Home › Blog › Page 12

Discovering East Camargue — Oct 15

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Armand Arnal Has Deservedly Earned Upper Echelon Chef Status with Two American Foodies

Armand Arnal Has Deservedly Earned Upper Echelon Chef Status with Two American Foodies

Today started with another visit to the spa. I figured out how to get the steam room really cranking and we both left feeling energized.

The Camargue was calling again. There are quite a few things to explore down there, but in short, it is divided into the west and the east side. Yesterday, we were in the west side and today, we wanted to check out the east side.

We knew we had a 12pm lunch reservation at La Chassagnette, and I had found out about a Rice Museum very close to the restaurant, so it was a perfect way to fill the morning. I had discovered the museum on a brochure that I received from the Tourist Office in Arles and was excited to learn about the cultivation and processing of this staple plantread more…

Posted in Europe, France, Provence
Tags: , , , , , ,

Roman Arles — Oct 16

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Van Gogh Stood Outside the Theatre Antique

Van Gogh Stood Outside the Theatre Antique

It’s our last day to enjoy the spa and we do. It’s a great perk of being at this modest and sweet hotel. On our few days here, we have passed by this and that, but we haven’t really done Arles in full, and today, we will. It’s a small town and one can get around on foot, no problem.

We start off at the Amphitheatre. It is the 20th largest Roman amphitheater in the world and it held about 20 thousand in its day. Today, there are wooden bleachers, to replace where stones used to be and are no longer. It has had a long history, since it was built in the year 90AD. It was originally made for gladiator fights and today French bullfights still go on there. A French bullfight aims to have the red ribbon removed from bull’s horn, as opposed to killing the bull. The black bulls are bred in manades, cattle ranches in large, marshy areas in the Camargue. They are bred for both bull fights in Provence and Languedoc and bear the AOC label when they are used for meat. This type of bull is what we had in our bull stew last night. In medieval times, people actually built homes inside of the arena and up on the steps. Stones were removed from the structure in order to build homes so that the arena was literally filled with a town. Now in general, I am one to support urban density living, but in this case, I have to say, I would much prefer urban sprawl.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Provence
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Hello Again Paris — Oct 17

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Oysters Are Next to Godliness

Oysters Are Next to Godliness

Now we are in Hotel Saint Beuve in the St Germain neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. We woke up by 7am and said goodbye to Calendal and kissed the Amphitheatre goodbye (at least metaphorically). It made more sense for us to catch the train in Avignon rather than in Arles, as we would have had taken a local train from Arles with a ridiculously long layover to catch the TGV to Paris. Now let me sing the praises of the TGV and the French government for making such an investment. They needed to lay down a lot of new track, as the fast trains couldn’t function the way they were intended to on the old rail. So it was a tremendous investment first off. Which is one of the reasons it costs more to ride the TGV, even on the same route as the local train. read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
Tags: , , , , , ,

Joël Robuchon’s L’Atelier — Oct 18

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Fromage Is Basically a Religion in France (We Are Believers)

Fromage Is Basically a Religion in France (We Are Believers)

One of the things Paris is most well-known for is its markets, or marchés. There are over 80 of them in the city. One could make a whole trip to Paris, just around visiting marchés! We did a little research in the market book we brought from the states and choose Raspail Marché. It was the closest to us, it is fairly sizable, and it was one Dan tried to get to after school several times (since it was right outside his school) but didn’t, since it was closed by the time school let out.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Sun Sets in Paris — Oct 19

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
An Urban Escape in Bois De Bologne

An Urban Escape in Bois De Bologne

In doing Paris research months ago, I got completely intrigued by a day in the Eiffel Tower district and western Paris. We had gone to eat in the Eiffel Tower last year, which was an incredible experience, but it was cold and rainy, and so we didn’t really get to hang out and soak up the Eiffel Tower experience to the fullest. I had built a day, on paper, of trekking around those parts and today was the day.read more…

Posted in Europe, France, Paris
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Amsterdam & Anne Frank Huis — Oct 20

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
An Example of Dutch Architecture

An Example of Dutch Architecture

Now I sit at Cocomama, an upscale hostel/hotel in Amsterdam, converted from a brothel 10 years ago.

Dan and I said our goodbyes early in the morning; he was off to the States (he’s probably going to land in San Francisco in the next couple of hours); and I was off to Amsterdam. I arrived by 2pm and went to Cocomama. They kept my bags and I went for a stroll as my room wasn’t going to be ready until 4pm. They gave me a nice map of this compact city and highlighted some of the areas that may be of interest to me. I stretched my legs exploring the southern canal ring, which will read more…

Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Netherlands
Tags: , , , , ,

First Full Day in Amsterdam — Oct 21

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
The Netherlands Have the Claim on Gouda

The Netherlands Have the Claim on Gouda

I woke up and was itching to get my body moving.  So I started with a long bike ride outside of the city.  The open roads and exercise felt incredible and the scenery, well, not so much.  I headed northwest from Amsterdam and basically got a good view of garbage barges, a lot of factories burping polluting smoke, and windmills.  But not the bucolic ones that make us think “the Netherlands”, just the huge, modern ones that get bad press for killing birds.read more…

Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Netherlands
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Amsterdam Jewish Day — Oct 22

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
Bikes Rule in Amsterdam and Cars Had Better Watch Out

Bikes Rule in Amsterdam and Cars Had Better Watch Out

 

I was interested in doing a Jewish day in Amsterdam.  I had done one in France and, being Jewish, it just made sense.  I biked to Nieuwmarkt, which is very central to the city and where the Jewish history and current culture is centered.  First I had a late breakfast at an Indonesian deli, which was pretty good, although I asked for the spiciest dish they had and it was barely spicy.  The Dutch have had relations with Indonesia since the days of the spice trade and it was a colony until the mid-1900’s.  Yet remnants of this relationship live on and there are a good number of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam.read more…

Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Netherlands
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Biking Amsterdam — Oct 23

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
The Autumnal Trees on Fire Outside of the Van Gogh Museum

The Autumnal Trees on Fire Outside of the Van Gogh Museum

It’s my last night in Cocomama.  The Gastronomic plus Amsterdam Tour has come to a close.  Bittersweet feelings dwell in my heart.  The hundreds of hours of planning have come to fruition, birthing what currently feels like a lifetime of experiences, and yet, traveling, like eating, is temporal.

I woke up today with the intention of checking off a few of the smaller things I wanted to hit that are not as central to the city, as well as see the Van Gogh Museum.  The De Pip neighborhood is just south of Cocomama and it is known as being ethnically diverse, as well as having the best known market in Amsterdam, Albert Cupmarkt.  It was lively and plentiful.read more…

Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Netherlands
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Quintessential Amsterdam to Home — Oct 24

Posted on October 25, 2015 by
The Canal Homes Are the Quintessential Amsterdam Experience

The Canal Homes Are the Quintessential Amsterdam Experience

As always, it feels divine to be in my own bed.  Especially after 26 hours of traveling, which makes me rather cranky.  Woke up, got a cab, got to the airport, the food choices were so atrocious there, that even McDonald’s was looking like a viable option.  I did manage to find a rubbery omelet and some olives, so that was food for the day.  The flight to Chicago was about nine hours.

Getting through customs made me rethink my strategy.  Of the four packages of tulip bulbs I had, two were certified to enter the states, two were not.  I wrapped the non-certified ones in clothes and stuck them at the bottom of my backpack.  The certified ones and a few other souvenirs ended up in my suitcase.  I did declare the tulips, as I didn’t want to get caught with them andread more…

Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Netherlands
Tags: , , ,