How it all began

It was about 16 years ago that Sherry called me to say that I had received a very interesting voicemail.  You see, as a trainer, I spoke at numerous conferences.  It seems this person attended one of my sessions and was inviting me to speak at their upcoming conference.  The location?  Heidelberg, Germany!

You can imagine our excitement.  This would be our first trip to Europe.  To be brutally honest, Sherry and I both grew in households full of love but short on cash and neither of us ever expected to get to Europe.  I called back the next morning, and after confirming my travel expenses would be paid, I accepted the offer.  Now there was some planning to do.

Here’s were we got a little lucky.  We only had about 3 weeks to plan the trip and get passports.  Fortunately, we were able to drive to a regional office in San Francisco and get our passports within a week.  That just left the planning.  As luck would have it, a woman I worked with had a friend who was travel agent who specialized in shopping trips to Germany.  She was so helpful in creating our itinerary and booked us into some really cool places to stay.

The next thing you know we are in a plane on our way to Frankfurt.  As excited as we were, we were also a little anxious.  It was our first trip out of the country and we didn’t speak the language or know how to get around.  Still, we had youthful enthusiasm and a German rail pass so what more could we need.

After landing in Frankfurt, we figure out the train to Heidelberg fairly easily.  Our love affair with Europe began on that train.  As we rolled along the scenery was stunning complete with century old castles perched on hills along the way.  When we arrived in Heidelberg we were nearly breathless.  It was so beautiful and stunning.  After waving off a Ford taxi for a Mercedes (that was a no brainer) we headed to the hotel.  After we unpacked and settled in it was right back into town.

As we strolled the streets we really couldn’t believe where we were.  I mean, we were in Germany!  We stopped for coffee in the town square which is bordered by the University on one side and the Cathedral on the other.  As we sipped our coffee it somehow felt like we belonged there.  We couldn’t believe how spellbound we were.  We also couldn’t believe that we were going in and out of shop buildings that are over 500 years old.

The next day I gave my presentation, which went very well.  With the work part of the trip over, we now set out to explore Germany and eastern France.  This was going to be a whirlwind tour of 10 cities in 8 days.

We started in Strasbourg, France where the whole scenario of Heidelberg repeated itself.  There were long walks exploring the beauty of the city.  The climb to the top of the Cathedral tower.  Coffees in the village square.  And lots of great food and wine.

Next we discovered just how easy it was to get around in Europe.  We were taking a day trip from Strasbourg to Basel, Switzerland.  The train map showed routes on both the French and German side of the border.  However, since we had a German rail pass, we could not use it to train on the French side.  So we simply bought tickets to create a roundtrip.  In the process, we discovered the village of Colmar, France.  Of course it was beautiful but it was early on Sunday morning and a bit closed up.  We vowed to return one day and this was when we knew that many more European trips were in our future.  (We did manage to make it back to Colmar in 2000.) 

The trip continued in much the same fashion.  We spent every waking hour exploring as much as we could with frequent breaks for coffee, wine or beer along the way.  We met interesting people like the man at the Colmar train station who asked if we spoke French, which we did not.  Then he asked if spoke German and that was a definite no.  Finally, we settled on Spanish, which Sherry speaks.  So here we are at a train station in France, waiting for a train to Switzerland and talking in a mixture of Spanish and English.  It was just too cool!

When it was all said and done we also visited Freiburg, Konstantz, Stuttgart, Wurzburg (where we spent the night in a castle), and Rothenburg in Germany.  Rothenburg is walled city that is so beautiful the American general in charge of US forces in WWII ordered that the city not be bombed.

We will never forget that trip.  It was our first and it was unexpected.  Still, it sparked a desire that continues to burn to this day.  So, to all you out there who prefer fun-in-the-sun vacations with rum drinks served in coconuts, enjoy!  We’ll simply settle in with a glass of wine in the heart of some small European village and drink in the old world charm.

Au revoir!

The quest for bouillabaisse

Like many of the stories from our recent vacation in France, this is about finishing unfinished business.  In 2007, we made a trip to the village of Cassis one of our focal points for primarily 2 reasons.  We wanted to eat bouillabaisse next to the Mediterranean Sea.  At the time, the quest seemed simple enough.

We were staying in the village of Saint-Remy-de-Provence, which is about 2 hours away.  So on a very blustery morning we headed out.  The first stop was the city of Marseille.  After drinking cafe crèmes, eating croissants, exploring the port, and seeing signs for bouillabaisse everywhere, we got in line for tickets to take the ferry to Chateau d’If. Unfortunately, the winds were so strong the ferry wasn’t running.  No worries.  We shake off the minor disappointment and head to Cassis.

The beauty of Cassis is hard to describe.  We were quite simply in awe of this port city nestled between coastal hills and the sea.  We took a walking tour of the city and as we walked along, we saw signs for bouillabaisse at every restaurant.  We could hardly wait but it was only noon-ish and a little early for lunch.  We tried to take a boat tour of the calanques, little bays surrounded by cliffs, but once again the wind stop us.  Is this disappointment number 2?

We opted to head for the beach and dip our toes into the sea and enjoy the beauty of it all.  Finally, around 1:30, we headed back to the row of restaurants to decide what lucky establishment was going to fulfill our bouillabaisse quest.  We selected one and sat down only to be informed by our waiter they were out.  What!!!  No biggie. We simply got up and went next door.  They were out as well.  At our 4th or 5th restaurant the waiter explained that everyone only makes a certain amount and when it’s gone, it’s gone, typically by 1:00.  We settle on a fisherman stew, shrimp scampi, and a bottle of Cassis white wine, which were all excellent.  With our day done, and our quest unfulfilled, we headed back home vowing not to make the same mistake again.

Now it’s 2009 and we are starting over.  No Marseille this time.  Instead it is straight to Cassis.  We are staying in a house in Lourmarin that is only 45 minutes away.  We arrive early and find the municipal parking but not a parking space.  This is not a concern because one of the things I think I have mastered is the art of French parking.

First stop, the calanque tours which are running smoothly this day.  We select a tour that carries us to 3 calanques and allows us to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea from a new perspective.  As the tour finished, we walked off the boat and straight to the restaurant we ate at in 2007.  Did they have bouillabaisse today?  The answer was a resounding yes although at 11:00 it was definitely to early for lunch.

We explored the town a little more, stop for coffee and enjoyed the beach before heading back to the restaurant.  It was now just before noon but we were not taking any chances.  We got the best seat and ordered our bouillabaisse and Cassis white wine.  (BTW – there may not be a more perfect food-wine pairing then this.)

As we were enjoying our first sips of wine, the waiter informed us the bouillabaisse would not be ready for another 30-minutes and did we want to wait.  Little did he know we had been waiting for 2 and a half years.  So we sat back, relaxed, sipped wine and simply enjoyed being on vacation in France.  The only concern was that we would finish our Cassis wine before the bouillabaisse arrived.  The solution?  We ordered a bottle of Cassis rosé to drink and saved the white for later.

When the bouillabaisse did arrive it was everything we hoped it would be.  By this time we had high expectations but were not disappointed.  The delicious fish, the delicate wine, and the scenic views made this a shared experience we will never forget. 

With our quest fulfilled, we drove back home.  This time our discussions were not about the disappointments of the last trip but about how lucky we were to get the opportunity to try again.

Au revoir!

It’s not France without wine

Sherry and I enjoy wine.  We even have a small cellar at home and are fortunate to live in Sonoma County, the very heart of California’s more traditional wine country.  Our cellar has a good representation of both Sonoma and Napa wineries, which we love to share with friends.

Being true Francophiles, we also drink French wines.  These have been mostly from Bordeaux, perhaps France’s most celebrated wine region.  However recently, we are starting to explore some of the lesser known wines and our vacation was the perfect opportunity to continue our research.

So we thought we would take you on a little Tour de France based on some of the wines we enjoyed while we were there.  How about we start in Provence?

Rosé wines are very popular in Provence.  They are also very good.  Almost all wine regions in Provence produce rosé wines so there is a wide range of options.  We prefer the lighter, fruitier versions that go great with an afternoon of reading and relaxing.

Gigondas is a full body red wine from the Southern Rhone region on the border of Provence.  We visited the village of Gigondas were we purchased an excellent 2003 Domaine du Pradas, which we drank with dinner one evening.  We are actually big fans of the grenache grape so this wine really appeals to us.

Cotes du Ventoux is in Provence in the area surrounding Mont Ventoux.  It is a very fruity red wine.  To be honest, it is not my favorite but I always drink a bottle in honor of Mont Ventoux which I have cycled up twice.

Cassis is a beautiful white wine from Southern Provence where the land meets the Mediterranean Sea.  We drank both a white and rosé while having lunch in the village of Cassis.  The rosé, a 2008 Domaine du Paternel Rosé de Cassis, was especially good.

Chinon is a lighter red wine from the Loire Valley.  We drank a couple of bottles while in Paris.  One was particularly good and I must have enjoyed it too much since I forgot to write down where it was from.  C’est la vie!

All of these wines are readily available in the US.  They are also relatively inexpensive.  You can find excellent bottles of Gigondas and Chinon for less then $20.

Of course, while in Paris we drank a fair amount of Bordeaux.  Our favorite appellation is Saint-Émilion.  Then there were the numerous bottles of house wine that were excellent even if we did not know where they originated.

We jokingly started our vacation with the mantra – A bottle a day.  In the end, it wasn’t as much a mantra as a goal.  A goal that we were happy to accomplish.

Au revoir!

Highlights from France

Well our personal whirlwind 16-day Tour De France has reached its end. Well, it really wasn't a tour of all of France, just Provence and Paris. Sherry and I love France and try to get there on a regular basis. However, due to work and other boring issues it has been two and half years since our last trip.

On Thursday, September 10th, we are up and ready for the fun to begin. So with the excitement of children we get the trip started. We then realized there was nothing to get excited about just yet. You see, we were flying to Paris and then taking the train to Avignon. Plus we live north of San Francisco. What does all of this mean. It means our lovely French get-away started with a car trip to the airporter bus, a 1.5-hour bus ride, 2 hours of hanging out at the airport, a 12 hour flight, a 3 hour train ride, and finally a 15-minute cab ride to the hotel in Avignon.

Now that we are in France what's the plan. We are spending the night in Avignon as a transition to Provence where we rented a house for a week in the village of Lourmarin. After Provence, it's back on the train to Paris where we rented an apartment in the 6th Arrondisement. Since this was quite a trip, we will simply provide a few highlights from starting with Avignon.

Avignon at one point in history was a palace for the Pope and much of its history and attractions center on the palace. Since we only spent the one night, and have been to Avignon before, we focused on relaxing, finding a great place for dinner, and adjusting to the time change. The plan was to turn in early but we discovered there was light and slide show shown on the palace walls that only happens once a year so of course we had to see that.

The next day we picked up the rental car and headed for Lourmarin. On the way we pick up a rental bike as well. This is our first visit to this Provencal village and it was gorgeous. We spent the next week exploring town markets, cycling Mont Ventoux, and consuming some of the best food and wine you can imagine. There will be future stories that focus on our adventures such as the market at Isle-sur-le-Sorgue, lunch at Le Bistro du Paradou and the life in Lourmarin.

After a lovely week in Provence we are off to Paris. We have been there numerous times before but it never ceases to amaze us. Quite simply, we love Paris. We have never expereinced any of the stories of rude French and this trip was no different. So for the next 7 days we spent our time relaxing, sight-seeing, eating, drinking, shopping and enjoying all that Paris has to offer. Sadly, the last day arrived so we followed our tradition. The last night of every trip we go to the Trocadero and savor the view of the Eiffel Tower. It is then down to a cafe, with an Eiffel Tower view, for a final glass of champagne.

So there you have it. Just a quick little tease of the stories and adventures to come about this fantastic trip.

Until then . . .

Au revoir!