Things I’ll Miss from France

Things I’ll miss: The markets – Run-of-the-mill supermarkets, open-air/farmers markets, and covered markets (marches couverts). Focus on quality – This was apparent in many things, but most noticeable in food. Strawberries – Absolutely the most amazing strawberries I’ve ever tasted. That is saying a LOT considering how spoiled I’ve been with Oregon strawberries. French strawberries [...]

Read Full Post »

Toulouse’s Marche Couvert

My feet are bloody stumps after walking around Toulouse for 11 hours straight today. Wow. Not even sure where to start except to say that this is an awesome city and I hope to come back as soon as possible. It’s a small city with narrow streets lined with four- to six-story, old apartment buildings [...]

Read Full Post »

Bastille Day

[Dear Readers, yes, I am home now, but still have a few more posts from my trip. Hope you are enjoying them!] The town filled today for Bastille Day festivities that started with a somewhat solemn ceremony in the lower square. The statue there commemorating the young people lost in the first World War was [...]

Read Full Post »

Why French Women Don’t Get Fat

I can really see now why French women actually don’t get fat (my eyes tell me this is very true, they are all slim). I’m sure there are several reasons, but at least one of them must be the French obsession with farmers markets, and the absolute expectation of and demand for high quality produce. [...]

Read Full Post »

Le Antiques Brocante

Today there was a big antiques fair in the village square. When I say antiques, I really mean antiques, and not just a lot of junk. Think gorgeous armoires, velvet-covered chairs, silver service sets up the wazoo, beaucoup de linens authentique, and then slightly more mundane things like fantastic jewelry, plates, old books and postcards, [...]

Read Full Post »

Day Trip to Agen, Prune Capital of France

We decided to go to Agen to visit The Prune Store. Agen is the prune capital of France, and the locals are very proud of this. There are plum trees everywhere in the southwest countryside, and plums and prunes are pretty much everywhere in the farmers markets, super-marches, and shoppes. There are prunes painted on [...]

Read Full Post »

La Gaveuse and Le Gavage – How Foie Gras is Made

Today we went to the local foie gras farm. GB met the farmer at the Thursday market where she sells her foie gras every week. She lives about two miles down the road from Monflanquin and gives a tour on Monday mornings. Sign us up! Of course we went. “La gaveuse” means the woman who [...]

Read Full Post »

Better than the Baby Jesus in Velvet Booties: The “Gourmet” Market

Help! I’m in a dream and I never want to wake up! Not only do they have the “regular” farmer’s market every Thursday, but they have a “gourmet” market every Thursday night in the summer months. Wowsers! Or, as they say here, it’s better than the baby Jesus in velvet booties. I’m not sure how [...]

Read Full Post »

Day 2 – Farmers Market en la ville

Consider me dead and gone to heaven. We went to the market today, a once-a-week, open-air farmer’s market in the centre ville, which has been running every Thursday since the 13th century. Wow. I have no idea why GB even bothers living in Portland. I sure wouldn’t. It’s hard to imagine a place more perfect [...]

Read Full Post »

Day 2 – La maison en la ville

Day 2: ala maison. [note: please be advised that I do not yet speak French well and butcher it at every turn on this blog and when I'm trying to talk to people in person.] Well, the village and the house are far more spectacular than I could have ever dreamed. It’s like something out [...]

Read Full Post »