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.
Pays Basque, France
There are seaside villages, rustic farming stays and beautiful vistas throughout this area of France. There are equal parts glamour and guts to this part of France, which I love! The food is some of the best in France, featuring plenty of seafood, chocolate, wine, pastry, cheese and...
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.
The Landes in Aquitaine, France
The start of the visit takes place on an old train that passes through the pines into a small village where 'resiniers' cut the sides of pines to collect sap (gammage) and shepherds (bergers) on their stilts (tchangues) would have lived with their flocks of sheep...
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.
Flying During Covid
France notified Americans coming to France need to have a 72 hour covid test. I want to just say how HARD it was to find a place to get tested (I got tested about a week after arriving to make sure I didn't catch something on the plane)
Where to Find Solitude in Gironde
There are so many great natural locations in Sud-Gironde, like the Lake at Hostens or the Atlantic Beaches, but what if you want something away from crowds?
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 →
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.
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 →