Sarlat-la-Canèda, no stress, only pleasure

Pleasure is a word that comes easy when talking about Sarlat. The beauty of the landscape, the abundance of castles, the wings of a history full of bravery and shining knights. And the food. Always the food.

Photo: C. Sotomayor

Before going on this long weekend trip I had gotten advice from my neighbour, I had studied guide books and done research on internet. My predominant feeling the night before leaving was anguish. Too little time, too many things to do and see! How will I choose?
 

Approaching Sarlat by car we saw loads of castles up high on cliffs and heights. With every turn of the winding road a new castle appeared. Fairytale landscape. Down below in the valleys the farmers were working or driving across the fields. Elderly men were quietly fishing in the rivers. We end up driving for kilometres behind a harvest machine, but it was OK. No need to stress here.

Mum, why are there so many castles here, asked my daughter. I had studied a bit, so I knew it was because of a famous war, the one hundred year war between the English and the French. The Dordogne River made a natural delimitation between the two camps, so they had time to build many castles on each side of it during the war years.

Sarlat puts us under its charm straight away. Nothing is ugly here - maybe except the modern road signs. We arrive late in the afternoon and the sun is putting a warm glow on the stone buildings. Everywhere we see signs about guest houses and B&Bs, one more idyllic than the other.  We have rented an apartment in the historical centre of Sarlat, at Villa des Consuls. The narrow streets are covered with pebbles and there is nothing but stone houses with metre thick walls. We walk around and finally end up at the popular square Place de la Liberté, a typical image of Sarlat. We try one of the terraces and enjoy the last rays of sun. I pick a local dish, the Périgourdine salad, with geese liver and duck.

The second day we head out in the neighbourhood for three different destinations: The villages Domme and La Roque-Gaugeac and the garden Merqueyssac. (We also did the Bonaguil Castle on the way to Sarlat). Even with children, we can do it leisurely because here everything is close. The children follow without any complaints, but when I list their highlights of the day a certain pattern is evident. Number one is the first playground, number two is the second playground and number three is the third playground. Well. I hope they still absorb some of the beauty and the history of the sites...

We end the day in Sarlat. From the terrace of our apartment we have a nice view over the centre and the main shopping street, rue de la République. The children stand for a long while observing the people passing. I sip my coffee and listen to the birds. Everything is beautiful, everything is calm and in harmony, everybody is nice - or at least it feels that way. We end the day again at the Place de la Liberté. Before going home we watch two police men fetch a drunken guy who seemed to fall asleep on a bench. He was disturbing the picture, indeed.

Before leaving the last day, we make a round at the famous Saturday market. Strawberries, cèpes, asparagus, duck liver... colourful and tempting with spotless presentations. We leave with regrets, promising to come back and do the Lascaux caverns, Baynac-et-Cazenac, Eyzies, Castelnaud, just to mention a few of the sites we want to see. Sarlat is often presented as a compulsory stop. I totally agree, but I would avoid July and August. It is too hot and too crowded and the pleasure I enjoyed here will not be the same. We really appreciated our hotel but otherwise I would have tried the Hotel Montaigne, where my neighbour stayed. Or the Clos La Boetie, if you have a larger budget.  Usually the Sarlat Tourist Office is a good start to plan a trip here.

My very best recipe for fresh Asparagus

I admit at once, the recipe I use was created by Michel Guérard, a famous French chef that is responsible for a three star restaurant not too far from where I live. What I love about this recipe, a part from ending up with divine asparagus, is its startling simplicity.

This is the full recipe: Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C. Peel white asparagus, tie them up and cook them for three minutes in salted water. Align them in an oven dish and cover them with light cream. Leave for two hours in the oven.

The aspargus are magnified without losing any of their own delicate taste. Simply delicious.

Serve as they are or maybe with a slice of Serrano ham on the side. As an appetizer for four persons, use approximately 300 g of asparagus and 2 dl of cream, depending on the shape of the dish.

PS The asparagus on the photos are... Spanish.

Time for Asparagus from Landes!

Maybe you know that Landes, where I live, is the kingdom of Asparagus? Last week the Asparagus harvest started here! Finally! One month late, because since winter had been colder than usual, the soil took longer to reach the necessary temperature.  Yesterday I went to get my first shot of fresh asparagus - I say shot because it is very easy to become dependent on the fresh ones - here in Castets at the Copa, cooperative. You buy they in boxes of five kilos! Yeah, it is a lot, but they can be stored for up to three days and also frozen (peeled). In my box you only see the tops, but you can also buy the whole long ones.

Don't believe I am a lonely fool promoting the local products, they are protected by a quality label called IGP - Indication Géographique Protégée - which means that the asparagus from here have a unique quality, linked to this place and that you won't get the same from somewhere else. This is official. Check out for the name Asperges des Sables des Landes.

Why are they so good here? The most important factors are the sandy soil and the ocean climate, both necessary to obtain the finest, most delicate asparagus you have ever seen.  You find three different versions: the white one that grows and matures under the soil, never touched by the sun, the violet one, which gets a tiny bit of sun on its head, and the green one, that grows in the sun. The two first ones must be peeled before they are cooked, the green one can be eaten as it is. They have different taste, where the white one is considered the finest and most delicate. I often chose the green ones for their colour!  Now, let me see, what can I make with my fresh asparagus... boiled, in the oven, soup?

Sunday lunch in Guéthary

Sunny and warm weather made us feel like meeting the sea again... and in Guéthary we found a charming restaurant, Café Loco, by the railway tracks and a view over the ocean.

By ComBoost - plein écran - albums - tirage photo - livres photos

Article about Bordeaux in Washington Post

Enough of Bordeaux for a while! But I am making an exception to tell you about this article written by an American lady married to a Frenchman. More and more people are discovering the new Bordeaux... more lively, more outgoing, more fun than ever before.

Bordeaux in Washington Post

Kiffer grave la teuf - about French verlan and other slang

There is nothing more difficult than trying to speak slang in a foreign language. Even in my own language I am too old to follow the trends, in French, I don't even try! Even today, after twelve years married to a Frenchman, I avoid slang. Among friends I might use some words that are declared 'familier', which means familiar in the sense informal. Like bagnole instead of voiture for car, bouffer instead of manger for to eat. But this is not slang.


Maybe you hear someone talk about a mega-teuf. Then you are on to one of the oldest slang phenomenon in France, the verlan. The word verlan in itself comes from the shuffled word l'envers, which in turn means topsy-turvy, upside down - and it describes the process of creating a word in verlan. Woman = femme will become meuf backwards. Fête = party will become teuf backwards. and so on. The French talked like this even when I was young about a hundred years ago, so it is really an old tradition. Today they might go one step further, so that the shuffled word is reshuffled... so that mother = mère will become first reum and then meureu! Or the word for like that = comme ça will become first aç and then askeum and then asmeuk... you still follow?

Another kind of slang is the word kiffer, where kiffer grave means to like alot. It comes from the Arabic word kiff. In Morocco and Tunisia it means hasch and the initial meaning was to enjoy smoking and then developed into just liking something. Not to be confused with the Arabic word kifkif, which means alike, similar!

Modern slang find inspiration in many places. Rap and rock, commercials, movies, Arabic and African languages will provide ideas. You say parler 93, talk 93, which refers to the departément 93 north of Paris. It is known for the many gangs and the tough environment. If you don't live there, you look cooler talking like them!

Entrancing Courant d'Huchet

Courant d`Huchet is an outflow from the Léon Lake all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean at Moliets. It is classified as a protected area and only licensed 'Bâteliers' have the right to bring boats with tourist on excursions. Many have talked to me about this place, telling me how fantastic it is, a tropical and very different nature, magical environment... but I must admit I remained pretty sceptical about the whole thing. I thought it was more for retired people with a botanical special interest.
Last year I tried the short version, two hours, and I am totally conquered!

Peaceful and entrancing are the words that best describe what it was like. Next time I will try the longer version of four hours, which will take me all the way out to the ocean. The old French president Mitterrand used to come here many times. Apparently he never uttered a word, he just sat silent and admired the nature, thinking.

You see the duck hunt hiding place? The ducks in front are not for real!

The old fishery. The fishermen spent the night here when they were getting up early to empty the nets.

A magical world, lush and green with many different, tropical plants. Practically untouched by man, the bâteliers only cut the minimum to let the boats pass. Watch your head!

Going back against the stream. We walked and our handsome rugby player did the hard work.

And look what meets you if you go all the way to the sea... I didn't go with the boat, you can see the outlet from the Moliets main beach. After coming down to the beach, walk about 200 metres to the right and you are there. A beautiful place.

Duck for Dinner

Living life easy. Go to your village butcher. Pick up some duck ribs. Prepare them with salt - Brazilian way. Cook until rosy inside. Enjoy, immensely.

Anything with duck can't go wrong.

My weekend in Bordeaux - the Hot Dry Docks

Bordeaux was the most important harbour in France during the 17th century and using the Garonne River for transport was an important factor in making Bordeaux wines known world wide. Since then the activity of the harbour has declined a lot and the dry docks north of the centre had become a wild and partly abandoned area, with empty hangars and other storage buildings.

But now the docks are getting a new life as the hot spot for the festive part of the young Bordeaux people! Here you find some the hottest bars and dance places in town. Or at least that is what I had been told. So I suggested to our friends that we go there on a Saturday evening in May 2009.

We took the tramway to the last stop - bassins à flots - and got off. This is what we saw.

My friends and my husband looked very sceptically at me. Are you sure we aren't lost? Is this the hot party area you were talking about? I confirmed, but of course I was starting to wonder myself....

Then we found her, the Lady Shanghai, dance club and restaurant, where I had planned we have dinner. She looked very rusty from the outside.

I gently dragged the others with me and we stepped inside. Actually, the inside was really nice, the walls covered in dark wood and cosy little lamps.

Dinner was OK, but when we had finished, my company wanted out of there. No persuasion possible, they wanted to go back to the centre of Bordeaux. So I can't tell you much about the night life in the docks really, but like I said, I heard it's supposed to be good.... Among the names I've heard are Café Maritime, Blush, Le Deck, Pier 6...

Back in the old Saint Pierre area in Bordeaux we ended up at a bar called Calle Ocho. Crowded, excellent music with hot salsa and samba rythms, excellent mojitos and a very good, happy feeling about it. How can you listen to Latin music and not smile? The photo is terrible, but trust me, this place rocks! Along the same street you find lots of other bars.

Armagnac VI - Domaine d'Esperance

We visited the Domaine d'Esperance on a bleak and grey winter day. The photos are not doing justice to this place, full of charm and beauty, set on a high with a view over the vineyards around. Here they make armagnac and wine, both with several medals. The proprietor, Duchess Claire de Montesquiou, was not there for our visit. One of her family ancestors was the wife of d"Artagnan, the famous young man in Dumas book ‘The three musketeers’.

It was her experienced oenologue Sylvie who showed us the propriety, explained how they work and let us taste some Floc de Gascogne and an armagnac from 1941... Awesome!

Floc de Gascogne is a traditional aperitif where grape juice is mixed with young armagnac. Fruity and sweet, yet with character, is one of our favourite apéritifs in summer.

Arcachon, with oysters and love

View of the Moulleau beach in Arcachon. Further away the Pyla sand dune. Photo Wikipedia

My first visit to Arcachon was to see my friend Nathalie, who has a summer house there. She showed us around, the Winter City area with the crazy architect houses, the shopping street in the centre, the marina, the old fishermen area and the main pedestrian street longing the beach. I fell in love instantly.

Arcachon has, like the villages around the Arcachon Bay, a special light, a closeness to the sea and its movements, its smells. The tide decides a lot for life here, taking the water far out at low tide, setting the boats ready to go at high tide. It also sets the working hours for the fishermen, because they can only take care of the oysters at low tide.

Arcachon is like the capital for the Arcachon Bay. It is a perfect starting point for discovering this unique region, by car, by bike or by boat. It's always lively here all year around. Many people living in Bordeaux have their summer house in this area.

 Photo from Wikipedia.

Arcachon is a newly built city. It was created when some smart business men prolonged the railway line all the way out here and built a recreation area in the beginning of the 18th century. The oldest part of Arcachon is called the Winter City and lies up on a hill next to the city centre and the beach. Here you find incredible houses to admire - maybe not always beautiful but always interesting. After that, the Spring City, around the Pereira garden, was built, followed by the Summer City, the city centre of today. The Automn City consists of the original fishermen houses and is situated close to the marina and the fishermen harbour.

One of my favourite places is the Café de la Plage, at the pier Eyrac. You can sit on the terrace and admire the view of the palm trees, the beach and the sea. Their specialty is seafood - surprise! A local specialty is to serve the oysters with small sausages (crépinettes) or even foie gras. You can also order cooked oysters, fried with vegetables, barbecued, in the oven or stuffed...  Another good address is Chez Yvette - for seafood of course.

I highly recommend a boat trip in the Bay area. We tried a two hour long one to discover the Bird Isle, Ile des Oiseaux. You get to see the shacks on stilts nearby, the oyster farms, the birds and above all, you get a good look at all these small villages around the bay.  There are also a regular ferry between Arcachon and Cap Ferret, the village at the end of the bay arm.

My weekend in Bordeaux - Brunch at the CAPC

An old storage building that is reused as a museum for contemporary art, that is the CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain. Incredible place with enormous volumes below old arcades, like a cathedral. It is also, on the top floor, a beautiful restaurant/café Café du Musée with a very charming terrace. We went there for brunch.... if I lived in Bordeaux I would go there every Sunday morning...

The permanent collection of the museum is of a very high quality and for free. There are continuously different temporary expositions. When we were there, one has just ended, so the locals were empty.

Aran Goyoaga and her amazing food blog

This girl lives in the US now, but she was born in the Pays Basque and grew up with her bakery owner parents. She has the most amazing blog, Cannelle et Vanille, with the most amazing photos. Especially desserts and cakes look like they are to die for. Her photos are very poetic, with a special light. To be honest, I must mention that I have never tried any of her recipes, but I can't get enough of her photos and her stories about her Basque family. Maybe I recognise her way of looking back at times, the nostalgia of a place where you grew up. Fresh ingredients, respect for natural flavours and beautiful presentations make her blog utterly attractive to me.

Her photo of a Gâteau Basque. I got a special permission to use it.

A happy day at Ganaderia de Buros

 

After my day with Jean at Ganaderia de Buros I had like a small glowing ball inside that kept radiating warmth and happiness for hours. Strange... I'm not exactly a cowgirl you know, not a go back to nature and eat raw roots person at all... And still, every time I meet people from the Southwest countryside, with occupations that include a lot of fresh air, animals and a hell a lot of work... I feel happy. These people glow of something that has become pretty scarce in the cities: harmony and contentedness. They work a lot, sometimes really a lot, but they don't stress.

My happiness that day had a lot to do with Jean himself. He is the owner of Ganaderia de Buros and a very charismatic person. The nice weather was just the extra bonus!

He told me about the excitement in chasing pigeons with nets, using the techniques of an old, old tradition. He also told me about his wild cows, the cows he breed to participate in course landaise, another old tradition in the region of Landes. Follow me into his world, where pigeon hunting by net is part of everyday life and breeding wild cows a passion.

Pigeon hunting with nets, colombière
Breeding of wild cows for course landaise.

Traditional pigeon hunting with nets - palombière

I had heard about the pigeons and the way to hunt them with nets before, because it is a real old tradition in Landes. The only problem is that as a foreigner AND a woman, I had a pretty scarce chance to ever see one for real, even less to participate in a real hunting situation. Jean let me do both...


I had also heard about Jean before I came to meet him in the small village Escalans in Landes. A man full of passion and enthusiasm. A born teller of stories and with a life made of stories. You can say that I had pretty high expectations before I came - they were fulfilled, with a margin!

Pigeon hunting has been done in the Southwest of France since forever. The pigeons come from among other countries Sweden during October and November and make a stop here to feed before making the last leg of their trip and reach the final destination in Africa. Jean, with his experience, sees several groups of pigeons in the sky that I, in spite of being given the direction, have trouble finding at all.  Jean laughs and says it's something you start training as a kid. At first I went with my dad, he says, but at thirteen I made my own palombiére with a friend. The whole idea is to trick the pigeons into landing at the place of the nets and trap them.

Jean is against rifles, he says the pigeons learn to avoid places where they are scared by rifle shots. In the French Pays Basque they use a different system. They make the pigeons believe an eagle is close, to make them dive into nets that are set up between two cliff tops.

Jean had a real big palombière that he built after the giant storm of 1999 had destroyed the old one. Several hundred metres of covered alleys, a real kitchen with a barbecue and a chimney. The hunt is ongoing for 1,5 months, so some basic comfort is important. And food, do I have to remind you it is important! Now Jean has built a third one, since the big storm of January 1999 destroyed his palombière again.

Jean imitates a pigeon and he does it so good I start looking for the real one... he says he can really communicated with the pigeons and I believe him.. or almost. For me, pigeon hunting is something that is done in small groups of secret men and not something you just walk into. Jean explains that he opened his palombière exactly for that reason, because nobody else wanted to do it. People here think it's just a pain with people that ask stupid questions, he says. I understand the point of this, because what I see is a complex tradition with a huge amount of heritage and knowledge that is transmitted. We have this idea of pigeons being stupid, but they are not easy to fool and you need to pay attention to small, small details!

A spy pigeon that will change its behaviour if other pigeons are arriving, thus functioning as an alert.

To see the wind direction - the feathers from the first killed bird of the season are used to make it

The entrance of the palombière

Inside you find a fully equipped kitchen - of course

To the right a small rounded hole, where two pigeons, with their wings tied in a specific way, walk around without being able to escape. The flying pigeons are calmed to see that there are already birds on the ground, so they land. Then the nets, that you see around the borders, are flapped on top of them to trap them.

A bird sitting on a special arrangement....

... that can be tipped so the bird imitates the sound of a settling bird, thus inciting other birds to land.

A late lunch. Simple, says Jean. Yeah. Especially if you consider homemade duck paté, mushroom omelette and wild boar chops as everyday food. And tourtière for dessert. Delicious.