Celebrating and celebrating and celebrating

I always thought Bastille Day was like Independence Day in the U.S., so I expected to celebrate on the 14th with fireworks, patriotic music, and maybe a picnic.

However, it wasn't quite like that. For many French people, it is a long holiday break from work, and a chance to travel to the beach or another recreational destination. And it seems that the occasion is marked by many days and nights of celebratory events.

We began our "commemoration" with attendance at a folk dance in a nearby village, Breuil-Magne, which was presented in conjunction with their Fete du Pain (Festival of Bread.) After the performance residents and visitors followed the dancers and musicians through narrow streets to a field beyond the village, where the company made up of community members presented a dramatic vignette telling a story about the village grain miller.

The evening ended with an amazing fireworks display. It was beyond expectations. The displays were launched to music, and the intimacy, the sounds and the colorful array of fireworks directly above us was a magnificient spectacle!

That was only the first night of events for us. Sunday we returned to the Fete for hours of folk dance performances, food, artisans, games, and a tour of the communal bake ovens. There were agricultural displays reminiscent of a small county fair, and even an exhibit of the results of the bread baking attempts of local children.

On Monday, we joined two guests from the B & B for a picnic on the beach at Chatelaillon Plage. Of course, it was not your average picnic. We arrived around 10:00 p.m. and began with appertifs and a local wine called Pineau. Next we enjoyed salad Nicoise, cous cous with sardines, fresh cantaloup, all with a rose wine from the island of Ile de Re just off the coast from where we were sitting. For dessert we had a local sweet treat called a galette and chocolate with hazelnuts. It got dark as we concluded our meal just in time for a major fireworks display synced to themes from James Bond movies. It was totally successful.

Tuesday...off early to explore the Aunis Marais Poitevin, a region just north of here that is known for its network of canals. Also called Venice Vert (the Green Venice), it is one of the biggest marshes in Europe. We had a picnic at a roadside stop along one canal, we toured several villages including Arcais, Maillezais, and Coulon. We saw a working windmill, L'Abbaye du Marais, and crossed many canals with visitors biking and walking their paths, while others explored the waterways by kayak or row boats. It was another wonderful day.

Oh, by the way, we never heard any patriotic music. I was the only person dressed in red, white and blue. And I saw only one French flag displayed. So, I've concluded, it's a time for celebrating, but it's not like the 4th of July.

Beaucoup Bonnes Journees! Many Good Days!

Finally some words and photos of our road trips. Four or five days a week, we go on excursions. These journeys have ranged from as short as 10 kilometers to as far as an hour and a half away. Closer to Le Thou, we've explored a bird refuge, relaxed beside a lake at a community park, picnicked at the beach, and strolled the centers of our neighboring towns. Our longer drives have taken us to noted destinations such as Cognac and hidden gems like the canals of the Marais Poitevin.

A few days ago, I asked Mike about his favorite experiences. We both agreed that the museum we liked best was the Corderie Royale in Rochefort. Located in the former naval rope-making facility, it is devoted to helping visitors understand the important role rope plays on board ship. Their exhibits are very effective at explaining difficult concepts. In addition, a temporary exhibit utilizing the art and storylines of graphic novels did a great job engaging visitors to think about the challenges and lives of seafarers.

My favorite small town was the historic village of Brouage. With its original fortifications in tact, it is easy to see the advantages of its walled protection. The community was the home town of Samuel de Champlain and it celebrates its connections to the New World. Walking the citadel, taking in the landscape beyond, and imagining the place in its heyday were most satisfying for me.

Finally, we were totally fascinated by the city of Saintes. About an hour to our south, it has been an important urban center since Roman times. Architectural and archaeological evidence of its substantial history can be seen throughout the city. We especially enjoyed an informative tour of the Roman amphitheater and the crypt of Saint Eutrope below the church by the same name. Situated on the banks of the Charente River, the city makes good use of its water-front advantage with walking and bike paths, boat docks, parks and recreational activities. We stopped to hear an impromptu brass quartet as we wandered along the banks. Medieval alleyways and lanes dominate the city's center and offer a pedestrian "mall" lined with shops, dining, and services.

There were many other lovely day-trips including a boat ride to the small island of Ile d'Aix, an oasis with few cars easily explored by foot. Throughout the region, we toured Romanesque churches, visited the remains of century-old abbeys, strolled rural villages, and marveled at the unique features around us such as oyster and mussel cultivation, salt harvesting, and the seasonal transition of the sunflower fields from seas of gold to fields of withered stalks. We made several new friends and shared good times together.

It's a small world!

Last Sunday, we journeyed to the resort town of St. Jean de Mont which is about three hours north of La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast. We went there to rendez-vous with friends who traveled from Australia, Patricia and Christophe.

Forty years ago, Patricia and I met at Mills College. We were fast friends then and managed to stay connected over the decades as we both moved to other U.S. states and countries. We joked that this meeting marked our fourth continent together!

I like serendipity. I wrote to Patricia earlier in the summer to let her know I was visiting her place of birth. Her response was, "Ooh la la. We must meet." It turned out that she and her husband Christophe were planning to visit family in France later in the summer.

Our short time together was a blast and Christophe summed it up nicely. "Such a warm get together...bringing each other up to date on what has been happening in our respective lives during the past three years."

As we parted, we all agreed there was never enough time to share everything, but we will continue where we left off at our next rendez-vous...perhaps on yet another continent.

Thanks for the memories.

This week a small gesture reminded me that the rewards of the hospitality business come from personal encounters with guests. When we operated The Inn at Cooperstown, we felt that the world came to visit us. Our guests enriched our lives in countless ways.

A few days ago, as an English family prepared to depart after a four-day stay, their two daughters Abi (age 7) and Billie (age 5) created sweet hand-made notes with expressions of their gratitude.

This summer we have been graced with lovely guest interactions and we've meet wonderful people from all walks of life. To describe just a few...Agnes and her brother Daniel shared excursions with us, to Ile de Re, Talmont, Rochefort, and Chatelaillon-Plage. They joined other guests in helping to celebrate Mike's birthday with an unexpected cake and champagne toast. Another Daniel entertained us with songs representative of his passion for American jazz and early Rock music. Visitors from Alsace, Patrick and Marie-France and their charming children joined us for many dinners including a gourmet picnic on the beach followed by an amazing concert. Our very first house guests, Jacqueline and Alain, retirees from the south of France, enjoyed asking questions about the U.S. and our lives there.

Most travelers have a smattering of English or more. We attempt to use our French as much as possible. Hand signals, the help of a dictionery, and translation by our host make it possible to convey our thoughts.

As the summer draws towards a conclusion, I wish to thank Abi and Billie for all the sweetness they shared with us. And I want to acknowledge the other guests for their kindness and concern for us during this summer. When I recall this experience, I will remember the many special moments, smiles, laughter, and conversations we shared together. Merci!

Food, glorious food.

I want to share a little bit about the foods we are consuming here. Most of our meals are prepared at home. Our host Veronique is an experienced cook who easily combines ingredients from her garden with additions from beyond. After the first few days, she invited us to help and we are often assigned tasks to contribute to a meal. Now that the B and B is busy, she also prepares and serves the guests a four-course dinner two or three times per week.

From the garden, we get potatoes, onions, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, many different herbs, and a range of berries. In addition, eggs come directly from the five chickens we feed daily. These foods are supplemented with items from the grocery and the farmer's market. Occasionally she goes directly to a farm to purchase ingredients in quantity, as we did last week to get a case of cantaloupe which were transformed into desserts...sorbet, melon balls soaked in Pineau, and slices grilled after marinating in honey.

Breads are purchased daily at either the boulangerie or Mont d'Or, a boulange paysanne, a farm-based bakery that will be the subject of a later post.

The most unusual food shopping experience happens on Friday. Each week, several vendors drive from village to village selling fresh local mussels and oysters. We are quite charmed by the mussel seller. She comes right into our driveway, blows a loud distinctive horn and voila...she dishes mussels from the back of the truck. She is pictured below looking cool after a delivery of two kilos for us and friends. Mussels and oysters are very significant "crops" in this region. Generally we eat mussels two or three times a week. I am not a big fan of oysters but so far I've exceeded my previous limited intake by several. Recently we visited a museum dedicated to the cultivation and harvesting of oysters which culminated in a chef's presentation and a tasting.

Just one note about wines. Before our arrival we imagined that many of our meals would be enjoyed with wines from Bordeaux which is not far to our south. However, this is not the case. A more local rose or white from Ile de Re are commonly served.

As you can imagine, we are eating well, discovering new flavors, and collecting favorite recipes to share with friends and family when we return home.

It's a very colorful place.

The Charente Maritime boasts its many hours of sunshine. The days are long and we've noticed that the sky is light until well past 10:00 p.m. each evening. This asset appears to be ideal for the cultivation of flowers. There is an abundance of flowering trees, shrubs, and plants everywhere we've been...in gardens, as well as along the sides of roadways, on the dunes at the beaches, and around the farm fields.  Here's a sampling of some of nature's colorful offerings.

Let the season begin!

Before I get started on the adventures and escapades of the summer, here's a bit more information about where we are. Les Grands Ormes is located in a small village in the town of Le Thou, in the French region known as Charente Maritime. Le Thou, a geographic area larger than Cooperstown, boasts a population about the same as there, 2,000. It is a farming community and possibly a "bedroom" community for commuters to the larger towns of La Rochelle and Rochefort.

Certainly it is not a travel destination, but a stay at Les Grands Ormes affords visitors easy access to a wide array of vacation activities within close proximity. Guests enjoy spending their afternoons at one of the many nearby beaches, taking excursions to lovely islands off the coast, exploring historic sites such as the citadel of Brouage, chateaux and churches, and centuries-old forts. In addition, more well-known destinations such as Cognac are only an hour's drive away.

Our host Veronique has lovingly restored her parent's home and thoughtfully designed a comfortable and peaceful retreat behind the stonewalls surrounding the grounds. She has drawn on years of experience in the catering business to create a setting that is functional, great for entertaining, and hospitable. The B & B has five guest rooms, a fabulous open-concept kitchen (in which she prepares and serves breakfast and also dinner several nights a week), a terrace and private backyard with many different spaces for conversation, relaxation, and dining, and a pool house with a salt-water pool.

Michael and I are staying in a studio in a structure that was once a storage building when the property was a farm. I will share a photo below.

The "season" is just getting underway. The guests are mostly French and other Europeans. I will share words about visitors and their interests later in the summer after we have more experience.

Thus far we have been working hard to get the grounds and house ready for guests. Now it's showtime, our first visitors arrived a few days ago. The sounds of conversation and laughter fill air as new friendships are formed, sharing unfolds, and the elixir of vacation seeps into those who partake.

Nous sommes arrives!

Although it is only our second day in Le Thou, it feels so comfortable that it seems like we've been here before.
The first evening, our host Veronique welcomed us with a nice bubbly rose and a lovely meal served outside. Our conversations wandered from shared experiences such as the delight of travel in Ireland to revelations of hopes for the near and distant future.
Our first full day, we began working together on the flower gardens. Since she too has just recently arrived from travels, there's plenty of weeding, pruning, trimming, and clean up. Three of us working all morning manage to wrestle the front garden into better appearance. Some photos show Veronique and Michael tackling invaders in the garden and the large gathering of materials to bring to the town collection point for green waste.
We are rewarded with another repast served outside...pates, salad, bread, and fine cheeses. Then Michael and I have time to ourselves for a dip in the pool, to catch up on news and email, and to make our first exploration beyond the walls of the B & B.
We drove to La Rochelle, the city that is the tourism magnet for the region. We traversed arcaded sidewalks en route to the "vieux port", where we caught our first glimpse of the quay with its two 14th-century stone towers and a 15th-century lighthouse. The waterfront is a mecca. Some sit to relish the views and breeze in the shade of trees. Others nurse cool drinks at cafes while people-watching. We found the ideal refreshment at Ernest's Glacier -- a cup of green citron basil-flavored sorbet! It was divine. This initial visit whet our appetite for future adventures in town. 
We expect this pattern to repeat itself over the next few weeks. The B &B does not have bookings for several days. For a few hours each days, Mike and I will continue to help Veronique prepare for her guests. Afternoons we will rest and explore. Evenings the three of us will cook and dine together before we collapse from exhaustion.

Meet Peat!

Our first days in Ireland were damp and chilly. Michael and I both noted a distinctive aroma in the air. It wasn't quite the smell of a wood stove. He wondered, was it coal burning? No. It was peat...burning in fireplaces to keep the chill off.

Peat is harvested from bogs and it appears that it is used widely throughout the areas we traveled in Galway County. I have a series of photos of peat. One shows it piled up outside a farmer's house as we might see a cord of wood after a recent delivery. In the bucket next to a shallow fireplace it is ready for usage. Finally the last shows it offering welcoming warmth upon our arrival at Abbyglen Castle.

It was a pleasure to enjoy peat's warmth during those first days.

How's this for a breath-taking view?

No trip to Ireland is complete without a stop at the Cliffs of Moher.

Every meal is a delight.

Whenever I mention that the biggest discovery of my first visit to Ireland was the high quality of the food, some people think I am joking. But a few days into my second visit and my inital opinion is confirmed. Dining in Ireland is a delight.

The first evening in Galway, we couldn't decide which of many wonderful options to select so we enjoyed a moveable feast...an appetizer and glass of wine in an Italian bistro, an entree of locally-sourced seafood stew at an organic restaurant, and dessert from a little place that specializes in pies either sweet or savory. We went with rubbarb ginger.

We have enjoyed fine foods in many different settings. We had fresh mussels from Killary Fiord at a small family eatery, locally-provided salmon while dining in a castle, and an amazing vegan mushroom soup while at a museum cafe. We've had yummy scones, home-baked breads, and even delicious porridge. In Galway, we found the best breakfast at the Providence Market Kitchen. This evening, crab salad and lamb shank, both from the local providers.

The farm to fork concept is clearly evident in Ireland, and we are the beneficiaries.

Providence Market Kitchen in Galway

A great breakfast stop.

A view of the Irish countryside

We have been enjoying our days in Galway and the Connemara region. We've explored the coast and inlets, hiked in the National Park, and droved through a valley adjacent to the mountains called the Twelve Bens.

Packed and ready to go!

In a few days, we will be on our way to our 2015 adventures in Europe. One of us is celebrating a birthday soon so we decided to mark the occasion in a special way. We begin our travels in Ireland, visiting Galway, the Connemara region, and Dublin. It's Mike's first time in Ireland and we anticipate beautiful vistas, friendly encounters with locals, traditional music, and good food.

From there we fly to La Rochelle, an Atlantic coastal city near our temporary summer residence in Charmeneuil, France. We will be staying with hosts, Veronique Deplanne and Peter Vance at Veronique's family homestead, known as Les Grandes Ormes. It's pictured here.

While there, we hope to improve our French language skills, learn about the local culture, and enjoy getting to know Veronique, Peter, and their guests. I look forward to sharing our adventures small and large as the weeks progress.