Category France
Green pâté and charred goat cheesecake: what we ate in Poitiers and Chauvigny
Wherever we travel, HOB and I try the local specialties. I can tell you the reason is because it’s a great way to participate in the culture, which is true. Also, it makes local people happy–we’ve had people gather around us in approval when we’ve sought out an unusual regional delicacy at a shop or […]
Winning window bars in Poitiers
Why can’t my window bars at home be as, um, as uplifting and exciting as these I saw in Poitiers?
Picnic at Église Notre-Dame la Grande, Poitiers
A plane to Paris, connection directly from the airport by train to Poitiers, a quick dump of our bags in the hotel by the train station, a run up a steep hill into the historical district of Potiers and voilà: two hungry and jet lagged Americans ready for a picnic. Within an hour of arrival we […]
Château de Saumur and the month of September from Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry
One of my favorite works of art is the French Gothic manuscript illumination Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry. Today we visited the Château de Saumur, in Saumur France, which is seen in the illustration of September. A great day for in situ magic! How we got to Saumur: train from Tours. Where we slept: […]
Picnic at the Cathedral
We arrived by school bus. This was the only form of public transportation available, a once- a-week bus into Conques in Southwest France, population 281. A five minute walk from the bus stop, through the tiny but perfectly preserved village to our half-timber hotel room next to the Abbey-Church of Saint-Foy. The abbey has been a […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 