A Proud Father and Luthier Carves Cellos in Bourges
We walked through the city of Bourges, in the center of the region of Cher, not expecting such a lovely and compact old city. I just never knew how nice this town was, and it surprised me. But it’s been a center of history and the cathedral is as dramatic […]
Time to Taste, er, Guzzle, More Crisp White Wines
White, white, white, this afternoon was a blizzard of white. White wine that is, from the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. Hit me with half full glasses of refreshing sauvignon blancs from domains like Quincy, and Sancerre, and after a few I am….well, sleepy. Then we pile into the […]
Steak with Giant Foie Gras Hat in Chartres
This perfectly cooked medium rare steak came with a three-quarter inch thick slice of sizzling fois gras on top. It’s one of those foods that just melts in your mouth, and to have this copious slice on top of a grilled steak was a meat-lover’s heaven. We helped cook our […]
She’s Making the Big Leap Next Week
This is Stephanie Le Donne’s last week of working at her day job. She met our van at the Hotel de Ville in Orleans, where she took us on a city tour that included the city’s famous cathedral, which is a monument to the heroin of this city, Joan of […]
There is Chocolate…and There is Chavanette
Since 1765, The Chavanettes have been making chocolate from scratch here in Orleans, France at Chocolaterie Royale. Standing in front of a life-size mermaid made of carved chocolate, we met the master of chocolate, the handsome 43-year-old Charles Chavanette, who arrived on his motorcycle and quickly changed into his chef’s […]
Chartres’ Famous Blue
Chartres is a jewel among religious shrines of the world. These panes are among dozens of intricate stories that are told by images made by glass pieces. It’s hard to do justice to the famous “Chartres blue” which is the most dominant color on the 12th century windows that face […]
Chartres Shows Clever Ways to Avoid Driving a Car
I’ve found a slice of time to share some first day thoughts on Chartres, home of the world famous cathedral as well as a neat little compact town of about 42,000. They have built a lot of underground parking, here, you walk back from the 12th century cathedral and see […]