French food is more than just steak frites, moules, foie gras, and camembert and I did not choose to eat at Pomze restaurant in Paris just because of its excellent reviews. Nor did I choose it because it is a trendy restaurant that serves unusual and unique dishes. I chose to have lunch at Pomze because I have an addiction; an addiction to apples.
Why should you travel to France more than once? Easy answer: It’s just incredibly beautiful and there is SO much to see and do that you can’t see everything you want in one trip. It is the world’s top tourist destination with over 84 million visitors and the country has diverse landscapes where you can see sand dunes, mountains, inviting coastlines, picturesque hilltop villages, sculptured gardens, and volcanoes. The list goes on and on.
This week Keith Van Sickle, author of One Sip at a Time: Learning to Live in Provence, shares his recent discovery in Provence: the best value wine in France (as compared to the “best cheap wine in France”. That just sounds wrong). I reviewed Keith’s book a few months ago and met up with Keith and his wife in Provence last month. Over lunch, which of course included wine, Keith shared his love of wine as well as his knowledge about finding French wines of good value. After you have read this post you will likely be inclined, like me, to visit Estézargues and stock up on the wines!
I have written previously about finding one’s happy place in France, that place where you can “relax, refocus, and recharge”. It is no wonder then that when travelling in France I am much more ‘in the moment’ and focussed on my experience that I see and feel before me. It’s called mindfulness and it can happen in France.
There’s a decades old story about a snail and a car dealership.
A snail walks into a car dealership and asks the salesperson to paint a large “S” on the back of the car he’s going to buy.
The salesperson asks why. The snail responds, “So when I drive down the street, people will say, ‘Hey, look at that S-car go!’”
So, on that note, I thought I would share with you a few anecdotes about eating snails– edible snails (“escargots” in France)–in France so that you really know what you are eating getting into.
Paris has the Louvre Museum. London has the Tower of London. Barcelona has the Familia Sagrada. So what made my visit to Marseille memorable? Two things: the outdoor area at MuCEM and the seafood. [There would be three things but there weren’t any boats heading out to Chateau d’If in January, so I’ll have to go back another time.]
Every time I travel to France I like to try something new. During my recent trip to the south of France, I decided the time had finally come for me to try bouillabaisse. This is a popular Provencal fish soup/stew that originated in Marseille and to my surprise I learned a few things I hadn’t expected…or wanted. Thought maybe you should hear about these….surprises.