Wine, Food, Friends and lots of Culture!
November 1st and 2nd
So today we start our long journey to Antibes, France. We start with a flight to Calgary with Joe and Shelley and fit in a lunch with the relatives.
I spend most of the time in the wine bar answering frigging IT questions about the Sharepoint site and the blog notes. We meet up with Dave and Liz and head to the Aspire lounge. We might of did some yoga for the 30 day challenge.
And then we catch our overnight flight to Frankfurt. We have been in this airport before but only to run to the next flight. This time we have time to kill. This is a big Europe hub. We clear customs and end up in a very expensive caviar bar. We have some snacks and drinks. After a few decades on the bucket list, Shelley finally gets to tick another item off the list by having multiple beers in Germany 😉
We finally get to our gate and we all crash nap on the benches. And then it is off to Nice. Our driver picks us up and drives us to our VRBO in the old part of Antibes. We have to walk 2 blocks because the old part is not open to vehicles. So European!!! Love it! And the VRBO is fantastic. We get settled and then we are off of fixings for charcuterie and du vin. Spend the evening enjoying our charcuterie and a variety of wine. Duh! Like what did you think?
November 3rd
We spend the day poking around Antibes. We checked out the market and bought supper fixings. We even used our limited french and even though they would switch to English right away, they were appreciative of our limited attempt. We found a square with lots of restaurants. You know………the stero typiical French side walk cafes so awesome. We had a leisurely dejeuner at Le Rustic and then continued on to the harbour to check out the MEGA yachts! Holy crap! The Dilbar is owned by a Russian multi-billionaire and it is the world’s largest yacht! We walked along the old wall and then along the water front. Some people were very very panicky about getting more wine so we go in to a major search.
We spend the late afternoon prepping dinner and tasting the many bottles of wine that we bought as well as baton du fromage and a variety of chocolate. Some people were just getting downright nasty. Did you steal my wine glass? You bitch! and so on. And then there was the Gossard nose touching ritual. WTF?
November 4th
Up early and out to buy croissants. Off to the train station. We thought it would be simple to buy tickets with our French cell and the Trainline app BUT nope not so easy. Joe and Shelley end up leaving on the one train to Monte Carlo and Dave, Liz and us on the next train to Monte Carlo. After getting to Monte Carlo, we walk up and down and down and up. I take a picture of Neil in front of a Ferrari. I did the exact same thing in 1993 in Monte Carlo! Finally meet up with Joe and Shelley at the Fairmont. What a view! The harbour is spectacular.
We stop for a une boutielle of rosé in front of the Casino and decide that the most efficient way to see the sights is do the tourist thing and do the Hop on and Hop off bus. We saw some incredible sights but didn’t hop off until we completed the loop and then some. We wanted to be away from the masses and in a more local area for lunch. Huit et Demi was the sidewalk café and the food was pretty tasty. We decide to head to Nice and check out the old part. Another train ticket fiasco but at least this time they were bought on the phone. A quick taxi ride to Promenade des Anglais and we wander. Lots of beautiful architecture! Stop for a beer and head back to the train station. Another train ticket fiasco and then there was the photo booth comic relief! For some reason you can’t put 3 heads in a official photo. This was not a photo booth for goofing around it was a serious photo booth. And then time to head back to Antibes and get out on platform. A train arrives 15 minutes before it scheduled but we are not sure if we should get on. Dave insisted we should get on this train to An_tibi_es! “Get on the train, get on the train!” But we thought that this train was going to leave and our scheduled train would be arriving shortly. And besides we are wanting to go to Antibes! The train sits there so we finally agree to get on the train and it didn’t leave until our scheduled time. So it was the correct train but we won’t let Dave know that!
November 5th
Up and out to get baton du fromage and croissants while the town is waking up. We love this culture! There are old men out sweeping the street with a twig broom. The quaint little streets! The picture below of the woman walking up the street is right in front of our 3 story VRBO.
Spend the rest of the day poking around the shops. Yes, we might of spent some money – clothes and eye glass frames! There are a lot of optical shops just like in Italy. Dave and Liz went to the Picasso museum. Joe and Shelley also poked around the shops. We also shopped for supper igredients. It was a relaxing day. We end the day prepping supper, booking upcoming train trips, private drivers and working our way through the many bottles of wine that have been purchased.
Did you know tomatoes are good for our prostate? Just some of the random statements at supper! WTF? And there was more of the “did you steal my wine glass, you bitch?” Another fun night in Antibes!
November 6th
It was a lazy morning. Joe, Shelley, Neil and I take the train to Cannes. Liz and Dave stay back in Antibes to poke around and perhaps have HS in the VRBO. It was a 15 minute train trip and a quick walk to the water. Shelley and I posed on the red carpet while our paparazzi photographers captured our beauty. 🙂 We wandered past the many yachts and made our way to the Promenade de la Croisette and kept on wandering. La Croisette is known for the beautiful beaches, restaurants, cafés and very very expensive boutiques. You can see the fortified tower in the distance.
We stopped at the Miramar beach restaurant for lunch. Such a nice and relaxing vibe! And you sit back and take in the crashing waves in the hot sun. It was a 2 hour delicious lunch along with a couple of bottles of rosé. And a magician! WHAT? We go to check out the opulence of the Carleton hotel and go in search of the Nespresso store. The Nespresso store is like the Gringotts of coffee. We have been slurping up great espresso in the morning and are worried we may run out. We know that all of our VRBOs all have Nespresso machines. We stop for dessert and café. Off to grab the train back to Antibes. We don’t bother going out for supper (but Dave and Liz do) since we have left overs to eat up and wine to finish before heading to our next VRBO tomorrow in Pellisanne in Provence. And we have to go on a truffle hunt!!
November 7th
We were out the door at 915 am and Suzanne shows up to collect the keys. She also shows us the one bedroom on the main level that is also for rent. Neil and I might be back. We haul the suitcases up to our meeting point for an Uber. No big Ubers available so as a back up plan we check out the bus. 2 guys at the bus stop help us with tickets. All the locals have been super friendly. We finally make it to the train station and on the right platform. We are watching a little dog off leash with owner. Jeez, I would be worried of the dog falling on the tracks. Anyway, it was well trained! In fact, le chien knew more français than we did! We think we are standing in the right area for our 1st class ticket but once we get on we realize we are in 2nd classe. The train employees tell us to get off at next stop and run to the far end of the train. Oh yeah, try and do that pulling a fricking suitcase! We are literally running to the other end of the train. We pile on just to get the doors closed and the train pulls away. Whew! We get settled but we aren’t in our assigned seats. And who knows where Joe and Shelley are? Joe and Shelley end up in the wrong place as well. They move and with all the commotion Shelley leaves her backpack purse! Thank goodness she gets back to the original car and it was still there. Another Whew! After all of that we need snacks and wine!
And then we get a little too comfortable and almost don’t get off at Aix en Provence. Anyway, we made it to the vehicle rental and got our tin can van and pile in and head to Les Pastras, the truffle place. What a fantastic experience! We learned how to spot an oak tree that is likely to have truffles with the “witch circle”, why they don’t use pigs anymore, truffle history, truffle seasons, truffle creation, truffle veining, truffle freshness etc. November is an in between truffle season. January is black truffle season. We walk around on the edge of the forest and the dogs find truffles almost immediately. The little dog was more of the finder and then she basically tells the big dog to dig at the truffle spot. Some of us get to dig the truffle out. We also see where the wild pigs (boars) have been poking around which is why there is an electric fence around the main truffle area. We head back to the house to do truffle tasting with champagne. Yum! Just simple food to show case the truffle. Salt, fat and just the fresh shaved truffle. Don’t cook with it. Keep the truffle raw. We have various tastings of salt, fat and truffle. And we even have truffle ice cream with truffle honey. Delicious!
It is now getting dark and we still need to make our way to Pellisanne. Yvette meets us at the entry of the old town and takes us to the VRBO. It is in th old part of town and is a restored house from the XIV-XVI century. It is a bit more rustic than the last place but still has a “cool” factor. We get some groceries and we get settled in. Neil may have got carried away in the butcher shop with the pate. Normally a small piece would do the trick but Neil buys 3 huge pieces of pate.
November 8th
Neil and I are out early morning to buy croissants and a baguette. Check out the square and church near the VRBO.
The van is parked at a grocery store (the death grocery store…….) which is a 10 minute walk away. We have decided to drive to Pont du Gard and Chateauneuf du Pape but due to GPS controlling the route and forcing us to the autoroutes we get slightly off track. We arrive at Pont du Gard which is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 km (31 mi) to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). We were here in 1994 and we were able to park right at the aqueduct. Now the parking lot is way back and there is a interpretive centre etc. This bridge is incredible!
We have a french lunch in Remoulins and continue back to Pellisanne with a side stop at Maussane de Alpilles. We find a great wine and cheese shop and Neil is vibrating he is so fricking excited! We try and rein him in but still come out of there with magnum of rosé, cheeses etc. Back at the VRBO we make a light supper and we may have consumed some wine.
November 9th
We get organzied earlier today and head to Châteauneuf-du-Pape which is located in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. We do wine tasting, have lunch and wander around. It was a relaxing day. We have supper out at a restaurant which is about 100 steps from our VRBO.
November 10th
Aujourd’hui is “do what you want day”. Sleep in, check out the market, and walk around. There were guys shucking fresh oysters and drinking wine at one booth – how cool is that at 9 am? Neil, Shelley and I check out the crypts at the cemetary. We have a 3 hour lunch at La Bastide du Moulin à Poivre. Fabulous food and local wine! The locals were all curious as to where we were from and the chef and his wife looked up a map of Canada so we could show them where we live. We were defintely a novelty.
After lunch it is back to the VRBO to relax on the terrasse. Neil got carried away at the market with fresh mushrooms from Provence, Latier ?? and he had to buy chanterelles even though we can get those in Saskatchewan. Wine and snacks for supper, several bottles of wine. Fun night!
The left over pate went out in the cobble lane for the cats!
November 11th
Today we stay in Pellisanne long enough to see the Commemoration de l’Armitice. It is a small service with very few veterans but it is still was moving especially with the church bells ringing. We were getting lots of stares with our red poppies and even had some locals ask why we were wearing them. France has a blue poppy shaped pin but very few people were wearing them. We stay to watch the parade that was heading to the cemetery.
And then it is time to drive to Aix en Provence to return our rental and meet up with our driver Guy. He will take us to Lyon. It is a quick and uneventful road trip on the Autoroute du Soleil even though there was an earthquake near by. We arrive in Lyon and have fantastic, refreshing and very expensive gin and tonics in the lounge at the Sofitel Bellecour where we are staying for 2 nights. In the evening it is out in search of a Bouchon Lyonnaise style restaurant (confort food) usually small little quaint places. We find a whole street of restaurants and settle in. We are going to need to diet soon!
November 12th
The day starts with Toursbylocals.com for a private guided tour of the WWII French La Résistance in Lyon. The tour was just the 6 of us and was led by a passionate historian born in Lyon (with Scottish ancestry) and who grew up hearing the stories of the French resistance movement. This was so interesting and we took a lot of steps. We took the subway and a funicular up to the edge of the 4th arrondissement but in the 1st arrondissement. We learned of Philippe Pétain, and Vichy regime and the brave people like Jean Moulin of the resistance, silk industry and the traboules. Even today you can see that this nieghbourhood is not an affluent area but why it was suitable to hiding and getting away quickly from the Germans. Incredible history.
We end up back down close to the hotel and have lunch at one of Paul Bocuse’s restaurants. Delicious. After lunch some of us walk and some us use the Lime scooters to cross the Soane river to the bottom of the funicular up to La Basilique Notre Dame de Fouviere. The Basilica is beautiful – always in awe of the architecture and opulence. I lit a candle for Dad, Mom and my sister Joan. We continue on to the lookout over the city. We can see to the left the area that we were in this morning and the financial district. And we can see down to our hotel and Place Bellecour. Wow!
The evening took us out for a lighter meal in the Carnot – Gailleton area. The area has a nice feel with less tourists. Lots of furniture shops, kitchen shops and little restaurants with nice big wine glasses – not the thick rimmed glasses e have seen elsewhere. Finish off the night with a gin and 1724 tonic at the roof top lounge of the Sofitel. Beautiful view of the Rhone, financial district and l’Université Lumière all lit up.
November 13th Beaune – beaucoup de dégustations de vin et la vente aux enchères
So the whole reason we are on this trip is to attend the Hospice de Beaune wine auction. Another bucket list item. All the other adventures have just been a bonus. So today we head to Beaune on the train. There is the usual snacking of cheezies on the train and goofy antics, right Shelley?
We have the suitcase unloading down to a precision process with one the guys off the train first and the other guys hand down the suitcases off of the train. Then the rest of us get off with any carry-on pieces. Viola! There are no taxis or Ubers at the Gare de Beaune so we decide to walk. Easy except for the cobble stone streets. And now we are 8 as Brenda and Paul have joined us for this fabulous Burgundy adventure.
We meet up with Caroline at the La Maison de L’Oiselier which is in the center of old town. What a beautiful place. We have arranged to have Chef Laure come in and prepare dinner for us tonight as a treat. We do run out to get some wine and a few groceries and settled in for a fun night of great conversations of things like marmite, good food, good wine and good friends.
November 14th
We have a lazy and relaxing morning. One of us may have got stuck in their bathtub – not mentioning any (David) names. We poke around some of the shops. More groceries have been purchased and supper planned. We have a tasting with Albert Bichot at 5 pm which is very close to our place since we are officially clients of the Hospice de Beaune auction. What a great experience. Neil and Liz prepare a delicious light supper. During the evening our door bell rings and it is a stranger talking to me en francais. Me – ” Ah..je ne comprends pas… ” She quickly switches to English and tells me that our key is in the door! WTH? One of us left the key in the lock on the outside of the door. Duh!
November 15th
We have a crazy morning recycling bottles, getting groceries for Saturday night, arranging a chef for Sunday night for extra guests after the auction. It is cool out and some of the vehicles have snow on them so not much different from home. We start mid day with an education on Burgundy wine and then it is off to the Plais des Congres for the 147th Fete des Grands Vins de Bourgogne. What an experience. There are 3000 wines offered. And it was over whelming. And it would of helped to be fluent in French. But we muddled our way through with pointing ” dix sept, dix huit, a la droit” . Usually the young servers were the ones to talk to because they at least knew a little English.
There was a aroma section which was very cool. It was an educational and fun time.
Out for delicious dinner at L’ Ecusson. Presentation of the food was incredible.
November 16th
Our door is blocked by a vehicle! WTH! The cobble street in front of our place is all set up (started at 4 am) with tents and tons of stuff for sale – clothes, house décor stuff, wine stuff, truffle stuff, etc. We squeeze out the door and head to the market which is not in its’ usual place because of the Hospice de Beaune activities this weekend. We pick up a variety of fresh food. As with European markets everything is displayed beautifully. As usual, Neil can’t control himself and buys chanterelles for an upcoming supper of la lapin.
This morning at 9:30 is the barrel tasting of the wines that are in the auction on Sunday. We had the wrong address and ended up with a good brisk walk for 45 minutes. Oh well, we have a few calories that we needed to burn off any way. The barrel tasting is being held right in the Hospice de Beaune. Totally cool. What an experience! It is not really the nose of the wine but the structure and feel of the wine and try and imagine what it will be like in the future. Very difficult. And this is not something that you would drink. You need to spit. We actually get quite good at spitting. Neil has researched which white and red that he is interested in and the barrel tasting has confirmed that for him. What a very unique opportunity! He also has his paddle for the Christie’s auction tomorrow. Exciting!
Beaune has turned into a massive festival. Families, couples, the old and the young. It is a real party atmosphere. Every corner has a tent with wine tastings, food or scarves, belts, jewellery, clothing, shopping baskets etc. We did street food for lunch. Oeufs en meurette (eggs poached in red wine) which is a local speciality. Then it was crepes for dessert.
The afternoon took us to Nuits Saint Georges for another Albert Bichot tasting in cellars of 22 wines. We wander through the cellar and have stations to stop at with 3 wines. The last stop was a vertical of 4 vintages of Latricieres-Chambertin 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Unlike the barrel tasting we may have drank wines rather than the spitting! We couldn’t help ourselves 🙂 We get back to our place and Shelley and I support one of the vendors right outside our door. It is very handy to dart out the door and scout what we would like to try on and then run into the house and get more Euros. These clothes are made in France or Italy. Supper was more street food. Can you imagine Escargot as a street food? Oysters and champagne as well. What a fantastic culture – so civil.
November 17th Auction day!!!!!!
We all sleep in and it feels so good but I make sure I get on the internet before anyone so I can actually update the blog. Uploading pictures is still a challenge. The pressure of this damn blog…….
The vendors are back outside our door. Shelley darts out to get fresh croissants, gourgeres and a baguette. People are already out drinking wine and eating for breakfast. We have to buy wine for tonight’s dinner as we have special guests and we are doing a tasting in our wine cave in the VRBO.
2:30 is the auction. Neil will be in the Hospice while the rest of us “peasants” are in the “place” watching on the big screen. We make sure we take Neil’s picture with his Christie’s paddle. It is all very exciting and we walk him to the door. The rest of us wander around and join one of the parties in a tent with good wine and food. Back to the Place to watch on the big screen which is packed with people. Following along is a bit difficult since we only recognize the odd number but we can see Neil on the big screen. Exciting!!!! All of the auctioneers are women some more animated than others. The way they slammed the hammer and said “Vendu”. It is a fun afternoon watching the activities. Neil did put up his paddle once just to say he did but in the end we used a négociatiant, Albert Bichot to purchase in our group’s behalf.
For the evening, we have arrange the chef to return since we have Jerome and Elizabeth Billard an Opimian supplier for dinner. Jerome and Elizabeth bring some of their wines that will be in the Opimian offering so we do the tasting in the cellar of our VRBO. So cool and what a wonderful treat. They are super friendly and down to earth people. Dave enjoys talking farming with Jerome and the next morning we are all have a tune stuck in our head, thanks to Rob! Video for Dave
We enjoyed another great night of food and wine. What are we going to do when we get home and go into withdrawal? Our livers are going to go into shock!
November 18th
Up and out at 9:30 to meet up with Thierry Coulon, another Opimian friend. Thierry takes us to Domain Margarite Carillon and Stephan gives us a tour and a tasting of 14 beautiful wines. After we head to village of Volnay (population 850?) for lunch at Le Cellier Volnaysien. It is so nice to see that a village of this size can support a restaurant of this caliber. But that is France. A young lady joins us on the cab ride back to Beaune. She attended the auction yesterday and the company she works for won the bid for the President’s Barrel. She asks where we are from and what we are doing next. She invites us for a tasting at her shop in Paris.
We are now back at the VRBO relaxing while Neil prepares la lapin for supper. Like we really need to eat again. We had purchased the ingredients a couple of days ago but because Beaune had some much happening and the party was really in the streets we had postponed this dinner.
November 19th
We start the day with a tour of the caves and tasting at Patriarche Pere & Fils. We all get caught up in the quality of the wines we tasted and do some purchasing. Some of us even buy wine bottle suitcases to haul home. This tour is incredible and you really get the sense of how many caves are underneath the city of Beaune. The afternoon allows all of us to just look around the shops and then to start packing. There is so many great shops in Beaune – everything from clothing, wine, kitchen etc. The evening takes us out for dinner at Les Comptoir des Tontons. It is a casual place but still good wine. We continue our research on the best tarte tatin.
November 20th
We split up today. Dave and Liz head to Frankfurt by train, Paul and Brenda head to Lyon for a night before heading home and Joe, Shelley, Neil and I leave for Paris. We were planning on taking the train but used the Day Trip service of a pickup at our door and delivery to our hotel door in Paris. The cost was approximately the same as the train and waaaay less hassle. Especially with the excessive wine luggage. In fact, Neil uses the one wine box for a desktop for his laptop to work. We stop at a roadside convenience area part way for some snacks. Of course, there is tarte tatin available so we continue our research of looking for the best tarte tatin of our travels. This wasn’t it but it was delicious. We arrive at our hotel and get settled in and venture out to look around. There is no pressure to see all the tourist sights since we have been to Paris before so it is a relaxing afternoon.
In the evening we go to the Little Red Door Bar (cocktails) and Harry’s bar at 5 rue Daunou (Hemingway hang out) – just for Liz! and walk back to the hotel to catch the lights of the city. So beautiful. And we see rats running across the street. Yikes! And we have seen several swat teams of police. Yikes! It was close to 2 am when we wandered in! Those Trudelles are party animals!
November 21st
Galerie Lafayette is the destination today. We go to the rooftop for the view. There are sooooo many people it is unbelievable! Can’t imagine what summer would be like and it wasn’t this bad in 2013! We walk back through the Madelaine area and then to the hotel. The evening we take an Uber to the Le Marais area to meet up with Marina from Divvino wines for a tasting. We met Marina in a cab in Volnay a few days ago. It is a fun tasting and we grab a light supper at Itacoa.
November 22nd Photo day
We take the Metro to the Louvre area to find the café that Neil and I had our pictures taken in 2013, Le Nemours Café. It is so picturesque. Between Joe and Shelley and us we take turns posing. Then it is on to the Louvre exterior for more picture taking. Shelley and I agree that our men look so “cute” in their french scarves!! We had a lot of laughs. We walk through the Saint Germain area, past the Notre Dame (so sad) and wander back to the hotel, shopping on the way. Past the Musée de l’Armée and over the Pont des Invalides. We lay low tonight and just have charcuterie and wine in Joe and Shelley’s room since their room is waaay bigger.
And if you run out of Hawkins Cheezies on your travels while in France ……don’t buy these!
November 23rd meet the British relatives day
Neil and I dart back to Galerie Lafayette to see the Christmas display. It is hard to describe. Wow!
Over to the Saint Germain area to Café Les Deux Magots (where Hemingway used to hang out for lunch) to meet Shelley’s British relatives. We have a long lunch and then do the tourist thing and take the tour boat on the Seine. It was actually pretty good and gave you a whole new perspective of the major sights. The Eiffel tower was spectacular. We check out the Christmas market in the Tuileries area which was somewhat of a disappointment with a carnival atmosphere. The relatives needed to get back to Gare de Nord so we walked them to Les Halles metro and then stop at Hotel Regina for a G & T – just because, why not!
November 24th
Last day in Paris but we feel that we have revisited the places and discovered some new places. We take the Metro to Sacre-Coeur and grab lunch and then climb the rest of the way up to the Basilica. Beautiful day. Back down to the Champs and start packing up. Our last supper in Paris we get to meet up with Beth, a friend from Regina that travels a lot for work so we never get to get together BUT we were able to rendezvous in Paris. So cool! And tonight they lit the Christmas lights on the Champs de Elysee. Spectacular!
We finish the evening smoking little cigars and imitating an animated friend at a sidewalk café. You know who you are!
November 25th
And so our marathon comes to an end. Up early and off to the airport, then Frankfurt, then Calgary and then Regina. Long long day. Au revoir et à votre santé !
It’s the ride of life, the journey from here to there, living and loving every moment, like we have none to spare. Jess “Chief” Brynjulson #travel #frankfurtairport #wineandcheeziestravels
Wine and Cheezies Travels 