Exploring the Bordeaux Region of France

Bordeaux: the name conjures thoughts of legendary wines in hues of deep red, French châteaux and rolling vineyards whose names are associated with quality; that specially-shaped bottle filled with the nectar of the gods, the wine known the world over as the crème de la crème of wines.

Is it any wonder that anyone lucky enough to possess a bottle of Bordeaux wine feels blessed? Names like Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, or Latour are instantly recognizable even to the amateur wine connoisseur.

Like most areas that I have found in France, Bordeaux is an area where one should spend more that a few days in exploration. First comes the ancient and beautiful city of Bordeaux itself; the nearby coastline can be visited en route to the area if you want to sit on a beach and enjoy the Atlantic. I had never associated Bordeaux with the ocean until, in an interview with French designer Philippe Starck, I learned of his plans to one day retire there, to raise oysters of all things. I had to get a map out to see that it did indeed run along the Atlantic.


A fishing hut on the ocean

The region where the wine is grown is divided in two by the Gironde River. Great vineyards grow on either side in the soil, which is heavy with rocks and pebbles that drain water away from the grapevines as well as holding in the heat during the night, something that leads to the magic of the flavorful grapes’ becoming the region's signature wine.

On the west side of the Gironde is the Médoc region, where the some of the most famous vineyards are found, those with the stronger, more robust taste. On the east side, lighter wines are made, such as St-Emilion. The sweet white Sauternes are made further to the south, and the little town of Cognac lies to the north.

We didn't have a long time to stay in the Bordeaux area, but we discovered that a great way to see the region when driving south from Paris is to start at Royan. This town was totally destroyed during WWII, but has a great beach. Taking the ferry, which leaves every hour from the dock, gave us the pleasant experience of being mildly adventurous. Landing at the northern tip of Médoc 30 minutes later we took the small D2 road and headed south, passing fabulous châteaux that dotted the landscape. Many are private homes and can’t be visited, but you can take a tour or do a wine tasting at most that you see in the tourist areas.

The town of Paulliac, the name associated with one of the greatest Bordeaux of all, has a great tourist information/wine store that is a must. Hundreds of bottles of Bordeaux are offered for sale there, and every one of them is sold at the same price as at the châteaux themselves.

The problem we had was deciding which of the many bottles to buy. It was a little like throwing a dart and seeing where it landed, or just closing your eyes and taking whichever your hand landed upon. So we decided to taste and try and then settle on a budget, since the wines come in a great variety of price ranges. There was a small selection of open bottles where, for a small charge, you could taste some of the wines for sale. We walked around seeing names or regions that we recognized, but how to decide? We finally picked three middle-priced Bordeaux wines marked as ready to drink (but better if allowed to age), just to have a variety.

Continuing south we stopped at Château Beychevelle, where we got a free guided tour. There is a little Viking boat with a sail at half mast on all the château’s labels and the Vineyard does, in fact, lie on the Gironde River, where many ships through the years used to stop to load or unload or to wait for the tide to rise. For me, the surprise highlight of the tour was going to the back of the château to see the gorgeous grounds stretching down to the river, which have been given the name of Versailles of Bordeaux, with reason. No wine tastings were offered here, but we bought three bottles anyway, and they turned out to be excellent.


The grounds of Chateau Beychevelle

We reached Lamarque and caught a ferry again, this time to Blay, with its citadel, very much worth a visit. Our next stop was the medieval city of St.-Emilion. Besides having good wine (we bought three bottles from different vineyards to compare, on the recommendation of the owner of one of the many wine stores there), this city is a delight to explore, especially the cathedral built entirely underground; it was carved out of a huge rock and took monks over 300 years to finish. St. Emilion himself had a small chapel that he carved out in the soft stone.

The best way to see this region is to stay in the area for a week. Highlighting our own too-short stay too was the bed-and-breakfast called La Sauvageonne, where we stayed near the small town of St.-Cier-sur-Gironde. A little oasis in an ocean of vineyards owned by delightful Marc Rudat and Alain Bienfait, it is one of the nicest inns I've seen. The rooms were huge, with luxurious bathrooms to match. For those wanting a longer stay, a gite with a kitchen is available.

Strolling around the grounds was heaven, and best of all, there was a swimming pool that we took full advantage of during hot afternoons. Alain himself prepared and served us one of the best meals we had during our time in Bordeaux, consisting of braised pork tenderloin and vegetables, a crisp salad dressed in a tangy vinaigrette, and Poire Belle Helèn for dessert. As we just happened to have a great bottle of Bordeaux from Château Beychevelle to go along with our sumptuous dinner, we couldn't have had a nicer time. Bikes are available to wend your way through nearby vineyards or down to the Gironde Estuary to gaze at the water or maybe spot a bird or two.


The grounds of Les Sauvageonne


Les Sauvageonne (Bed & Breakfast)
2 les Mauvillains
St.-Palais, France
05 57 32 92 15
www.relax-in-gironde.com

Getting there:
There are hourly TGV( high speed) trains from Paris to Bordeaux.
It is a 6 hour drive from Paris to Royan on highway A10, where a ferry can be taken to Medoc.

Eating:
Médoc area:
Le St-Julien
4km south of Paulliac via D2, 05 56 59 63 87
Built in 1850, this old village bakery with beamed ceilings servs elaborate regional cuisine.

St.-Emilion:
Le Bouchon
3 Place Marché, directly across from the underground cathedral
05 57 24 62 81
Simple meals in a great location.

Information on Bordeaux and its wine
www.greatwinecapitals.com

If you are interested in a specific wine and vineyard, call or e-mail ahead for reservations; there is seldom space left in any of the tours on the day you arrive. Some vineyards, such as Mouton Rothschild, charge a fee for tours, with an additional amount for a wine tasting.
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Something Different in Paris

Even though I had heard that there was a pet cemetery on the outskirts of Paris, I was more interested in walking around the cemeteries for people, like Père Lachaise and Montmartre. It was only after a friend talked me into going with her to the pet cemetery that I wondered what had taken me so long.

It isn't that difficult or that long of a Métro ride to get there—just take a short walk from the end of line 13 in Asnières to find the Le Cimetière des Chiens D'Asnières-Sur-Seine. It's in a fantastic location right on the Seine and, although most of the tombstones are very small, it does have the feel of the typical French cemetery. As All Saints Day had occurred a week before my visit, the cemetery was full of yellow chrysanthemums, a custom in France. People had visited the graves of the pets here just as families visited departed relatives in all cemeteries across France.



There was a sweet feeling about the place as well as some melancholy. I think I would have felt the same if it had been a cemetery for children. To the owners of these pets, their animals were their children and we came upon graves with tiny miniatures of animals on them or old chew toys. One dog's grave had a hollow plastic ball full of old tennis balls that he must have loved to play with. There were photos of the pets and names like Fifi or Susan. One grave had written on it: "I have been mistreated by other people, but never by Gaston, my friend, who loved me unconditionally."



At the entrance to the cemetery stands a huge sculpture with the carving of a Saint Bernard carrying a child on its back. The dog represented is Barry, who saved the lives of 40 people in the Alps before he lost his own life attempting a rescue for the 41st time. There is also a large tombstone—with a statue of a German Shepherd Statue on top—that memorializes all of the police dogs who die in action. The grave for Rin Tin Tin had me puzzled until I did some research and found that the original Rin Tin Tin (a French cartoon name, by the way) was taken to the States by an American soldier and the rest is history




Not only dogs and cats are buried here; there are also tombstones for three horses. I was surprised to see a stone for a rabbit and also one for Cocotte, a chicken said to have lived for 25 years and to have been a wonderful companion.



My friend and I are both cat lovers and so we loved seeing the many cats that live among the tombstones. (They do other things among the tomb stones as I discovered when I got home and traced a horrible smell to the bottom of my shoe). Most of them were tame and friendly-looking; one could pet them or feed them, and they managed to weave their way around our legs as we wandered around. While we were there, some ladies came and fed some of them. We overheard one saying her cat had recently died and she came to the cemetery twice a week to walk around. It brought her comfort.
Would I recommend a first-timer to Paris visit this cemetery? Not really, as I think Père Lachaise and the Montmartre cemeteries should be seen first. But, if you have been to Paris several times, and you are a pet lover, I think this would fill the bill for something different. I found it to be a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.



Nearby, we found the restaurant, Le Père Lamotte. It looked very plain on the outside but served some very great-tasting food. I had a salad, baked fish, 2 vegetables and a soda for 13€. Additionally, there were also some interesting shops on the streets selling Middle-Eastern spices, fabric and housewares.

Le Cimetière Des Chiens
4, pont de Clichy
92600 Asnières-sur-Seine
Restaurant au Père Lamotte
23, Bd Voltaire
92600 Asnières

German Christmas Cookies-A Year Round Delight

German Christmas Cookies—A Year-Round Delight

The Christmas markets in Cologne spread throughout the city, and offer different delights, but all offer at least one variety of Christmas cookies, and usually many more than one. At the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, another one worth a visit, visitors step off the train into a large tent filled with booth after booth offering a dizzying choice of cookies.

Most of the cookie recipes are relatively simple to make. The smell of fresh baked cookies filling the kitchen on a cold day is wonderful and not just at Christmas. In these often grey January and February days, making cookies with children or grand-children can fill the house with warmth and good memories.

Here are a few typical German cookie recipes that can be adapted in various ways to suit the season. Red and white Valentine icing and sprinkles make them perfect for February, green and white St. Patrick’s Day icing and sprinkles for March.

This first recipe will be familiar to many, as a variation of it is made throughout the American south. In Texas and Louisiana they are called Pecan Sandies, and are popular there at Christmas time too. They are easy to make and always well.

Nusse

1/2 pound butter or margarine (butter makes a MUCH better cookie)
¼ c. sugar (Splenda or another sugar substitute CAN be used but the result will not be as rich tasting)
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
2 teaspoons vanilla
Confectioners Sugar

Cream together the butter and the sugar, add the vanilla and the flour making thick dough. Mix in the chopped pecans. Roll the dough into balls or half-moon shaped cookies and bake them in a 300 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes. When cool, roll them in powdered sugar. These will keep for days in a closed tin box.

This next recipe is also quite easy and makes enough cookies to feed a hungry crowd. This is basically a shortbread recipe that is popular in England and in Scotland as well. The cookies can be served plain, or decorated with sprinkles or nuts. They have a rich, caramel taste. They are good if simply marked crossways with the tines of a fork, or with a single pecan or walnut half placed in the middle of each round.

German Sugar Cookies

1 pound butter
1 pound sugar (2 cups)
4 to 5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Grated lemon rind (optional)

Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the vanilla and the baking powder. Gradually add in the flour to make thick dough. Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate 10 to 12 hours or overnight. It can be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters or rolled into a strip, and then individual cookies cut off in rounds.
Spread on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for ten to twelve minutes, until a golden color. You can decorate the cookies with nuts before cooking them or with icing and sprinkles after they are baked. This will make several dozen cookies, again depending on the size you wish.


Oma’s Cookies

1 pound. butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 cups flour
4 eggs
1 lemon rind, grated

Beat together one egg and the grated lemon rind. Then cream together the butter and the sugar, add the lemon/egg mixture, and then the rest of the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the flour. Mix the dough with your hands until all the flour disappears. Refrigerate the dough 10 to 12 hours, or overnight.
Roll out the dough to about a ½ inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Spread on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes—cookies should be golden with a light brown edge. Cool, and decorate as wished.

Cookies, hot chocolate and a nice fire on a January or February day can magically re-create Germany at home until a trip there can be scheduled.

Christmas in Cologne

Christmas in Cologne

Germany’s famous Christmas markets open early in December and usually remain open until December 23rd, some until a few days later. But by Christmas Day, most have closed after three weeks of providing mulled wine, sparkling ornaments and a wide variety of gifts and abundant Christmas spirit.


In the market at Cologne

Cologne is a German city that embodies the Christmas spirit. Christmas markets of various specialties punctuate the city, filling squares large and small with tantalizing foods, gifts, decorative items and always sausages, pretzels, and mulled wine. One of the largest takes place near the magnificent Cologne cathedral, a site worthy of a trip to the city all by itself. The floodlit cathedral, with a huge lighted Christmas tree calling attention to it, loudly speaks of the seasonal spirit.


The cathedral at Christmas

Christmas music is exceptionally rich in this cultured German city as well. The magnificent concert hall that is almost adjacent to the cathedral has a rich program of music throughout the weeks before Christmas. A Christmas concert we attended last December offered a brass ensemble playing glittering carols and classics to an enthusiastic audience that filled the house, and one of Germany’s top opera stars, in a mesmerizing tenor voice, spoke—yes, told and did not sing in a voice that resonated above and beyond all language barriers—Christmas tales between musical numbers.


Cologne's magnificant concert hall

By Christmas eve, the markets have closed, the city shops close, and everyone prepares for the next’s days festivities, which in Germany are family oriented. Legend tells that the practice of decorating trees at Christmas began when Martin Luther, walking home one wintery night, saw the stars above glittering through the snowy branches of an evergreen tree. Others would claim that the origins of decorating a green tree with lights and fruit, gifts and other symbols of abundant life lie much, much farther back, in the magic pagan rituals associated with the winter solstice.

Whatever the beginnings of the Christmas rituals, Christmas music, Christmas spirit, it is difficult for anyone, Christian or other, not to feel the spiritual mystery of this deep winter season. The Christmas eve and Christmas day services that occur in Cologne’s many churches proclaim a continuing belief in renewal and rebirth after a desolate period of frozen life. In Germany, given its twentieth-century history, this message is particularly powerful.

Wandering In Wales

Wandering in Wales

Great Britain offers some of Europe’s most interesting side roads. One of its regions, Wales, is a too-often unexplored corner of the island, at least by the greater number of Americans touring the UK. It is, though, one of the most magical—even mystical—regions, especially in mid-summer. When most of the rest of North America and these days even Europe is sweltering under pitiless temperatures, southwest Wales remains pleasant, with bright, crisp days for walking its cliff paths, exploring its beaches, or touring its castles.



Pembrokeshire in southern Wales is home to miles of protected national seashore. It is also home to a necklace of castles that are among the finest in Britain. Its history is rich with fascinating characters—it is where Henry Tudor, the first of the Tudor Dynasty and father to the now-notorious Henry VIII of the six wives, was born, in a formidable castle at Pembroke Dock. The tiny room where Henry, better known as King Henry VII, founder of the dynasty that reigned through England’s golden age, was born is as fascinating as his father Jasper Tudor’s effigy that can still be seen at St. David’s Cathedral. The cathedral dominates nearby St. David’s, Britain’s smallest ecclesiastical city.


Saint David's Cathedral

It is the stunning landscapes and seascapes, though that most attract. Tenby, a resort town on the southern coast, is a good base for touring the area. It offers a wide choice of small hotels, bed-and-breakfast guest houses, and restaurants at more appealing prices than England’s more eastern coastal resorts. A twenty-minute boat trip from the dock at Tenby leads to Caldey Island and its serene Benedictine monastery. An afternoon walking the lovely, quiet wooded paths on Caldey or climbing the rocky promontories along its edges is a visit to a happier, calmer, safer world. Returning to Tenby, one can find lively pubs to fill a rather rowdier evening, with lots of Britain’s famous ales.

Tenby can be reached from either Carmarthen or Swansea. Frequent trains go between these Welsh cities and London. The most satisfying way, however, to explore the nooks and crannies of Wales is to rent a car and brave driving on the left side of the road along with the British. Not nearly as daunting as it appears, after an hour or two at the wheel, driving on the “wrong” side becomes one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of a Welsh visit. A car allows stops for drinks or snacks at tiny, beautiful bays like Laugharne, where the twentieth century poet Dylan Thomas lived and wrote, and a visit to the boathouse where he produced some of his most well-known poems.

The food is good as well. Pub lunches and dinners offer moderate priced standards, extended by the wealth of seafood available in these coastal areas. Fish and chips is a great casual choice, but in Tenby, some of the pubs, the more luxurious hotels in St. David’s and in towns like Aberaeron and Fishguard menus will offer choices to suit the most sophisticated tastes.


harbor at Aberaeron

The red Welsh dragon can be seen everywhere, although in this English-speaking segment of Wales known as “Little England Beyond Wales” little Welsh will be seen or heard. But “Creoso y Cymru”—Welcome to Wales—offers a hearty welcome nearly everywhere. North Wales, more familiar to Americans and more frequently included on standard tours, is fascinating in its own way, but this more remote southwestern corner of the country should not be overlooked.