Happy New Year 2013

December 31, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

Even though we are not sitting in front of a roaring fire in the renovated upstairs fireplace as planned (we’re in front of the closed-up fireplace downstairs) and the oysters are unfortunately back on our balcony in Paris, we are nevertheless in Closerie Falaiseau in Blois. People have been seeing in the New Year in this very house for 438 years. We are about to break that tradition.

What a mementous year! Knowing the hard work awaiting us in April to convert the bottom of the house into rental accommodation, we organised our first home exchange with Madrid and were not disappointed! Since then we have clocked up seven other house swaps in various parts of Australia.

John and Toshiko Modesitt in front of Closerie Falaiseau

The final signature for Closerie Falaiseau at the end of March was followed by two superhuman weeks during which we divided off, furnished and decorated the ground floor mainly with French provinicial furniture. The rental went well, with our first paying guests, American impressionist John Modesitt and his wife Toshiko in June. We are now the proud owners of one of their paintings! The comments in our guest book are very encouraging and it was wonderful to meet so many interesting people.

We came back several times during the spring and summer, doing a lot of cycling and gardening, even eating our first homegrown potatoes, planted in the rain. We repainted the front gate and fitted out a temporary kitchen in our “little house” next door so we wouldn’t inconvenience our guests. Relationnel will be turning it into a gîte after he retires in October 2014 and we take over the entire house.

The roof of the little house seen from the garden

I came to the momentous decision to give up teaching translation at university in June after 15 years. I felt I was ready to turn over a new page particularly since my vocation seemed to have given out. I also wanted to be free of any geographical constraints so we can come to Blois whenever we want.

In September, we went to Australia for 5 weeks via Hong Kong, holidaying first in Tasmania, then in Armidale where I organised a family reunion attended by 50 members of the Kneipp family. We spent many wonderful hours catching up with family I hadn’t seen for a very, very long time. But it was heartbreaking to leave so many people behind. We finished our holiday on the Gold Coast and Brisbane but unfortunately came home with only one suitcase out of two. Next day Black Cat was burgled.

After we arrived home, I came down to Blois with some Australian friends for 10 days and Relationnel joined us for a long weekend. I then stayed on, mainly going back to Paris for weekends due to ongoing renovation on the balcony of the Palais Royal which was supposed to take 10 weeks and is still not finished after 4 1/2 months. It has not only been noisy, but also blocked out our view and light, giving me winter depression.

Scaffolding in front of our balcony in Paris

Relationnel came down for two one-week periods to renovate the upstairs fireplace which has turned out to be a major undertaking. We’re still hoping to finish it before going back to Paris on 7th January, by which time the scaffolding should be gone from the Palais Royal as well. We’ve decided to only herald in the New Year when we can do so in front of a blazing fire. We’re hoping it will happen this week!

So what are my good resolutions,plans and expectations for 2013? The first is NO MORE RENOVATION until we move here permanently. The second is more travelling in Europe, starting with Barcelona in February for which I’m looking looking for a home exchange. After that, maybe Italy or Scandinavia, Ireland or one of the Eastern European countries.

The third is going back to fitter occupations than I’ve had in 2012 and losing the 3 or 4 kilos I’ve gained recently mainly due to going back and forth between two houses! The fourth is getting out and about in Paris more. The fifth is learning to make the most of my iPhone camera so I can take better photos particularly at night.

I haven’t mentioned Aussie in France, but that goes without saying. It’s a part of my life and I’ll keep writing posts until I run out of things to say.

And what about you, my faithful readers, what are your plans for 2013?

Bonne année à tous!

Australia, Austria, Egypt, France, Italy, Prague, Saint Petersburg, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Highlights of 2012

December 30, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

I wanted to pick out the highlights of my Monday’s Travel Photos posts in 2012 but rather than choose my own favourites, always a difficult task, I asked Relationnel to tell me which of my Monday’s travel photos he preferred month by month. These, of course, are not the places I went to in 2012, but taken from various holidays over the last few years. Which is your favourite? Or is there a photo you remember from another post that you prefer?

Burano Island, Italy

The Dancing House, Prague

Orvieto Cathedral, Italy

The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Kheph, Egypt

French customs, Lifestyle

Celebrating New Year in France

December 28, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

When I submitted my latest post to My French Life, the global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French on 11th December, I firmly believed that the fireplace renovation would be finished. We still plan to celebrate New Year in front of the fire – it might just be a few days late!

An earlier article on My French Life™ by Hannah Duke, called Christmas en Français: Festive Vocabulary, included the word réveillon,which set me thinking about New Year because the same word is used for both celebrations.

When I was growing up in Australia, I don’t particularly remember celebrating the New Year and I certainly didn’t stay up until past midnight as implied by the word réveillon, which contains veiller, meaning to stay awake. Read more

Lifestyle, Paris, Renovation

SAD and Au Vieux Campeur

December 27, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 20 Comments

I don’t know if displaced tropical Queenslanders are more likely to suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder or Winter Depression) than others but I can’t find any other explanation for having felt so down this week. Already the days are short (it’s only light from 9 am to 5 pm max) but the scaffolding on the balcony cuts out most of what natural light there is and gives artificial neon light from 8 am until 7 pm. The flower seller at the market found me so down on Sunday that he gave me a kitchy little pot of four-leaf clover!

Relationnel was told the scaffolding was moving to the next set of windows today so about 10.30 am, I went downstairs to find some workmen to ask. They reassured me it was D-Day so I raised my arm and said “yey!”. They looked a little surprised so I explained that they were my windows that had been obscured for the last four months.

The sun was out, the sky was blue and just going downstairs seemed to cheer me up so I thought I’d go to Rue de Rennes to look after the missing suitcase invoice problem. First stop was a shoe shop called Arcus. I gave them the date and amount. They were very friendly and immediately tracked down the purchase and gave me a receipt.

Then I walked down to Boulevard Saint Germain to one of the Au Vieux Campeur shops. Parisians swear by this shop, though I don’t really understand why. It used to be just one shop on rue des Ecoles selling outdoorsey stuff. It is now a series of speciality shops – 29 in the Latin quarter alone – selling everything to do with sport and camping.

My objection, apart from the prices, is that the shops I go to (mainly for walking shoes) are always full of people. I spent a full hour trying on every possible pair of shoes in the shop before we went to Australia in September. I finally bought some ugly looking turquoise and grey shoes that gave me horrendous blisters in Tasmania. And then, when I had finally worn them in, they disappeared with the suitcase!

So I went back to the shop where I bought them, stood in line and asked for a receipt. I was sent to the “main shop”, two streets away. I queued there as well only to be told that I had to go back to the first shop. The lady rang up the guy and told him he had to give me a receipt. I went back and stood in line and gave him the details. He couldn’t find my purchase of course. “What time was it?” You gotta be joking – I’m supposed to remember the time I bought the shoes? I only know I was there for too long.

He finally sats it is not in his cash register. “Is this the only place I could have paid for the shoes I got downstairs?” “No”, he says relunctantly, “there are those two as well”, indicating a couple of computer screens further along the counter. “You mean, these three cash registers are not connected up ?” “Er, no.” “Are you telling me I have to wait until there are two more sales people to check?” “Well, I could turn them on.” Which he eventually did and I queued again while he served another few people.

The bistrot with the awful food - Le Cluny — The bistrot with the awful food – Le Cluny

Not that I blame him, it must have been very annoying for the other customers. Anyway, he still couldn’t find any trace of my purchase so I dispiritedly went out, by which time the rain was absolutely pouring down and I didn’t have an umbrella. I took refuge in the closest brasserie, Le Cluny, and ate an absolutely awful meal of spare ribs and potatoes. The young waiter commisserated and gave me a free coffee.

So, here I am, back home, still waiting for the scaffolding to move and it’s already 4.30, which is terribly close to knock-off time.

Next day’s update: removal of the scaffolding is now postponed to 7th January.

Architecture, Loire Valley, Restaurants, Sightseeing

A Visit to Chambord the Magnificent, including lunch

December 26, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 13 Comments

The day we went to Chambord, we really needed the break from our fireplace renovation. What I didn’t realise is that Chambord has over 300 fireplaces, a few of which look remarkably like ours.

We had decided to have lunch at the Saint Michel, just opposite the château and as we entered the restaurant, the waitress apologised for the smoke from the fireplace. Well, we know what the problem is, don’t we! Tightly closed windows and insufficient air intake. But it was pleasant to have a fire and our Australian friends appreciated the hunting decor and actually liked the smoke.

We all ordered the 22 euro “bistrot” menu as opposed to the 37 euro gourmet menu. I was amused to see that all the starters on the bistrot menu were Italian (smoked salmon and prawn cannelloni, prosciutto and mozarella bruschetta, beef carpaccio and mini red peppers stuffed with ricotta) while the main courses were traditional dishes (dear stew – no kidding – steamed haddock, three fishes stew and lamb knuckel-end & smashed carrots – also in the original.

Dessert was pear financier, French pain d’épices toast with salted-butter caramel ice-cream and crème brûlée with green lemon – they meant lime of course. The food was tasty and fresh, except for the French toast which had seen better days, and the service was friendly. I learnt afterwards that it’s also a very reasonably priced hotel. I don’t know what the rooms are like but having breakfast with that fabulous view of Chambord might be worth a bad bed!

The first thing we saw when we went into the château was the famous double-revolution staircase where two people can go up or down without ever meeting. Note the lack of people in the photo, perfectly possible in winter and totally unheard-of in summer. We were fascinated with the fireplaces and firebacks of course and loved the beautiful ceilings and other architectural details. One of the fireplaces is exactly the same shape as ours.

We headed for the roof (see my previous post on Chambord) while the light and weather were still good, which were were perfectly right to do because it started raining as we left.

Caisson ceiling with François Ier’s salamander and “F”

After our visit to the rooftops, I then discovered that there is a series of furnished rooms which I have never seen before. It seems that in the mid-nineteenth century, the Count of Chambord decided to open the château to the public and furnish some of the apartments with his own private collection, mainly consisting of royal portraits.

When it became State property in 1930, there were 440 pieces, but only seven pieces of furniture. Today, there are 4,500 objects, including tapestries from the 16th to 18th centuries, and a large collection of furniture, particularly four-poster beds and objets d’art.

I even saw a bust of Molière, which I found surprising, but Louis XIV was also the master of Chambord and came to stay a total of nine times (far more than François Ier!), inviting Molière’s theatre troupe for entertainment.

I felt as though I hardly touched on the wealth that Chambord has to offer, so next time we cycle there, I’ll make sure we visit as well. I may have to get a season ticket!

Le Saint Michel, Place Saint Louis – 41250 CHAMBORD, Tél. / Phone : +33 2 54 20 31 31 – Fax : +33 2 54 20 36 40, hotelsaintmichel@wanadoo.fr, www.saintmichel-chambord.com

Paris, Restaurants, Sightseeing

From Pont des Arts to Ladurée on the Champs Elysées

December 25, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 9 Comments

It’s Sunday afternoon. We’ve recovered from our early Christmas celebrations on Saturday night and I want to take some photos of Paris in its end-of-year finery. Our first stop is the Pont des Arts, shiny with lovelocks. It’s nearly 6 pm so we wait, with a number of other people, for the Eiffel Tower to shimmer and shine. I regret not having taken the camera, just the iPhone because the result isn’t quite what I hoped.

Eiffel Tower shimmering and shaking from the Pont des Arts

We then decide to walk to the Champs Elysées along the Left Bank of the river. We walk down to the water’s edge and past the Calife and look back at the bridge with Pont Neuf in the distance. We go up the next lot of steps and past the closing bouquinistes who are all selling lovelocks of every shape and kind. It’s become a real business!

Padlocks for sale at the bouquinistes near the Pont des Arts

As we go past rue de Seine, Relationnel remarks that it’s very rare to see Christmas decorations in the streets of Paris, unlike the provinces. We can now see the Louvre on the right and Big Wheel on its left, having moving from its summer spot near the Louvre. As we get closer, we see a lit-up pencil shape and wonder what it is. We cross over via the Solferino pedestrian bridge and realise that it is a Christmas tree, apparently the largest in Europe.

Big wheel from the Tuileries Garden with the biggest Christmas tree in Europe

We walk down the Tuileries towards the Big Wheel avoiding the enormous puddles and are amazed by how commercial and popular the wheel has become in recent years. I think one of the reasons is that the cabins are closed in now. I’m annoyed about my fear of heights because the view from up there must be amazing.

Christmas decorations at Rond Point des Champs-Elysées

As we cross Place de la Concorde towards the Champs Elysées, we’re suddenly in a huge throng of people all attracted by the so-called Christmas market. We’ve been there before though and haven’t found anything interesting – no handicrafts, just a lot of cheap food and factory-made items so we walk along behind the stalls until we reach Rond Point des Champs Elysées. The decorations are stunning and there are fewer people.

We keep going until we reach Virgin and decide to go and buy a card for the camera. Despite the number of people, we also buy a couple of DVDs and a CD and don’t even have to wait in line to pay. CDs don’t seem as popular any more! By then, we’ve been walking for an hour and a half and my feet are killing me. We look around for a suitable café but all we can see is Starbucks and other similar places.

We cross the road and I take the typical tourist photo of the Arc of Triumph halfway across and I see Ladurée in front of me. Now, strange as this may seem, I have still never been into Ladurée’s, famous for its macarons. We’re informed that the tearoom is closed (well, it’s nearly 7.30!). We have to choose between the restaurant and the bar.

Art deco wall in the bar at Ladurée Champs Elysées

Well, I’m perfectly happy with the bar. Despite appearances, Ladurée Champs Elysées only opened in 1997 although the original bakery near the Madeleine dates back to 1862. The bar is decorated in what looks like authentic Art Deco and you sit on high stools that keep swinging around. We order a class of Saint Véran and a plate of tapas each.

They aren’t really tapas, more like bouchées, but they’re delicious. I use my Evernote Food app for the first time and record what we’re eating: crab & mayonnaise puff, foie gras, candied aubergine, Provençales tomatoes and salmon prestige. When we come out, there aren’t nearly so many people, so we take the metro home to spare my feet. It’s good to be back in Paris!

Family, Food, France, Wine

Christmas is Over Already

December 24, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

Black Cat left for New York today with the Flying Dutchman for Christmas and New Year, so we celebrated Christmas early his year, on Saturday evening, as both Relationnel’s sons were free as well. Leonardo, of course, was asleep in Sydney. I got back from Blois on Friday night so Relationnel and I spent Saturday rushing around buying the rest of the presents and ingredients for our Christmas feast. All very exhausting!

We started with 3 verrines (avocado, pink grapefruit & prawns; eggplant purée, ricotta & cherry tomatoes; zucchini, basil & fromage blanc purée with parmesan chips & walnuts) and a spoon (pumpkin & spice purée) with a glass of champagne.

After that, we pulled the Christmas crackers and laughed at the silly jokes, followed by the present opening. We dispensed with the traditional shoes under the Christmas tree, which Black Cat had decorated earlier in the evening and Relationnel played Santa instead.

This was followed by (small portions of) spéciale oysters, smoked salmon and foie gras with quincy bought at the wine fair recently (a Loire Valley sauvignon not unlike sancerre) by which time I totally forgot to take any photos, which is a pity because the foie gras was decorated with mini muffins of my making, a few leaves of leafy greens and 15 year old balsamic vinegar. Three of the plates looked very professional.

The main course was côte de bœuf with Darphin potatoes (Black Cat’s choice) and oven-baked eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers, this time accompanied by a 1979 Saint Emilion.

Dessert consisted of two verrines – Columbian coffee panna cotta with Speculoos (Belgian brown sugar & ginger biscuits) and apple crumble & French custard – and the rest of the mini muffins, with another glass of champagne of course! No cake, of course, because I made it too late …

May I wish you all a very happy and joyous Christmas with a special thought for those who have suffered recent losses.

Loire Valley, Restaurants

Our Anniversary Dinner in the Loire

December 20, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

This is not our wedding anniversary, which is in June, but the anniversary of the day we met which we consider far more significant. We used to go back to our first restaurant called Les Deux Chevrons in the 15th in Paris – it had really wonderful pan-fried foie gras – but one day it had the temerity to close so we decided we go to a different place each year. Now that the years have gone by (15!), we have clocked up quite a few different restaurants. I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t remember where we went last year.

Dining room at Le Lion d'Or Val de Loire in Candé sur Beuvron — Dining room at Le Lion d’Or Val de Loire in Candé sur Beuvron

Relationnel was supposed to be arriving in Blois on 7th December but when I realised the 6th was our anniversary, he rescheduled a couple of meetings and came on the 6th (minus his suit, shirt and cuff links for the Loire Connexion Christmas party, but with two hats). I had tracked down and booked a restaurant recommended by a friend: Le Lion d’Or Val de Loire.

It was a country inn, in the little town of Candé sur Beuvron which we knew from cycling this summer, with lots of oak beams and panelling. Only three tables were occupied but it was a weekday in winter, out in the sticks, so it wasn’t surprising. I wonder sometimes how these places manage to keep afloat but it has a terrace and is obviously very popular in the warmer months.

We started with pétillant de Touraine (Susan, are you listening?) because we’ve discovered that the champagne here is horrifically expensive. It was served with a verrine of fromage blanc and spices with granny smith apple on top, little savoury cummin croissants and nut & olive cakes, followed by a beetroot emulsion with spices and prawns.

We chose the fixed menu at 42 euro. For starters, Relationnel had lobster ravioli with three types of cabbage and a crustacean and coriander emulsion while I had foie gras, served with mixed leafy greens and candied figs (delicious).

As a main course, Relationnel chose the braised ris de veau, “forgotten” (as in dug up from the past) vegetables and cream sauce. I had baked monkfish on a saffron mussel nage with mashed Vitelot potatoes with herbs and lemon zests. Unfortunately the fish was either overcooked or deep frozen, which made it very tough and rubbery.

We then had an excellent cheese platter (even though we certainly didn’t need it!) followed by a “mango-chocolate-praliné” dessert with passionfruit coulis for Relationnel and “French toast” made with pain d’épices, poached pear in spices, caramel and brown sugar biscuit (spéculos) ice-cream for me. The pain d’épices wasn’t brilliant either.

Coffee was served with a chestnut cream and fromage blanc verrine with fruit jelly squares and little biscuits. We had a lovely evening even though the food (and service) were uneven. Perhaps it would be better to go during the weekend or in peak season when there is a greater turnover. It was much better than “Le Rendez Vous du Pêcheur” in any case!

LE LION D’OR 1 Route de Blois – 41120 Candé sur Beuvron Tél. : 02.54.44.04.66 http://www.leliondor-41.com

France, French customs, Lifestyle

Two Hats are Better Than One

December 19, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

Relationnel and I have a collection of Australian Akubra and Stetson hats that we wear in winter. When we’re going away and packing the car, we often put two or more on top of each other to carry downstairs.

It’s 1.30 pm and Relationnel’s rushing to get everything in the car as quickly as he can so he can leave Paris straight after work and arrive in Blois in time for our anniversary dinner. When the car’s packed, he leaves it in the street and walks down the street to the office.

On the way, he meets a couple of people he knows and they give him a strange look but he didn’t know why.

When he gets to the office, one of his coworkers says, “That’s an interesting way to wear a hat”, but he still doesn’t understand the problem. “Why, what’s the matter?” “Well, I don’t know. That not the usual way to wear a hat is it.” So he takes it off and discovers he’s wearing two!

Cycling, France, French language, Spain

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs! – One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona – English French words

December 18, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

Some interesting posts this Wednesday on very different subjects. Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France, interviews English cyclist Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels, about his bike trip across France. Australian blogger Frugal First Class Travel, whom I discovered recently, describes the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. She also has lots of tips for winter travelling. Regina from Petite Paris, the Australian website that has all those wonderful B&Bs in Paris, talks about all the French words that exist in English. Enjoy!

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs!

Interview by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France

with Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels “… a terrific guide to the culture, history, food, B&Bs and other French delights”. He also blogs on cycling and skiing in Adam’s Blog

It’s amazing who you meet on Twitter. Through my @llamamum account, I happened across Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels. As a keen cyclist, I’m always interested to find out about fellow cyclists so I contacted Adam and asked if he’d write a guest post for me. And here it is.

Many travel books start as a publishing or fundrasing idea, and most travel articles start as that ghastly word, an angle. Others develop out of a real holiday or journey, and my book, France on Two Wheels, falls into that category.

A friend rang me to say he was looking for someone with whom to ‘bicycle’ (he does hate the word ‘cycle’ unless applied to washing machines or the economy) to or from Switzerland. I agreed to the return trip. Read more

One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a FirstClass trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

I’m not a religious person. In fact I’m a card carrying atheist. But I couldn’t help but be so moved when I recently visited the Sagrada Familia – the Gaudi designed Basilica in Barcelona. Building has been underway for over 100 years now, and there are plans (hopes?) to complete the works in time for the centenary of Gaudi’s death in 2026.

Gaudi was a very religious man apparently, and it was this faith that drove him to spend the bulk of his life (and indeed until the end of his life) dedicated to this project. But the Sagrada Familia is not just a testament to religious faith. Regardless of your own spiritual beliefs, consider this:

Gaudi knew the church would never be completed in his own lifetime, but he did it anyway. Read more

English French Words

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles

It’s incredible (“uncreaaabl”) how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore…

At this moment I am listening to my Michel Thomas audio – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. Its a practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! [AND SO DO I – Fraussie] Read more

Aussie in France

Yearly Archives: 2012