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As I already wrote, Aigues Mortes is really worth a visit -- obviously when it is empty.
The Carrières des Lumières is most certainly worth a visit. Even when it is crowded outside, the quarry is big enough that it is not crowded inside. The main problem is finding a place to park. |
Yes it was hard to get a park. I do want to say how helpful French people are. As our car park was a bit tricky to get out of, a passerby stopped the traffic in both directions and explained to others why so that we could get out easily. That would never happen in Australia. We have been shown so much kindness by French people who are complete strangers who have gone out of their way to be helpful. Loving France. |
What a wonderful opportunity you have, cheska15; I envy you and will enjoy reading about your adventures as you report. Thanks for doing this.
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Yesterday was a domestic day in that we had to do some shopping. In our alleged but we had allowed expenditure for sheets, pillows and a bbq. The reason I say we have an alleged budget is my husband thinks we do, and I know we don’t lol. All items purchased successfully and worth noting to buy a gas bottle id is required. Currently waiting for the roast pork to cook. Today we went on a lovely drive to Anduze and then the Bamboo Gardens. We followed the sign to Bambouseraie. Love that word.The entry fee is €11,80 pp with a senior discount of 1€ for those over 65. While it says you can walk the 2k to the gardens from Anduze it is not advisable as it could be very dangerous walking along a winding road with no footpaths/sidewalks It is a spectacular garden, and we loved every minute we were there. The variety of bamboo is amazing, and it is so well set out and easy to walk around. The whole landscape of the gardens takes your breath away. The golden bamboo set among red Japanese maples was magnificent. The Laos Village is not to be missed as I have never seen chooks like they had there. The total visit was two hours and would have been longer if the snack bar was open. It would have been perfect to sit and have a glass of wine there. We are finding that whenever you see something spectacular, the next day you see something more impressive. |
That sounds like a great place to see. I have never heard of it.
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Originally Posted by kerouac
(Post 17000896)
That sounds like a great place to see. I have never heard of it.
https://www.french-gardens.com/garde...lanbuisson.php |
sorry incorrect link posted above. This is the right one. https://www.creme-de-languedoc.com/L...aie-bamboo.php |
Our own stay in Nîmes was brief, as the day was very hot and windy and the town was full of people coming for a bull fight. We wanted to see the Vieux Carré on the inside but couldn't get past the large group of young people sitting and smoking pot around the outside. Next time, perhaps
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The last time we visited Nimes, the Maison Carree was covered with white shrink wrap. This was about 5-6 years ago.
Stu Dudley |
The last day of having the hire car today thank goodness as it has been at times a stressful experience. Took the 50 minute drive to Les Baux De Provence to see the Vincent Can Gough work at the Carrieres Luminers exhibition. Being a weekday there was not a queue and after paying the €12 entry fee ( one euro less for seniors) we entered. Once inside you see the dimensions of the cave, and the limestone is really beautiful. It is advisable to take a warm jacket as it can be a bit cold inside. Then the show began. The Japanese art is fabulous and you feel that you are right there beneath the ocean, in the waves, or in a tea house. This part of the exhibition lasts for about 25 mins. Then the Vincent part of the show began. What a fantastic show this is. You feel like you are walking amongst the sunflowers, and it is done so very well going around the whole cave. The music that plays it’s the art is perfect and at times I was close to tears as it is so moving. That is not normally like me. Whenever you have exhibitions, the designers can include items not related. Not here, the way that this exhibition has been produced is so respectful of the artists work, Such a moving and memorable experience that I can’t really describe it, and my words don do it justice. All I know that this exhibition we stay with me forever and saying that I loved the whole thing isn’t enough. We will now spend a few days around Nimes, as we have an event on Saturday that either could be very good, or one of those things when you think what on earth were we thinking..... |
Way to drop a cliffhanger in a TR. Naturally I'm hooked.
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The Van Gogh exhibition you saw sounds similar to the one we saw in Paris this summer; I've never seen anything similar. Just lovely!
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A few days after our arrival the owner of our accommodation emailed to tell us of an event it Nimes from Friday 18 October - Sunday 20. The event is called Costieres De Nimes Toquée. There are different events on each of the days you can attend. The Friday Night was 4 different restaurants and with traditional French food from the south paired with appropriate wines. We didn’t attend this one. Todays event was held in and old building belonging to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry with beautiful ceilings and frescoes on the walls. On arrival you are given a program, a hat, glass and small pouch. You then have one of the five courses that is signed off in the program as you receive the meal.There is also a list of thewines that go with the each meal. A funky band was also playing. You can keep on going back for wine and you can stay the whole time from 11.00 am - 6.00 pm if you wanted to. There is no seating and it is standup eating. The cost was €35 pp. it was a fabulous couple of hours. You get to taste the local wine and it is very good. Apparently the average price per bottle is around €6-7. We were the only non Europeans there and the local paper took our photo. Not sure whether it will make the cut. The event is held every year at this time, and tickets usually go on sale around 3 October. I have to say how friendly and welcoming the locals are. Every person today made us feel very welcome, and were sorry that Australia lost to England in the Rugby. Many people also acknowledged how far Australia is from here, and appeared to be happy that we have chosen Nimes to stay for so long. They winemakers also commented on how good Australian wine is ,not quite as good as French but nearly. They great thing about going on our own was that it made us talk to other people. The event tomorrow is visiting the different wineries close to Nimes. As we don’t have a car at the moment we will not be attending. All my concerns of would we be understood, and I only drink white wine were not warranted. Another fabulous day n this beautiful country. |
Sounds like a wonderful experience. We have been lucky enough to stay in quite a few of the less well known wine areas and you get great wines at very good value. Around 5 euros is what we usually spend on wine and we like the wine co-ops and caves in some small villages. We went to a wine fair in Burgundy and the entrance got us a glass each, which we still have, wine tastings and sampling of Jambon Persillee, a Burgundian terrine. It was a great afternoon, and as you say, people are very welcoming. I am very envious.
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Am so enjoying your TR cheska, thanks for taking us along on the ride. The wine and food paring event sounds so much fun, we’d have loved it. We unfortunately weren’t able to make it to les Baux and missed seeing the Carrières de Lumière last year, maybe when we’re in Paris next year... |
Originally Posted by rhon
(Post 17003028)
Sounds like a wonderful experience. We have been lucky enough to stay in quite a few of the less well known wine areas and you get great wines at very good value. Around 5 euros is what we usually spend on wine and we like the wine co-ops and caves in some small villages. We went to a wine fair in Burgundy and the entrance got us a glass each, which we still have, wine tastings and sampling of Jambon Persillee, a Burgundian terrine. It was a great afternoon, and as you say, people are very welcoming. I am very envious.
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geetika you can never see everything. Even being here a long time there is only so much we can see. We don’t like packing and unpacking all the time. Once a month we will go away for four days. Trouble is the remaining five months will go so quick. Have just booked Lyon for 4 days next month. |
Cheska, Guardian Observer travel just put Nimes in its list of top 10 autumn city breaks.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...ny-switzerland |
Local events like that are always so heartwarming, aren't they? I think we've become a bit jaded about the wine culture here - after so many years there's only so much wine you can sample and drink, so we experiment more these days with other local brews like hydromel and a liqueur made with pear and chocolate, and some locally brewed beers. I do realize that wine is a huge attraction for visitors, though. Just not so much for us anymore. It's the same with the food. People rave, rightly so, about the food in the Périgord, but a steady diet of it will shut your arteries down and make you feel like a slug. What we wouldn't give from time to time for a nice bowl of phô or some pork and leek dumplings!
But yes, the local food events are always wonderful. There was one last night in Les Eyzies, which we didn't go to because it was pouring, with its twin city somewhere in Spain that featured paella and foie gras and pintxos and local cheeses and a fine mix of Valencian and Périgourdine specialties, plus a dance hall and fireworks. As the weather here grows colder and the harvest is done and the visitors dwindle, people find any way imaginable to socialize whenever they can, and it's always a real pleasure. It's been a few years since I've been in Lyon, but if the city still offers the bus tours of the graffiti/murals, take it. |
Keep em coming, cheska15!
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Coqueliot always thought I was a trendsetter lol. StCirq Thanks for the tips on Lyon. When you are here permanently I can imagine events become too much. It was interesting talking to the wine makers. They face the same issues as Aussie winemakers in trying to get there product into different markets. We are enjoying the wines here and are trying different ones every week. I probably wouldn’t go on a winery tour though. |
My main regret of my last trip to Lyon was not going to the Musée des Confluences. So I do not personally know if it is wonderful or not, but most people seem to say that it is. In any case, the building is quite impressive.
However, I did go to a quirky little museum that I highly recommend: Lyon: Musée Miniature et Cinéma | Any Port in a Storm |
Been following along in silence, but have to say the local fete sounds fantastic. I always love the local festivals, whatever the location.
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I’m really enjoying your report and as others have said, I’m envious of the time you have. Some of my favorite wines come from Costières de Nîmes - that event sounded amazing. Keep it coming and thanks. |
Thank you all for the words of encouragement. My first time of posting a TR and I don’t want to bore everyone to death. kerouac thanks for the suggestions, you and Stq are always so generous with your time and it is very much appreciated |
You are not boring! Enjoying your experiences very much. |
Like most of Southern France the weather since Saturday has been heavy rain wind, and thunderstorms. We have been at home mostly with the only trips out to get food. Terrible state of affairs when you have no wine or cheese in the house. Our first four weeks have gone very quickly, and we have settled down really well. i am not a great cook and our intention was to cook very few meals at home and to eat out. We have only just found a couple of reasonable restaurants, which means we have cooked more at home than expected. The price of meat is more expensive than Canberra, with 700grms of roast lamb, and two pieces of fillet steak cost €54. We purchase meat from Les Halles and it is fabulous quality. On Sunday we had chicken and I have never tasted chicken it. A plain roast chicken, with roast veggies was delicious. I pay a lot for a free range, or corn fed chicken in Canberra, and it is tasteless compared to here. I thought for €12 it was such good value. Tonight we are having veal schnitzel and although expensive at €34 for 2 escalopes we will get four meals from them. Same as we pay in Canberra. The cost of fruit and vegetables is minuscule, and I have very rarely spent over €4 for beans, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, snow peas, and the pears a few weeks ago were like when I was a child. Admittedly I am only buying for two. As most of you know wine is really cheap, and we have spent between €7-9 per bottle. That is probably considered mid range here. I only drink white wine, and I don’t know what the €3 would be like. A really surprising thing here is you see a lot of cask wine in the supermarkets. I might even try it once to see what it is like. I have noticed at the checkout that quite a few people buy the casks. Maybe for cooking? My only issue with cooking is that you do have to be a bit organised. The markets are open 7-1, and shops like Monoprix and Carrefours are open until 7.00pm. I haven’t purchased any meat or veggies from the supermarkets so don’t know what it’s like. So I do have to think about food, as we don’t have a lot of capacity to store food( no freezer, or lot of cupboards) and we are tending to eat at home early in the week, and eat out later in the week. Although yesterday we braved the awful weather and went out for lunch to La Piazetta. I had tagliatelle carbonara, DH had a pizza, half litre of wine, 2 creme brûlée’s and the cost was €42. I guess the best of all is Happy Hour has been known to start at 4.00- 5.00 pm That’s the beauty of holidays. I’m expecting that I will get out of the holiday mindset soon. |
Cheska, in France you get some very decent wine for €5-8, last year in Provence we were buying méthode champenoise bubblies for a couple of euros. One of our neighbours sold the local Gigondas reds and they had five litre casks which were excellent. The lady told me the same wine was bottled, as well as sold in casks, which was of course cheaper and that she bought it herself for her home. Of course you need to know which kind to buy, I’d rather buy it at a wine store than at your usual supermarket. |
Sorry about the weather but glad to read that you are settling in nicely. DH and I had a breakfast in Les Halles and met an English couple who were spending a long time in Nimes for work. Keep it coming, please!
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geetika we had an interesting experience buying from Nicholas here. I gather it is a chain store for wine. The first time was cash only, even though others had paid by card, the second time the guy serving was not at all interested in suggestions, as he had to leave a very attractive woman who didn’t seem to be buying anything to attend to the queue that had formed while we were waiting. Even the French people were getting annoyed. We have discovered what seems to be a nice shop, just have to be there when it is open lol. TDudette we haven’t eaten there yet but will give it a try. |
It's been near-hurricane weather here today - winds of 72 kph and driving rain. Our plans to meet Zebec in Périgueux tomorrow have been foiled by train track issues and just horrible weather, and maybe we can reschedule, but maybe not; depends on the SNCF and weather. If I were on vacation here right now I'd be pretty depressed. For us it's a chance to hunker down, get some in-home projects completed, and sleep well. Our train tickets to Périgueux cost euro 8,50 for the two of us, so not much of a sacrifice if we don't use them.
We don't have Nicolas chains here, but I have mixed feelings about them, just like Total Liquor in the USA, though I think the Nicolas personnel are more knowledgable. We rely on local wine producers we've come to know (you can find them in the local markets here; it's not like it's a secret society or anything), and at any of the Julien de Savignac outlets. We're not big spenders on wine, and we appreciate places that will give us comprehensive information about our plebeian tastes without approbation. I'm sipping a rather nice dry, white Domaine des Freithillères right now that cost 13 euros for 5 L. It's perfectly palatable but Robert Parker would probably have my head. There is so much hype about wine that just drives me over the edge, and the French and the Californians are the worst at promoting it. It's fermented grapes; some of it works and some of it doesn't, depending on the soil and the climate., and normal people have been doing it for centuries. But it's just fermented grape juice. |
StCirq Thanks for the recommendation I will have a look for that particular one as I really like a dry white. We have purchased some great wine from the markets. Everyone here thinks because we’re Aussies we know about wine. We don’t |
Well, everyone here assumes because we're American we don't know shit, so I suppose it all evens out. I just know what goes down the throat easily is what appeals. I'm such a simpleton.
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Originally Posted by StCirq
(Post 17005013)
There is so much hype about wine that just drives me over the edge, and the French and the Californians are the worst at promoting it. It's fermented grapes; some of it works and some of it doesn't, depending on the soil and the climate., and normal people have been doing it for centuries. But it's just fermented grape juice.
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Originally Posted by geetika
(Post 17005086)
StCirq, I love this, that’s so funny. Many decades back on one of our earliest vineyard visits the owner told us there are only two kinds of wine, the one you like and the one you don’t! |
Cheska, I have enjoyed food shopping in Europe, as where we live in Australia there are decreasing small, family owned fresh greengrocers - the big chains driving them out. Maybe less of any issue in Canberra, than Adelaide. We tended to buy small portions of meat, and lots of really fresh wonderful veg and fruit (so cheap!) and cheese, and the bread was so fantastic. I do like renting apartments now, so we can wander food markets and cook at our leisure. Hope the weather clears for you soon. |
If anyone has read my trip reports, you will know that we cook most days when in France. We have found our gites usually well equipped. On only a couple of occasions have we not had a freezer, but we only use that for ice cream a couple of times and to freeze bottles of water for our cold bag.
We do most of our shopping at supermarkets and sometimes from markets and boucherie/charcuteries. We like to have foods that are not as readily available at home. We have duck regularly and spend about 7 euro on a large magret which is big enough for two. Last year we were buying whole trout for around 5 euro for two which is cheaper than we get at home. We also like the chicken from boucheries and delis - lots of flavour. And of course the wonderful smoked sausages from the Jura. We do not spend as much as you have been on meat but we obviously buy different things. You did say you were getting a barbeque and that is one thing we do miss in france. The barbecues in gites are usually a rusty, wobbly small charcoal version and we are spoilt with a lovely gas one at home. But we do have a gite next year which is brick so P is going to have a go at cooking over charcoal !! Hard to believe you have been there a month! |
We need to buy smaller amounts of meat and now that I’m getting used to life here will do this.In fact probably won’t buy any meat this week.As I’m not a great cook I tend to cook simply and don’t experiment very much. The bbq here at the mazet was exactly as you described rhon. Didn’t look like you could cook anything on it. We are enjoying the fruit and veg, as Canberra has awful stuff. I hadn’t though of looking for trout as I really love fish and now that we can cook it outside I will definitely get some. Planning lots of day trips in the next week as the weather is going to be great. |
The box wines are the same as the bottled wines, just in larger quantities. Actually, for the non snob, the box wines are consdered superior because 1) you don't have to finish them off quickly if you are not a big drinker (they keep for more than a month without losing quality) and 2) you never have to worry about bad corks spoiling the wine of where you mislaid the corkscrew. The house wine in cafés and restaurants comes out of a box.
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Thanks kerouac. Might give them a try |
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