Day 3: Je peux comprendre un peu de français & a pallet of Strawberries

George Clooney / Coffee / Strawberries / Cheese / Anchovies / Caneles / Macaroons / Foie Gras

We began our first day in France being utterly amused by the fanciest coffee machine ever.  Apparently marketed heavily by George Clooney as we saw later in Bordeaux (below).

Fanciest coffee machine, with a guided handbook.  No joke. Next photo.

http://www.nespresso.com/

 Charles in the kitchen area

After breakfast we ventured out to the weekly market in Le Bouscat (Suburb of Bordeaux)

During the 3 weeks I spent with them in 1999, I may have had a bit of an addiction to French strawberries.  I may have eaten a huge bowl of them every night.  Benedicte might have remembered this very clearly.

Yes - this whole pallet of strawberries went home with us.  And I did a darn good job taking care of them.  With some help.

 French strawberries just don't compare to ones back home.  Closest are fresh picked strawberries.  The reds are so red.  So juicy.  Amazing.



Next up we spent about 45 minutes with this wonderful cheese man, tasting and buying.  He makes a point of having Cheese from the Basque region in France.  Basque is a region that straddles parts of north central Spain and south-western France, along the Pyrenees.  People from the Basque rarely claim allegience to France or Spain.  They are Basque.

Hey PE folks.  First photo for you.  Just sharing.

After the market we returned for a mid-day feast of marinated anchovies and vegetables.

For an appetizer (as if we needed one) - shrimp!  Including some we'd never had before.  Little grey shrimps.

 

I know we tend to look down on box wines.  But over there, they've figured it out.  This was a fabulous rose from Tavel, southern Rhone wine region.  All of the wines from Tavel are Rose with a minimum alcohol content of 11%.  I have to be honest I don't know if I've ever seen this in the US.

Lunch

Cheese.  Over there it's different.  I think the deal is it's not pasteurized in the same way.  Either way - this Camembert is excellent.  Tangy.  Visually you could compare it to Brie, but it has a stronger flavor.

Finishing the meal off with beautiful strawberries . . . the first of a few plates

After a brief siesta we ventured into the city centre of Bordeaux.

The Airbus A380 barge was passing by on the Garonne River.  Empty this trip.

 Benedicte & the fabulous water fountain where all of the children play

Guillaume took Laurence over his shoulder while Laurence's children Valentino & Lucas looked on!

Saint - Andre Cathedral 

 

Bordeaux is known for their canelés ... 

french pastry with a soft/tender custard center and a dark, thick, caramelized crust.

 In addition to a few Caneles - we selected a macaroon in each flavor available from this shop Le Baillardran.

Delicious!  My favorite was the rose water, or possibly the salted caramel.

We finished our walk through Bordeaux and returned home for a "light" meal of homemade Foie Gras.

 Lucas playing in the parking garage

  I love Foie Gras

cheese to finish the night

plus a night cap or two

Tomorrow: St. Emilion

Day 2: France! Nous sommes arrivés à Bordeaux

Saturday morning (July 2nd) we managed to repack our bag quickly so we could head out to explore some of Milton Keynes and then catch the bus to a different London Airport - Luton.

On the way we stopped at the Cross Keys pub in Milton Keynes.  They were having a bit of a beer fest.

Outdoor Garden

Sarah - this one's for you!  Another Riley!

 Quick stop at the grocery store for a sandwich & "Crisps"

British to American translation lesson for you . . . . 

British Crisps = American Chips

British Chips = American Fries

Unfortunately our bus to the airport was 45 minutes late.  Stressed????  Only just a little.

It finally showed up and we made it to the airport just fine.

We were visiting France to see GREAT friends of our family.  Actually they really are family, just not biologically.  Benedicte & Claude Bonnaire.  Claude put it best when he said that I am his daughter on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

His wife, Benedicte stayed with my family in Maryland as part of an exchange program when I was 10...I think.  In 1992?  or somewhere around then.  Since that time we visited the family in Paris, Nice, Marseille, and Toulouse on separate trips between 1993 and 1999.  We were fortunate that her husband's job required them moving periodically around the country.  Provided excellent sight-seeing opportunities for us.  My parents and sister have been fortunate enough to visit since '99, but I had not been back to France since the summer of 1999.  Needless to say I was excited.  I used to be able to speak and understand French fairly fluently.  However I'd been out of practice for about 7 years.  I was worried!  Luckily they speak excellent English.

Ok - Background complete.  Bottom Line = Jessica was ridiculously excited to go to France.

Our guest quarters above the pool area.

We were also excited that their son Guillaume and his girlfriend Laurence were able to join us as well.

After arriving, we of course sat down to eat and drink.  Benedicte made an excellent veal stew and it was served with a great wine from Medoc.

Our dinner began around 930 and carried on until 130 AM?  Just about normal.   

Day 1: Les Grandes Vacances en Angleterre et en France

Alright, here goes my first blog post on Charles' blog!

I had a fairly uneventful flight from Raleigh to Newark and onto London Heathrow.  

Laura dropping me at RDU - she's now in Ethiopia

However I made a note to never fly a Continental 757 overseas again.  Single aisle flights over 3.5 hours are miserable in my book.

Neat office building by Alfred Waterhouse

Upon my arrival in Heathrow I had what looked to be a 1-2 hour wait for immigration.  I bought an hour's worth of WiFi so I could tell Charles to go have a beer.  Luckily there was a pub in the airport with a window to view people coming out of immigration.  He was taking his last sip as I walked out the door, he found me quickly and surprised me with half of a strawberry pastry he'd picked up earlier in the day.  Tasty - especially after airline food.

We had plans to explore Greenwich and made it about 1/2 way there before deciding we'd been on the tube far too long, with far to go.  I was hungry. I wanted to see the sun and blue sky.  So we hopped off and started walking.

He was kind enough to carry my ~40 lb backpack...which definitely helped.

We made it to our first stop for a much needed bite to eat....and drink!  Newly opened "The Craft Beer Co."

On our way we walked through a fabulous market and I made note of a few stands to come back by for food.  I wrongly assumed the pub we were visiting didn't serve food.  They did!  Pies!  And no - those aren't sweet pies.  Handmade Pork Pies.  I tried my first that included a band of Black Pudding (A sausage made by cooking blood with a fillter until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled).  I know sounds crazy.  But it was really tasty!

The taps were beautiful.  There are rarely any chairs at the bar, as it is always available for people to come and order.  No waitstaff.

I was shocked to see one of my favorite beers of all time in the US.  Southern Tier (New York) Choklat.  Yes - it tastes like chocolate.  However my real favorite is Creme Brulee.  I resisted Choklat in favor of more local brews.

We left the pub in favor of a walk to Regent's Park, one of the Royal Parks of London.  

On the way we passed by this food shop which reminded me of my birthplace.  Unintended on their part.

As well as this beautiful old church.

We made it to Regent's Park and enjoyed a rest in the sun.  

It's obvious how much they care about their gardens.  Quite beautiful! 

Our next stop was  . . . surprise surprise . . . Euston Tap.  

From prior posts on here, you may notice it's a frequent watering hole for Charles.  Coincidentally it is located at the Euston rail station which services Milton Keynes (near where Charles is living).  Quite convenient.

Grew a bit tired on the 8 pm 45 minute train ride back to Charles' and a quick bus ride.  We picked up some goat cheese at the Marks & Spencer's.  Once home, my vacation continued...Charles made an excellent dinner for us.  Bread, sliced meats, goat cheese, salad with homemade dressing too!!

Tomorrow we're off to Bordeaux France!!