Reunion Island (Ile de La Réunion) and Vanilla

Reunion Island is an actively volcanic island, which has a fascinating history. When first discovered there was very little animal life and had never been inhabited...while the origins of vanilla are Central and South American, prior attempts to grow the beans in Europe always failed. The natural pollinators were a special species of bees that didn't live in Europe, but this was not known at the time. A slave, a young boy by the name of Edmund Albias, created the hand pollination method and completely transformed the vanilla industry.

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Saffron History and Producers in SW France

You might wonder how to tell the good saffron from the bad safflower, why some threads costing three times as much as other 'saffron'. Well, as with many expensive food items, besides the quality, you also have to question the authenticity. It takes at least 100,000-200,000 threads of saffron to make a kilo, which sells for anywhere from 3,000-6,000 EURO. It's the most expensive spice in the world...During the pandemic of bubonic plague a war ensued called the 'Saffron War', it was so valued as a cure for the suffering that stocks in Europe were depleted and more was ordered from the East.

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Libourne – Where History, Food & Wine Converge

When I was visiting Libourne a few months ago, I realized I needed to know more and knew just the person to ask - Jennifer Poe of 'My Bordeaux Tours', who is an experienced local tour guide and  American expat living in Bordeaux. She is the blogger behind 'American Mom in Bordeaux' and has worked with multiple river cruise companies offering tours to their clients. Libourne has a lot to offer any visitor from walking along the port, wandering through the old bastide section of town, a lovely fine arts museum and exploring it's variety of stores, cafes and restaurants. Especially on market days, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings - this town is alive and vibrant - not just around the holidays.

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Adventures in Truffle Farming – Black Perigord

Truffle Farming came up the other day when a group of us were talking about finding truffle products locally. A friend, Nola D’Enis (culinary guide and writer), was mentioning a local truffle tree farm (truffiere) not to far from us that she had written about it a few years ago called Agri-Truffe. So, I paid them a visit. I had been writing about truffles in Dordogne (the epicenter for France) and decided to go a different route, what if you want to start your own truffle farm? Here are the experiences of three different people who started truffle farms - Alain Fabregues in Australia, Casey Yangeolva in Bularia, and Loic Luzinier in France.

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Traveling with Kids in Aquitaine

There are unlimited amounts of things to do with children in this area, from beaches to parks and museums. It's a very family friendly area, with lots of great camping grounds in all price ranges (the French version of a holiday home/camping/vacation park). Most larger French towns have a beautiful old carousel which kids adore, good parks and public pools.

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What Lost in Bordeaux is doing After Confinement!

Unfortunately, I don’t live in the center of Bordeaux and the charming promenade along the Garonne river is not included in my permitted 1h daily walk. So now while all I can do is dream about deconfinement, I want to share with you the three things that I plan to do once I’m allowed to return to Bordeaux!

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Travel by Camper Van in France

I was hooked almost straight away. Even though we didn’t travel far and wide with that first trip, I loved the idea of the freedom and flexibility a CV would give us. I couldn’t stop thinking about how useful it would be to own one, especially here in the Nouvelle Aquitaine with so many wonderful places to visit literally on our doorstep. Not only could we go on long summer holidays, we could also decide on a whim to take a weekend break or overnight stop to the coast, or the mountains if the weather is good.

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Train Travel in France During Covid by The Petit Guide

Over the summer, travel restrictions were lifted in Europe, and after months in a tiny city apartment, my family craved fresh air and nature. Our summer plans initially included an epic vacation in Africa… we held out hope until a few months before departure when it became clear CoVid-19 was not going away anytime soon. After a short mourning period, we jumped into action – what trip would get us out of the city, without much risk of losing money to cancelations or spreading germs? After much debate – we settled on a circuit between France and Switzerland, exclusively by train. This seemed like both the safest health wise (unless you can travel by car), and the least risky financially.

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Travel Overseas in Europe with Pets!

Traveling from the US to France with a small dog (17 pounds or under 8 kilo) is easy as they can travel in the cabin, a larger dog either needs to go into the cargo hold or be accepted as a companion animal for nervous fliers. Since living in Europe, Bear has travelled all over - from Spain to Reunion Island and a five-star hotel in Rome. She's lived the life and is a really great cabin dog.

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Local Bazadais Shops and Gifts for Holidays / Magasins Bazadais et Badeaux Locaux

This is a list of some of the local products you can purchase to give to your favorite teachers, take home to your family, over friend's houses or wrap under the tree this holiday season (or any time of year!). All items are made locally to Bazas by farmers or artisans.

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Agen, in the land of Prunes

Upon entering the tourist office in Agen, you are greeted with a selection of local goods which consists of Prunes (dried plums) in multiple forms. However, Agen is full of other delicious foods, timbered houses, and carved stone hotel particuliers, an impressive art museum, and a really unique canal/aqueduct system built in the mid-1800s that is still in use today.

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Chefs – Camille of L’Huitrier Pie in Saint Emilion

The incredibly talented Camille Brouillard of L'Huitrier Pie in Saint Emilion (shown with her equally talented partner Soufiane Assarrar). Together, they create finely detailed, precise dishes which perfectly showcase their love of local, seasonal produce. A must try when in the region. Interview is in French but can be changed on website with the google translate option.

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Chefs – Elodie Pichard of CRU in Bordeaux

Chef Élodie Pichard, Chef with her partner and husband Jeremie, Duck Tartare and Seared Fois Gras When the Michelin Guide came out with its new list of culinary stars in the region for 2020, it was impossible to miss the lack of female chefs. I regularly work with Chef Caroline Alix of Restaurant Caro&Co in... Continue Reading →

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Organic, Local or Seasonal?

The produce stand can be a challenge in supermarkets, everything is available nearly all of the time...and it maybe even says 'organic', which is a great idea. In France, if you are buying in your local market you'll find the best selection of local and seasonal produce but it may not be organic. So what is better for you? Which is better for the environment?

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Bordelais Beer at Cabestan

This region is famous for wine production, so when Charles DELALAND opened up his Brasserie Distillerie Cabestan he wasn't very worried about the competition or fitting in with the local vinters in Saint-Croix-du-Mont. The brewery is tucked into the center of town, almost hidden behind a tall gate that from behind looks out over the Garonne valley and onto the vineyards of Sauternes in the distance. It's an incredibly scenic and inviting atmosphere for summer evenings.

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Skiing in the Pyrenees

If you have ever been to the Alps, you cannot compare the skiing available nearby in the Pyrenees (try going to Andorra in that case). Within three hours from Bordeaux (or Bazas) you can get a wintery experience at either of these nearby locations.* Gourette : A small, low altitude, affordable, family ski village created in... Continue Reading →

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Barcelona, Where the Food Tours Started

What I discovered while working in Barcelona, was that I loved sharing local food experiences with people visiting. Where someone might mistake the 'local' cuisine to be paella and tapas...which is not Catalan and not local...I was able to introduce to fideua catalane or butifarra.

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Bazas Food and Farm Tour

10am Visit fois gras farm to learn how fois gras is made and taste products 11am Bazas tour of city and learn the history of this UNESCO cathedral village 1230pm Stop by butcher who will show us the famous Bazadais beef cuts 1pm Lunch of Bazadais beef cooked by chef and owner of local restaurant... Continue Reading →

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