YPKPjo75D6aIlmCyyPeEa2L9qJqNKQUeexSHTw3Rk9ekXxT1C-pwM0OYMib6rlYq0cjTOv3tw/s640/IMG_3527.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand</td></tr>
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This building houses one of the water-sources. Unfortunately it was closed due to the music festival so we were unable to fully visit it. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former Tourism Office in Spa</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Deciding to leave the thump, thump behind in Spa we headed for </span><b><a href="http://www.lacdewarfaaz.be/" target="_blank">Lac de Warfaaz</a></b><span style="background-color: white;">. The lake is the result of a barrage built in 1892. Historically bourgeois families would travel from Spa in their horse-drawn carriages and then do a tour around the lake. It is now a destination for fishermen looking for trout and salmon as well as people wanting to enjoy the beautiful setting. The lake is surrounded on one side by a steep forested hill with the occasional chateau visible. Again we did not get to enjoy the promised tranquility of such an idyllic spot. Instead we were greeted by children on a holiday camp who were enjoying water activities along with the usual associated skylarking. We managed to console ourselves with a glass of champagne by the edge of the lake before heading back to Liège with the car rooftop down enjoying the sunshine. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful old glass-house near to Lac de Warfaaz.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lac de Warfaaz</td></tr>
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</div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-28091041990253492042012-07-07T09:15:00.003+09:302012-07-07T09:35:24.085+09:30Crossing the border to visit Maastricht (Netherlands)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Coming from Australia I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to go from one country to another. We drove the short distance from Rotheux, near Liège in Belgium, to Maastricht on the banks of the Meuse River. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Of course Maastricht is well known for its relationship with the European Union Treaty. Undeterred by this important role, my focus this time was on shopping and cafés. </span>The sales are not only on in France but were certainly evident in Maastricht.<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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First stop was lunch at charming café, <a href="http://www.cafedartagnan.nl/" target="_blank">Café d'Artagnan</a>, where I thoroughly enjoyed my prawn croquettes served with salad and probably the best chips I have ever eaten. I don't often eat chips but these were excellent - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (served of course with mayonnaise). The prices for food and drinks were quite reasonable and a relief after Paris prices.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">It was time then to do some window-shopping. There were lots of high end fashion shops, beautiful jewellery and homeware shops. Unfortunately our time was quite limited so I can't recommend particular stores. Regrettably I came away empty-handed.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Overall I was most impressed by the architecture, cobble-stoned streets, cafés and the stores in Maastricht. It had a laid-back relaxing feel about it and was very clean and well maintained. I definitely would like to go back to explore it in greater detail perhaps spending a couple of nights as well.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.cafedartagnan.nl/" target="_blank">Grand café d'Artagnan</a><br />Graanmarkt 3 6211 HG Maastricht, Netherlands</span></div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-85235080417346408842012-07-04T10:14:00.001+09:302012-07-04T10:14:32.100+09:30Tilff (Belgium)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpZ95JHuLzJ_9KuUneDslGHWWOS6DhsU5ifPuxmKYu2MZOOdx4qI5_geRS4AoAESEpDFzlQ2u2XBsO_893aFiiQwTuF3Uf_Azc82QqSc8saTBhG7XwEyWTJ1Zp2alEG1HPblYIuAD4w/s1600/IMAG3504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpZ95JHuLzJ_9KuUneDslGHWWOS6DhsU5ifPuxmKYu2MZOOdx4qI5_geRS4AoAESEpDFzlQ2u2XBsO_893aFiiQwTuF3Uf_Azc82QqSc8saTBhG7XwEyWTJ1Zp2alEG1HPblYIuAD4w/s320/IMAG3504.jpg" width="320" /></a>Tilff is a pictoresque village not far from Liège in the French-speaking part of Belgium. It is located on the banks of the Ourthe River. We dined at <b>Le Canotier</b> - a popular restaurant amongst locals and visitors and visitors alike. I chose the <i>boulets à la liegoise</i> (pork and beef meatballs with sirop à Liège and raisins) followed by <i>café liégois</i>. The boulets, sauce and accompanying salade and chips (it is Belgium) were all excellent. Tasty and not too heavy or fatty. I expected the café liégois to be coffee flavoured ice-cream with cream but instead it was thick icy cold drink that I think included coffee, ice-cream and cream. Definitely not low-fat.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ourthe River, Tilff</td></tr>
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<a href="http://users.skynet.be/am036492/canotier/accueil.htm" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" target="_blank">Le Canotier Tilff</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4, place du Roi Albert<br />4130 Tilff Belgium</span>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-37253069637374335212012-06-22T00:33:00.002+09:302012-06-22T00:33:17.314+09:30Normandy Châteaux seen from the AirDespite what some people may think, châteaux are not limited to the Loire Valley. In a very short time frame I was able to see some amazing châteaux in Normandy from the air.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Château de Beaumesnil</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Château de Beaumesnil: </b>The current château was built between 1633 and 1640. It </span><span style="background-color: white;">is considered an excellent example of Louis XIII architecture. It is situated 135 km west of Paris. It is possible to visit the interior and the French formal gardens. It is also well-known for its collection of ancient bookbindings.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Château du Champs de Bataille</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Some say that the present owner of the <b>Château du Champs de Bataille</b>, Jacques Garcia, is trying to construct a garden in line with Versailles. Certainly from the air it was a very impressive site.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Château d'Harcourt</td></tr>
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The medieval <b>Château d'Harcourt </b>was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries. The château has retained some of its medieval architecture which bears testament to its defensive role in the 14th century. In the 17th century the role of the château changed and it was all about pleasure. The eastern façade shows the classical architecture of this period. The moats have been filled in and the terrace now leads to a parterre rather than the earlier French garden.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.abbayedubec.com/" target="_blank">Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.chateaubeaumesnil.com/" target="_blank">Château de Beaumesnil</a><br />
2 Rue des Forges 27410 Beaumesnil</div>
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<a href="http://www.duchampdebataille.com/" target="_blank">Château du Champs de Bataille</a><br />
Place du Château 27110 Le Neubourg</div>
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<a href="http://www.eure-en-ligne.fr/cg27/accueil_eure_en_ligne/harcourt_pre_accueil" target="_blank">Château d'Harcourt</a><br />
Domaine d'Harcourt 13 Rue du Château, 27800 Harcourt <br />
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<br /></div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-28148361919699570272012-06-17T09:43:00.000+09:302012-06-17T09:43:03.031+09:30Loire Valley Wine Dégustation<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tp3CAvEvwgcgDbDhLGIUHjgoFC62C8mhnoRmik5L24dl-lgS8Ylm0wQ0LzJfxrHCXqVjOurht_3KvpPYgKOVTo63QK2hO5iIhNmVSMVJ90zbCDmqZa9N9vRUtmaFaGLOtqHsanaA1g/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tp3CAvEvwgcgDbDhLGIUHjgoFC62C8mhnoRmik5L24dl-lgS8Ylm0wQ0LzJfxrHCXqVjOurht_3KvpPYgKOVTo63QK2hO5iIhNmVSMVJ90zbCDmqZa9N9vRUtmaFaGLOtqHsanaA1g/s640/IMG_2729.JPG" width="640" /></a>Fraussie, with whom I have been staying in Blois at <a href="http://femmesfrancophiles.blogspot.fr/2012/06/ideal-accommodation-for-couples.html" target="_blank">Closerie Falaiseau</a>, suggested that we do a wine dégustation at Vinomania in Blois. Knowing that my wine knowledge was very poor, I was only too happy to agree. Friday evenings whilst the locals were making their way to bars to watch the latest football match we headed to the wine bar come restaurant. Virginie, our effervescent, knowledgeable sommelier, tailored a three hour comprehensive session for us in English that covered information about the various production areas in the Loire Valley, history of the winemaking in the area and the methodology of wine tasting. </div>
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Being an absolute novice about wine there was so much that was new to me. I was comforted to know that I am not the only one who tends to panic when wine tasting feeling pressured to identify 'correctly' the smells and tastes. Most reassuring and liberating to be told that it really comes down to perception and what I think or taste is not necessarily right or wrong. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExmDZEWelSdNewEtOHu1hfo_LrT5WNJ3q1dVCX0ox1npXc7hY1TjWdmm_uzXYG_AO7vH8ruKYTvYPk8JGz_ILGQW8m6NATnCaABsCmSAgrz8ONVjhFmkSHXgekIRDciEbEvF8k88Htg/s1600/IMG_2727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExmDZEWelSdNewEtOHu1hfo_LrT5WNJ3q1dVCX0ox1npXc7hY1TjWdmm_uzXYG_AO7vH8ruKYTvYPk8JGz_ILGQW8m6NATnCaABsCmSAgrz8ONVjhFmkSHXgekIRDciEbEvF8k88Htg/s640/IMG_2727.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I didn't know that the very first sense when tasting wine is not sight, but in fact hearing. As the wine is poured we are already making judgements about the density and whether it is sparkling or flat. We then looked at the visual clues the wine provides and then progressed through first, second and third nose. Finally we got to taste, first time spitting out and the second time swallowing. It was particularly interesting to talk about how we first detect the smell and then afterwards our brain works at recognising the smell based on our memories and experiences. Fraussie most impressively could pick the wines. I however was just content to recognise that there was something amiss with one of the wines. It appears that I need to do a lot of homework to establish reference points for tasting wines. What better place to do it than in France?</div>
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If you are looking to develop or enhance your wine tasting knowledge then I highly recommend Virginie at Vinomania in Blois, although the private sessions at 120 € for two people are not cheap.</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Vinomania</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">12, rue du Poids du Roi<br />41000 Blois<br />Tel: +33 2 54 90 17 66</span>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794771478399884862.post-20351148428289814482012-06-16T09:32:00.000+09:302012-06-17T09:47:52.212+09:30Château de Blois - Four Architectural Styles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Château de Blois is centrally located in Blois, easily accessible from the railway station. It is rather unusual in that it has 4 distinct wings arranged around a central courtyard. Each wing has its own architectural style making it an especially interesting place to visit if you want to look at different aspects of architecture over time. </div>
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The seignorial hall was a part of the <b>medieval fortress</b> and is the largest 13th century Gothic hall in France. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7D_drgv8Lq7qics2r_OPCTicHSbDRVnAIHF5kcz1PdUk9O8ORI0m8rei64NfWuc600NjD35frncvx_AdzaaYxkjAKsF41p_9o4tOAR3kfHBaBr_y4wp_dKflCfLmKt0O1QffJ-JICGg/s1600/IMG_2301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7D_drgv8Lq7qics2r_OPCTicHSbDRVnAIHF5kcz1PdUk9O8ORI0m8rei64NfWuc600NjD35frncvx_AdzaaYxkjAKsF41p_9o4tOAR3kfHBaBr_y4wp_dKflCfLmKt0O1QffJ-JICGg/s640/IMG_2301.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gothic seignorial hall</td></tr>
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The <b>Louis XII wing (1498 - 1503)</b> is built in the flamboyant style and now houses the Blois <i>Musée des Beaux Arts</i> (Fine Arts Museum), the ticket office and the château's giftshop. I didn't even realise that bricks were used in buildings dating back this far.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Flamboyant Louis XII wing (1498 - 1503)</span></span>
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The <b>François I wing (1515-1524)</b> is built in the renaissance style. Its magnificent external spiral staircase is the feature that for many people is the symbol of this château. The royal apartments have been restored and if my French is correct, only one of the rooms contains the original decoration from that time. All of the restorations have been beautifully done and really do give a good indication of how life would have been in the 16th century.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Renaissance François I wing (1515-1524)</span></span>
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The last wing of the château is the <b>Gaston d'Orléans wing (1635 - 1638)</b> in the classical style. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit the inside with its famous cupola.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classical Gaston d'Orléans wing on left next to the renaissance François 1er wing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis XII crest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.chateaudeblois.fr/" target="_blank">Château de Blois</a><br /><span style="color: #666666;">6, Place du Château<br />41000 Blois, France<br />Tel: + 33 2 54 90 33 33<br />Fax: + 33 2 54 90 33 31</span></span></div>Femme Francophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00778722484698200685noreply@blogger.com2