cheska15

After trying the white asparagus with herbs and Serrano ham I think it is much better in a cheese sauce. It was ok and I did manage to cook it properly. Maybe I didn’t put enough herbs on the asparagus. Oh well, i will stick to having it in restaurants.

Adelaidean

Cheska, I’m often enthused to try recipes at home after travelling, and rarely succeed. I think as I don’t use a ton of salt and butter, for example, my recreations tend towards tasteless, sadly.

cheska15

Adelaidean I’m exactly the same. The only thing I have been able to replicate is the pomegranate and feta salad. While I have a few dishes that I cook that are reasonable, I am a very basic cook and don’t enjoy the process at all. Thank god for restaurants is my view.

Today we went to Montpellier to specifically buy Magnesium tablets that help with my sleep. I couldn’t get them anywhere in Nimes and exhausted my supply last week. The cost of Vitamins is very expensive in France. In Nimes I was paying nearly €28 for a bottle of 100 magnesium tablets. In Montpellier they were€17.50. Hopefully it will be back to having a good sleep tonight.

We did have lunch and my husband really enjoyed his deep fried goats cheese, and tagliatelle carbonara. I had lasagna. The salad was so beautiful and fresh with a dressing that was a tiny bit sweet. I ate all the salad and left half of the lasagna Even though it was good it was a very big serve. Even too full for a dessert and that’s a first.

kerouac

I am actually a bit repelled at the idea of asparagus with herbes de Provence. It doesn't seem to me that they would go together at all. I would try them with fresh dill or Italian parsley (with a cream and/or cheese sauce).

Vitamins or mineral supplements are probably much cheaper on Amazon since the French are not great believers in most supplements, so the parapharmacies make the fans pay through the nose. Amazon delivers to just about anywhere in 24-48 hours (or even faster for Amazon Prime customers).

Coquelicot

cheska, now that our May trip is looking doubtful, your trip report is my link to France. You're writing for all of us francophiles who are sitting at home and wondering what will happen to our own trips. Keeping up with your travels is some consolation. I hope you stay safe and continue to enjoy life in France and thanks for sharing your travels.

I hope your appetite for dessert comes back. You know I'm eating vicariously through you!

Good luck finding your magnesium tablets at a reasonable price.

gooster

I love fried goat cheese on a salad with a good strong vinaigrette, crouton and crisped lardons. Some roasted asparagus can be laid across the top.

You can take the green asparagus, partially cooked, wrap them in prosciutto or jambon cru and lightly sear them in a pan. Some lemon or hollandaise to finish, add a poached egg if you like.

We are still planning to return in a few weeks, unless our flight gets cancelled. There is a risk of going and then not being able to return, which is the only concern.

StCirq

I have to agree with kerouac that asparagus, whether white or green, is not a good match for herbes de Provence. Great with a hollandaise or even a very lemony vinaigrette, though. Not to mention a number of wonderful asparagus soups. Or for a nice breakfast, roasted and served with poached eggs and a lemon-mustard-mayo sauce and dill.

You can buy 110 250-mg tablets of magnesium on Amazon.fr for 2,12 euros. https://fr.iherb.com/pr/21st-Century...AaApNaEALw_wcB

cheska15

kerouac I tend to agree with you, although the ham did add a bit of flavour.

Coquelicot so sorry that your trip may not go ahead as planned. Hopefully in another month or so there will be a much clearer picture. My sister and brother in law are re thinking their trip in July as my sister has had cancer and her doctor is reluctant to give the go ahead due to her compromised immune system. Luckily they can wait a few more months before making the final decision. The really sad thing is the planned trip has kept her going mentally over the last months. I have been ringing her a lot ( thank goodness for WhatsApp) and she is in good spirits at the moment hoping things will be clearer soon.

gooster I love how you make food sound so delicious and easy to cook. We won’t be cooking much over the next week as we have a few restaurants here that we have really enjoyed, and will go and have a final meal in each. We also have to have for the last time the best cafe gourmand so far at our favourite Italian place. It consists of a small creme brûlée, tiramisu, and panacotta. Absolutely fantastic. I will need to be hungry though.

rhon

Cheska, as your time in Nimes comes to an end, what are your feelings about the current situation ? I know you are planning a bit of a road trip and wonder if that is still going ahead? I thought you mentioned your daughter was also coming.
We are supposed to leave on April 2 and are still undecided. There is not much difference in what we get back if we cancel now or leave it two more weeks. We do not want to cancel and then a few weeks into what would have been the trip, it starts to improve. The worry is the flights of course, but we will go well prepared. The departments we have for our first three weeks have no cases at this time.
Anyway, enjoy your last few days in Nimes. Hopefully things will improve.

cheska15

rhon to be honest we are not that worried, as there does not seem to be any panic here. We are still leaving next week for our road trip. We do not have any symptoms, and at this stage feel it is save to travel. To me we have a choice of either sitting around Nimes and do ?, or do our planned travel. We are keeping an eye on the situation and of course if the French government gives different advice we will follow that.

We did check our insurance though and like many others would not be covered for any health related costs if we were to develop the virus. What is annoying is that WHO is not saying it is a pandemic or even an epidemic. Yet insurers are treating it as such. We have more than enough financial means if we have to self isolate, however the cost of hospital treatment is another matter entirely. It is the unknown that is the worry for people.

cheska15

The most glorious day here today as it was warm 24c with no wind. We went to lunch and the meal was ordinary, although the creme brûlée was very good.

It doesn’t seem appropriate to celebrate the warm weather with everything that’s happening in the world right now. However life is going on the same for a lot of people. There were a lot of people out having lunch, sitting in the sun, shopping and doing everyday things. Supermarket shelves are full, and nobody seems to be panic buying.

President Macron gave a press conference yesterday, I think in the hope of reassurance that the Government is doing everything it can. Now that WHO have labeled the corona virus a pandemic I’m not sure what will happen. All I know that our insurance does not cover for this scenario. I’m not worried as such as 95% of cases are mild, and basically you stay isolated until you are better. You are only hospitalised if you are really sick.

Nobody knows yet how the next few days will pan out. All we can do is wait.

gooster

Continue to enjoy your days, @cheska, as you embark on your next set of adventures. Enjoy the sun, the food, and sights, and take reasonable precautions!

geetika

Yes cheska, enjoy the rest of your French adventures and don’t stress about the pandemic. Nothing very much we can do about it IMO, apart from washing our hands thoroughly and being sensible, stay safe and keep telling us all...

cheska15

After listening to President Macron tonight we are not much wiser. We have decided to travel to Aix-en-Provence. We will be travelling by car, and instead of staying there for five days, we will probably stay until March 26. The room has a little kitchenette with a microwave so if need be we can buy food and heat it up.

Our original plan was to stay five days, visit Valence, Limoges and Orador-sur Glen then head to the Loire Valley. Now we will cut out those places to reduce travel.

We will make a decision on Strasbourg in the next few weeks, due to that being hardest hit. It is a matter of being stranded somewhere if further travel restrictions are imposed. Border closures may happen at some point. I would rather be stranded somewhere where we would be happy. Maybe go back to Menton.

cheska15

Our insurance company has just this minute informed us we are covered for any conara virus issues. That is a relief

rhon

That is good news Cheska. You can relax now and try to avoid getting it.

cheska15

rhon. Yes that’s why we are reducing the amount of places to visit. This afternoon I was about ready to cut our loses and return to Aus. Common sense has prevailed though.

cheska15

It never pays to judge a book by its cover in France. Today we were out at the big shopping complex Family Village Costieres Sud as my husband wanted a compression sac. He thinks this may help with our luggage ha ha.

Anyway we stopped for a coffee, at a marquee type establishment. As it was lunchtime we thought a coffee would be fine until we got home. We were sitting drinking our coffee, and the staff were walking past with what looked like lovely meals. Needless to say we succumbed.

I had a lovely mashed avocado, feta cheese ( very good quality) pomegranate, and radish salad served on a piece of warm toast. A very large amount of salad was provided on the side. My husband had what was called tacos, but really was a burrito. It was lovely and hot. Everything was beautiful presented and so fresh. The wine was fabulous too.
Then came the dessert. I love citron desserts that are served in a glass, with a biscuit base. The one here was one of the better ones we have had. Served in a very big glass, strong citron flavour, and perfect meringue on top. A really lovely and very enjoyable lunch. I learnt a valuable lesson that watching the food being served, rather than the overall look of the place is far more important. I actually gave myself a telling off for being so judgmental.

I am such a loving wife because we shared this dessert. Not only have I surprised myself how often I have shared dessert, my husband is too. Our daughter thinks something strange has happened to her mother.

TDudette

OMG, great lunch, cheska15. In what part of Aix will you be?

cheska15

We are staying in the Sejours& Affaires hotel at 615 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Aix en Provence Looks ok and gets good reviews. Hope it’s ok. If you don’t think it is in a good area feel free to tell me and I will look at other options.