Waddling into Paris

We finally arrived back in Paris! We spent two nights there with Lise and saw all sorts of things. Carolyn meet us on Saturday and we went to a museum, had lunch at a small brasserie and went with Lise to a cooking store and a knitting store. The next day Carolyn, her husband and two children met us at the boat and we took a trip on the Seine before having lunch and then seeing some more of Paris. Look for photos of these two amazing days on the next post.

En Route to Paris

On our way up to Paris we drove through beautiful farm land. There was one amazing vista after another. We stopped in the Bordeaux region to visit Chateauneuf. It was a Medieval Chateau or fortress surrounded by an equally ancient village. It was a fairy tale picture, the chateau on a hilltop dominating the countryside with the village huddled around it.






In one of the ancient homes near the gateway to the Chateau was a restaurant where we had a delicious lunch. One of the best parts of lunch was my dessert a tarte aux pommes with creme fraiche. Yummy!!!








After lunch we crossed the wooden drawbridge and entered the Chateau through the great arched stone entryway. Once inside we explored the courtyard, the great hall, the turrets, and the living quarters that were furnished in the style of different centuries. From the windows there was a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. It was easy to see why a fortress was built in this spot.







The great hall was not only where the feasts were served but also where the lord of the manner sat to hear cases and mete out judgements. Roger admired the throne like seat. Everything about the hall was larger than life scale, the room itself, the ceiling, the table, and the lord's seat.











In one of the upstairs chambers we saw a bath ready to be filled for the lady of the manor to have a bath. It was a huge wooden tub lined with canvas type fabric. There were tapestries hanging everywhere upstairs.













We liked this poster advertising a "Pirate Race" on a nearby canal. The canals were one way to move goods in earlier centuries.

















We decided that this was a nice little piece of real estate. We could just see ourselves standing here and welcoming our friends to a great feast in the Chateau!!!














Leaving the Chateau we passed all the picturesque houses of the village. Apparently there is a contest each year for the village in France with the best displays of flowers and this village has won that award in the past. I'm not surprised. It was magnificent!!!

Then it was time to hit the road again and head to Paris.

Quaking Around France -- Lyons

After leaving the Chartreuse Mountains we headed down to Lyon. The Traffic was horrible. We finally made it there and checked into our hotel, which was in a building built in the 1500s during the Renaissance. Roger asked if there was air conditioning and the man at the reception desk looked at him and said "Monsieur, this is a building from the Renaissance. We do not need air conditioning! The stones keep us cool." However, we did find a 2010 fan in our 1500s room and we used it!

As soon as we checked in we raced out go to the concert that JP had gotten tickets to. It was a concert of Opera music in a Roman Amphitheater. We went up the hill in another funicular, and got there just in time. However, there were no seats left. So we were at the very top which was pretty breathtaking. We were perched high above where the orchestra and performers were listening to beautiful music and seeing the lights of Lyon spread out beyond the amphitheater. Up in the sky, in the distance there was heat lighting. The whole effect was magical.

After the concert we got a bite to eat in a tiny brasserie and then returned to our hotel to go to bed.

The next morning after a petite dejunier with Lise we set off to explore the old courtyards of Lyon. JP had returned to Grenoble but Lise was going on to Paris with us.

We spent about an hour going in and out of ancient courtyards, marveling over the architecture. I expected to see a Romeo and Juliet look alike on the balconies.

We then returned for our baggage, went to the car and were on our way back to Paris.

Quacking Around France Chartreuse Mountains

To get to Lyons we drove through the Chartruse Mountains because Lise and JP wanted to take us to a museum of the monastary of the moks who lived there and made the famous Chartruse liquor. The mountains were amazing, green, rocky, with twisting, winding roads. It rained while we went through. It seemed like another world. The monastary museum provided a glimpse of another way of life, an ancient ordered way of going through a day and going through a year. The monk's gardens were lovely peaceful places and the beauty of the surrounding mountains made it understandable why men would want to withdraw to this place to pray and meditate.

Quacking Around France

We slept in a bit after our fabulous meal and what ended up being a rather late night. The next day (Wednesday, June 30) after a petite dejuner Lise drove us further into the Belledonne Mountains above her house. We went to a beautiful mountain pond that was green from the reflections of the pine trees around it in the still waters. We walked around it admiring the alpine scenery.

Next was lunch followed by a trip to the mountains on the other side of Grenoble, the Chartreuse Mountains. There we took a ride up the side of the mountain in the funicular. It was fun and scarey at the same time. We basically traveled straight up th emountain on a narrow track. The funicular opperates on a pulley system. As one car is going down another is coming up and they meet exactly in the middle. It is the kind of ride that makes the bottom sort of fall out of one's stomach.


The views on the way up the mountain were breathtaking as you can see. At the top there was a flat, green area where parasailers run and jump of the mountain to go sailing in the air before landing in a field below. I think that is one sport that I will give a miss to! We sat on the patio of the hotel up there and had a drink while admiring the view of the valley below.

Going down the mountain we had an even better view of the waterfall that comes out of the mountain rocks than we did going up. It was truly an amazing sight.

Thursday we went to a market in Grenoble in the morning. It was a very sensory experience. We the first thing we saw (and smelled) was the poultry stand where live chickens were in cages on the side. There was also eggs, and some of the live chicken's less fortunate bretheren neatly packaged in plastic. There was a meat man with every kind of meat laid out in a traveling case including horse (gross). The vegetables and fruit looked wonderful and fresh. We bought some for lunch. There were vendors selling clothes, lace, cloth, knives, dishes, fish, cheeses, and breads. Just about anything you could want was in this open air market.

After lunch we left for Lyons.

Dinner was just ducky!!!

Me and Rubber Duckie outside the Paul Bocuse Restaurant!

So, after all the arrangements, the travel, the getting lost, the anticipation we arrive at the Paul Bocuse Restaurant in Lyons. Let me assure everyone that it was well worth traveling 3,000 to enjoy the meal of a lifetime in this magnificent destination restaurant!

The outside of the four story building was decorated with a large painting of the master chef -- Paul Bocuse, himself. There were also paintings of cakes and other treats painted on the building. Also, on the side of the building were plaques to show how high the river Saone which was across the street from the restaurant, had risen in various floods. The most impressive flood was almost two hundred years ago. However, it was a pleasant, dry day so we did not waste any time worrying about floods.

A young man in a costume (or uniform) that was a cross between an organ grinder and a doorman, bright red with a small hat on his head and lots of shiny buttons everywhere, with strips down the pants legs greet us. He led us through the courtyard and into the restuarant where the hostess and maitre d' had our reservation. The young man then led us to our table and feasting began!

Lise and JP with us at Bocuse!

We were all handed enormous menus and we studied them for awhile debating whether to eat a la cart or to choose the menu for the table. The whole table had to agree. Eventually, we all agreed that the Menu Grande Tradition Classique which is prepared for the table would be the best choice.

The first thing placed in front of us was a tiny, demi tasse size cup of the most deliscious cream of pea soup I have ever had along with a crudite. This Lise told us was considered something to "open the appitite." Just enough of a tasty treat to make the diner ready for what was to follow!

Roger, Rubber Duckie, and I pose with Paul Bocuse!!!

While we were ordering, Lise told the maitre d' about why we were there, that I had won dinner for two anywhere in the world and had chosen to go to his restaurant. The next thing we know the Great Chef himself came out to see us and posed for pictures with all of us! He even gave me an autographed menu!

The next course to arrive in front of us was the Esalope de Foie Gras de Canard Poelee au Verjus or pate de Foie Gras on toast with a special sause. I did not think I would like Foie Gras but this was unbelivable! It simply melted in the mouth. The piquant sauce was sweet and sour a perfect compliment to the Foie Gras. Next, the waiter brought out the Soupe aux Truffes Noires V.G.E. a treat created for the French President in 1975. The truffle soup was a delicate consome that allowed the full flavor of the truffles to shine. A marvelous flakey puff of pastry topped the soup. Next we enjoyed Filets de sole Fernand Point. I think this was the high point of the meal for me. The sole was cooked to perfection, just past the raw stage but not at the dry point. A spoonful of pasta was folded into the fish and the whole was covered with yet another incredible sauce. This one tasted as though it had a hint of cheese in it. I would have picked up the plate and licked it clean if it were not for the fact that I did not want to be considered a crass American with no manners!! However, both JP and I used some bread to mop up the final drops of sauce! Then came a short interval almost like an intermission when we were given a Granite des Vigerons du Beaujolais. The only way to describe this palete cleanser is to call it a sorbet made with Beaujolais. It was light, tasted like nothing else I'd ever had and left my mouth ready for the next course: Volaille De Bresse En Vessie "Mere Fillioux" or Chicken roasted in a Bladder. I know, this sounds odd but it was the lightest, moistest chicken I have ever had. It had been prepared with truffles, and was served with another indescribable white sauce which also had truffles in it. This was accompanied by a medely of buttery vegtables including thin slivers of carrot, beans, and snow peas as well as a serving of rice. At this point all of us were beginning to feel quite sufficed but there was more to come!


The Dessert Trolly!!!

One of the espcially nice things about this restaurant was that the service was not intrusive. The diner was certainly well taken care of, the service was impecable but there was no sense of rush nor of being hovered over. One dish was smoothly removed and another took its place while we were all able to converse and enjoy the meal.

The Chicken was followed by Selection de Fromages frais et Affines -- the cheese trolly. I have rarely had the opportunity to choose from so many cheeses many of which were local. There was a creamy goat cheese and a brie that I tried as well as another local cheese that was sharper in flavor. After the cheese plates were removed we were given tiny pots of chocolate mouse accompanied by a three tiered dish of petits fours. We thought this was the end but we were mistaken. The crowning glory was yet to come.

Fresh rasberries with rasberry sauce

The dessert trolly was a beautiful thing. We were surrounded by almost a dozen lovely desserts ranging from chocolate cake to fresh berries. Lise had the rasberries and sauce pictured on the right. Roger also had fruit and I chose a strawberry tart and some of the fresh rasberries. The tart was an amazing morsal, the pastry melted away on my tongue and the cream and glazed strawberries complimented each other perfectly. I wish there were words to describe the taste experince.

All in all this was a meal to remember, a 10 on a 10 scale. It was classic French cooking at its very best, a master chef whose restaurant is definately worth traveling almost three thousand miles to go to for dinner! Thank Rubber Duckie, Allen's Pond Sanctuary, and all the sponsors for this incredible experince!!!

Paris to Grenoble to Revel

After a good night's rest and a tasty petit dejuner we set out to walk around Paris a bit before getting our TGV train to Grenoble.

The first thing I noticed was the sound of the French sirens just like in the old Pink Panther movies. Then I saw a little park with a gate and sign with a dog and a red slash across the dog, obviously, no dogs allowed in the park. However, what really caught my eye was the man who was relieving himself in a corner of the park. No dogs allowed but humans can make a mess? This must have been an anomoly however, I am afraid it will be one of those memories that will stick in my mind!!!

We walked along the Siene and visited Notre Dame. We got in the free entry line which allowed us to walk around the inside of the Cathedrial. It is really amazing to think that people with no modern tools, no machinary, no cranes built this structure almost a thousand years ago.

We walked back along the Siene past boats being used as restaurants and boats people were clearly living on. We saw a family of ducks, people fishing, and all manner of ancient items and edifices. Unfortunately, Roger twisted his ankle which cramped our walking style a bit.

After lunch we collected our bags and headed to the Gare De Lyon. The TGV was amazing. It was fast, comfortable, and the views of the French Midi amazing. For miles, it looked almost like the midwest, flat, lush, farmland. We went past herds of sheep and cows, some horses, ancient clusters of buildings surrounding even more ancient church spires. It was an incredible landscape. I was impressed by how rural it was, and the lack of industry in that region. It was beautiful.

At last we arrived in Grenoble and Lise was there to greet us as we got off the train. I still find it amazing that I am here in her beautiful home in Revel a small town in the French Alps about 500 meters above Grenoble. It was a long journey but worth the trouble to get here!