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On Wednesday evening we were privileged - yes, privileged - to be invited to a soiree with Hubert and Pierre of La Verandah, Menerbes, at their home in Les Taillades.

What do you expect when you have a meal at the house of such great chefs and restauranteurs? Accompanying us were Aurelio and Graça the other partners in La Verandah and a neighbour. Also, we must not forget their four labradors which kept us entertained and demanding out attention and love.

Wow! Aperitifs of pink champagne (the real thing) and a charcuterie platter were followed by moving to a beautifully decorated table and a start of potage. This was no some simple soup - no, a leek stock, cream and chunks of salmon mopped up with some delicious freshly baked baguette.

Hubert then disappeared into the kitchen and arrived with a plate of sliced trufffles nestling over leeks and a sauce which came from the Gods of Food.

Was this the main course? No!

Superbly roasted chapon with garlic and onion followed. The chapon could not have been more perfectly cooked and was washed down with some superb local Domaine de la Garelle rose.

Then, the cheese. But with a twist. Accompanying the cheese platter (which had a rather pleasant vintage Beaufort on it as well as reblouchon) was a vinegarette celerac salad. We were sold! Cheese platter have now taken on a new meaning.

Not enough, Hubert declared! Along came an ‘experimental’ apple bake. Hubert and Pierre, more experiments please!

A light dinner/soiree that started at 19h00 and finished at 23h00. A privilege - is there a better English word for such an evening? I’ve yet to find one, but will keep searching. One thing is for sure ,it’s an evening we will never forget.

Merci bien, mes amis..

It’s bee n a routine of physiotherapy, nurse, physio, nurse, physio etc.

At the same time, the weather has brightened completely and Jose has declared that the ‘terre’ is no longer a ‘catastrophe‘ - ie it is no longer frozen and he can start to build the new terrasse outside Maison Olive.

On Saturday the boys announced that they were “Back in Town” and arrived with buckets and lime to map out the plan and have the approval given.

In the midst of this, Saint-Maclou the carpet people from Avignon, arrived and in a flash, we had a new carpet down in the Doll Museum.

Au bientot: many more pics of the terrasse to come! : Lovonne and Simon xx

We’re still mulling over the movie Midnight in Paris where the City is the real hero.

Why wouldn’t it be?

Remarkable images have emerged from Mozambique of an elephant swimming in the sea off bay of Nuarro, on the north coast
Bizarre images of an African elephant swimming, playing, washing and drinking in the sea have emerged from an eco-tourism lodge in Mozambique.
An incredibly rare sight – elephants love water and hosing themselves down but it is highly unusual to see them in the sea.
Chris McIntyre from Expert Africa said: “It’s phenomenally unusual in southern or East Africa for an elephant to be in the ocean. I’ve never seen this, and very, very rarely heard of it!”
The elephant was spotted off the coast in the bay of Nuarro, home to the Nuarro Mozambique eco-lodge. Trienke Lodewijk from the Nuarro Lodge said, “Can you believe this, in our bay! It is so incredible. We couldn’t believe it when we spotted him.”
Scientists think elephants don’t naturally like sea water but can’t place a specific reason on why.

[thanks John W.]

One of the most popular stories on Livingstylishlywell.com over the past two years, has been our visit to the French Foreign Legion Museum in Aubagne. Here’s a little excerpt about their own wine!

The wine of the braves at The Sainte Victoire, Puyloubier (Provence).

Cézanne’s spirit hovers overs above this untouched region, the Sainte Victoire mountain range where the painter came regularly from his Aix-en-Provence base. Cézanne loved theSainte-Victoire area for its particular light and painted there some of its most impressive paintings. A coachman named Fernand Bajole used to transport him a few kilometers from Aix-en-Provence with all his painting materials to the desired spots with view over the Sainte Victoire where he would set up his easel.

Summers in the area are particularly hot, with the rock mountain reverberating the sun’s heat, and the village of Puyloubier which sits at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain happens to host one of the oddest estate in France : the vineyards of the French Foreign Legion, under the name of the “Institution des Invalides de la Légion Etrangère“, a 200-hectare property managed by the Legion and from which the Legion wine is produced. Since 2010, the AOC-Côtes-de-Provence Legion wines with the famed military insignia stamped on the bottles  can be purchased by the public.

The Legion is an a typical military corps. The Légion Etrangère was created in 1831 and based in Algeria for France’s difficult conflicts in foreign theaters of operations. It is composed quite exclusively of foreign nationals and has been sent by France since its creation to the most difficult theaters of operation. Anyone who walks through the gate of its bases or at one of its application booths (in the Marseilles train station for example) can apply to become a légionnaire, and for reasons from the search for adventure, the challenge, money or geopolitical upheaval, men from all over the World join the elite corps. While you often meet today Eastern Europeans, Ukrainians, Russians, South Americans and Africans, there is always a small but steady flow of enlistments by Westerners, maybe for the prestige and the challenge.

You may not speak French and not have the proper visa, the Legion welcomes you just the same. It used to be that you could be on the run from the law and enlist in the Légion, but rules have changed and the corps looks in the first place for reliable men, and those who wish are given a new identity and are whitewashed. A much sought-after benefit of joining the Legion is the French citizenship that can be obtained after several years of service and good behaviour.

Source text: www.wine-terroirs.com

• If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast
• Il n’y a que deux endroits au monde où l’on puisse vivre heureux:  chez soi et à Paris.
  (There are only two places in the world where we can live happy:  at home and in Paris.)

Paula McLain: Though I often looked for one, I finally had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris.

Gertrude Stein: America is my country and Paris is my hometown.

Mark Twain: In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.

Honoré de Balzac: Whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant.

André Gide (French Nobel Prize of Literature winner): French people are Italian people in bad mood

Former French President Charles de Gaulle:

• I cannot prevent the French from being French
• How can anyone govern a nation that has 240 different kinds of cheese?

From movies/TV shows:

• Paris is always a good idea : Sabrina
• Remember, if there are any complaints, in France, the customer is always wrong : A Good Year
• We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it : Marge Simpson/Simpsons
  

Here’s another gem from MyMelange.com:

1.  Do your research. Check with each individual airline that you will be flying during your travels to find out the exact requirement and fee structure for both checked and carry-on luggage.  Many airlines, especially budget airlines, may not even allow one free carry-on – so know what you are getting into. You can also check with SeatGuru.com, which lists airline bag fee policies on their site.

But, I’d even go so far as to place a call to customer service for those airlines to confirm what they have listed on their website. And since these rules and regulations are subject to change at any time, it would be prudent to double-check again right before your trip.  Armed with this info, you’ll know what to expect – and the fees associated with not adhering to their policies.

2. Weigh and measure.  Armed with the information, you need to weigh and measure the dimensions of your bag after it’s packed to see if it will meet both the weight and dimension requirements.  And these budget airlines are no joke.  This is how they make their money.  If it’s 6 ounces over, it’s over.  But getting to your destination is just half the battle.  What happens on the way back when you have purchased souvenirs?  You’ll have no idea what your bag weighs then.  If you are that concerned, either don’t come back with anything you didn’t take with you or invest in a portable luggage scale.  The $20 investment might be worth avoiding an $800 overage fee. Lakeland do a great one!

3.  Have a back-up plan. Always pack a small foldable tote in your carry-on which can be used as another piece of luggage in a pinch. If you are facing huge overage fees, believe it or not, it may be a much cheaper solution to unpack a few things from your main suitcase and place them in the tote. This way you can check, or carry-on two bags that are underweight, rather than one that is grossly overweight.

Honestly though, one of the easiest ways to avoid this hassle is to consider NOT using airlines that have such confusing policies when it comes to bag fees and opt for those that have a more generous and cut-and-dried policy.  That $20 roundtrip ticket may not be worth the stress of trying to figure this all out and may end up costing you not only your sanity but an amount of cash equivalent to taking ten roundtrip flights.

There are two wonderful websites doing the rounds at present:

www.getawayguru.com.au

www.mymelange.com

Both Australian-based, they focus on touring in Europe and foffer many practical hints and tips.

Here’s a great one from MyMelange> tired of hawking piles of luggage around? You can’t to-day anyway as the airlines look to make as much money as possible off you once they have your booking. Here’s 7 Travel tips for taking Carry On luggage only:

1.  Because you like to avoid back pain.  Ever had back pain? Well, then you know it ain’t fun.  Not something to look forward to and certainly something that could ruin an otherwise well-planned (read expensive) vacation.  Too many heavy bags lugged to and fro, bending and twisting just the wrong way might cause you to pull a muscle.  Or at least make it darn uncomfortable while traveling.

2.  Because you don’t like to look foolish. Ever see these people- you know the ones; Standing in line with two or three huge bags- struggling to keep it together in the check-in line.  Some of them even have one of those carts, with luggage precariously stacked on top like a tiered wedding cake, the top bag teetering back and forth like a see-saw on a windy day.  You never know when and where that bag is gonna drop!  These same people try to get on a rush-hour bus or train with the same set of bags, not only holding up public transportation and pissing off the driver/conductor, but in the process making themselves look ridiculous.  People are pointing.  And laughing.  And talking about you and how rude you are. Seriously, they are talking.

3.  Because your time is precious. Every moment counts. And you can’t get those moments back once you have lost them. Carry -on means no need to wait on line to check your bags.  No need to wait at the luggage carousel on either leg of the trip.  Getting the picture?

4.  Because you like your valuables. Checking bags these days is a crap shoot.  Lots of complaints and even arrests surrounding valuable items being pilfered from travelers bags are reported. If your bag is always with you, you’ll have much less chance of any of your precious cargo getting stolen.

5.  Because you like your luggage. Good quality luggage is an investment- one that you hope lasts for many years.  Bags take enough abuse from normal wear and tear and regular use.  Many bags get thrown around and tossed about from check-in, to loading, to off-loading, and on to the carousel.  Lots of extra man-handling that need not take place if you were in control of the treatment of your bags.

6.  Because you can make better use of your money. It is no secret that airlines keep raising checked bag fees faster than Bruce Wayne can change into Batman and slide down the Batpole. If you can think of other fun things to spend your money on – like meals, entertainment, a bus pass, a hotel upgrade, a splurge bottle of wine or souvenirs – wouldn’t you rather keep your hard earned money for that?

7.  Because you may have to run for it! When you only travel with a carry-on, you ensure that you can handle your bags, or load, comfortably by yourself.  This is of the utmost importance when having to walk or perhaps run at a high rate of speed if you are running late for a flight, bus or train.  There is nothing more grueling or futile then trying to juggle lots of bags or a very heavy load and having to get somewhere, fast.  And nothing worse than seeing someone attempt it with an unmanageable load, and miss.

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