The last days in France.

Well it's been a few days since I have done a blog post. Been tired from the trip home. So here here some pics from the last few days. What a trip!

A. The last winery visited. Also had the best wine.

B. Last menu, but not the best meal, unfortunately! Hope it is readable. In lower left corner you can see there is a 19.5% charge for service! NO TIPPING! I like it.

C. Pics of our rooms in the last hotel. 27 euros each! This is where the Spartans stay when in France! However it is better than paying 170 euros at the airport.

The trip itself was uneventfully, but long! 12 hours in one seat! A tight one too. At least they feed you, I couldn't do 12 hours on peanuts. Air France is very free with the wine too.

I hope to continue this blog with my travels in California wine country.
See Ya.

--ucharlie

Help, it's foggy and I can't see where to go!

Well, I would love to have a great picture to show you, but it solid fog
here. Have ben driving for 2 hours looking for a hotel near the airport
and it's so foggy we can't even find a town! Paris must get a lot of
left over London weather. Hope to be off the groung in 16 hours, if we
can find the airport.
--ucharlie

On the road again

Well the day of departure is getting near, so we are starting to move North toward Paris and the airport. Next stop should be the Loire river valley. Will see what we find there, no fixed plans.

A word about getting around in France. Gasoline, it can be hard to find a place that takes cash or has a live attendant! They do like to take credit cards but most of them need a special European style credit card. Looks just like any Visa or Master card but there is a little circle on the front with some gold plated contacts in it. I think there is a computer chip in the card! USA cards are rejected! On rare occations you will find a place that takes normal cards. Good luck.

Money; the dollar is OUT. Even most banks won't change them. The places that do exchange them are slow & don't give a very good rate. What works well is a Visa or Master card with a PIN number. You must have a PIN number! Most cards have daily limits on the amount you can withdraw, so it's good to have more than 1 card.

Also the banks are closed a LOT. But you can use credit cards at ATM type machines most anytime.

Friends have been asking if it is cold. Here are some pictures of the ice from last night. -10 C!

Also a pic of our cheerful innkeeper.

--ucharlie

Odds and ends

Had dinner at a hotel in Malaucene and the dessert was great. Chocolate
Gateau, and it looks exactley like the one that is served in le Bilig
French Cafe in Auburn, Calif. Rich chocolate cake with a warm runny
center. Decadent!

Also spotted an old Harley D by the curb. Big as some of the cars here.

Unrest in Paris seems to be running down.
--ucharlie

Wine makers lament!

Having met a few of the local winemakers I see a few common threads. They have much the same problems as we in USA. Bad weather and unreasonable government regulations!

Seems that the governments on both sides of the ocean are afraid the wineries will somehow make a profit that goes untaxed. Or that they have achieved too much freedom of operation. The weather is at least predictable to a certain extent!

--ucharlie

All the dirt.

For those who wonder what great soil produses the great Frence wines, here are a few pictures of it. Pretty much like a low grade gravel pit! Grape vines are like children, if you spoil them they will come to no good. Adversity makes good wine & children!

--ucharlie

Classic Farmers Market visited along the way.

One great thing about living in the country here is the great selection of Farmers Markets. In any given area there will be a one day market in a different village each morning and a really big one once a month. These are very unregulated, free markets unlike the ones we have in
Kalifornia. Anyway, here are the pictures.
--ucharlie

Seen by the side of the road.

As we are driving around these little back roads I kept seeing these little black people cutouts. About 5 ft high, made of plywood and mounted like traffic signs. At first I thought they were some sort of local KKK symbols! But no, they are installed by the government to show where people have been killed by traffic. They also show the age of the dead.

Very effective, something for MADD to think about!

PS: This is farm country and cows have the right of way!

--ucharlie

I'm sorry, I said I wouldn't do it!

Before I left, I said this was to be a wine & food tour only! Well this area is wall to wall old stuff. I mean just about everything but the cars is old! So after yet another great lunch at the hotel Le Lion D'or in La Chaise Dieu we had a walk to settle things a bit.

Seems this was the very FIRST home of the Pope in France, waaaay back! So I thought it only right to light a candle, get blessed & take a few pictures. All done and I feel a lot better now and here are the pictures.

--ucharlie

Typical small winery in Ardèche.

Here is a picture of Dennis Manent, winemaker at a small local winery. Also the cement tanks he uses & the inside of the winery. Makes about 40,000 bottles per year. Says he has just as much trouble with government regs as I do!

He mentions inexperienced government experts trying to tell him how better to make wine. Ardeche is the region to the west of the Rhone Valley about 20 miles up into the foothills of the Central Masstif.

--ucharlie

Local Farmers Market

Well I found a local Friday market in Thuyts. Not a lot of vedge rarmers
but it was great. It had roast chicken & game birds, fresh sea food,
cheap cloths and of course wine with tasting of course. By the bottle,
glass or bring your own jug. A lot of other stalls too, which I had
better not discribe them at this time.

Now it's off to look for some wineries. A report on this to follow
later. When I get back.
--ucharlie

A foggy day in Le Puy

Well we finally got a rainy foggy day. So decided to go shopping in Le
Puy & a little sight seeing. Wasn't a very good picture day but I did my
best.
1. The restaurant
2. The lunch!
3. A local Mall.
4. Belive it or not! Foie Gras at $11. A kilo!
Also had a picture of 2 lonly bottles of Gallo wine in the mall, but it
didn' come out clear enough.
--ucharlie

More on the Northern Rhone

That was a great trip yesterday & I really learned quite a lot. In the
Sierra Foothills we go to Napa & buy used barrels from the wealthy
wineries there. In the Rhone Valley thet go to Bordeaux and buy used
barrels.

The vineyards here look a little shabby, yet they are planted on nearly
clifts. VERY steep! NO dirt, just gravel, sand & stuff like that. I
would guess that my meger 18 inches of soil in Auburn is 5 times better
than this stuff. The wines are sparce, flinty and not very dark. Just a
little brett in there too. Still, they have a charm & weight. These are
serious wines.

We had a lunch yesterday that was just hard to belive. Giant salad,
frogs legs, plate of great cold cuts, roast pork loin w/french fries,
wine and dessert plus bread & butter! Could have had a cheese plate too
but turned it down. Cost about $13. Each! Just could not finish it. No
supper for sure.
--ucharlie

Northern Rhone Vally.

Well we finally got to the Northern Rhone. Unfortunatly it's raining
today and late in the year so most places are closed. We did manage to
sniff out a few places. Chateaubourg & tasting room staff. Then Dom. De
Fauterie with pics of tank room, bottleing room & staff who was kind
enough to show us around.

What you see on the maps still doesn't quite match what you see on the
road. Think you are going right then all road signs disappear! Phone
got a little wet today with the rain, but still works. One key is a
little sticky! Wish it had a spelling checker!!
--ucharlie

More travels

Well folks, looks like big trouble in Paris! But hey I'm in the other
end of the country. Here are some more pictures. Visited a monastary
today. Also picture of a happy, well feed local butcher.
--ucharlie