Welcome to the web edition of eBonVoyage. If you're on our mail-list, you will have had an email directing you here. If you didn't, but you'd like to get notice of each new issue (roughly every two months) please email us. AUGUST 2010 eB o n V o y a g e your travel newsletter from Bespoke France, the French travel specialists ‘Allo Francophiles It’s August, so we’re now officially in pre-tour mode - house & dogitters organised, trip details finalised,itineraries sent out, and a few more Spanish words added to the vocab for our trip across the border to Bilbao. Actually the local language on both sides of the border in the Basque country is Euskera,but I’m not going to unravel its mysteries before next month, perhaps not ever. At least with Spanish I have some idea of how it’s supposed to sound. Before we go away, we hope we can tempt you with some short life boating specials that need to be booked this month, or the 2011 escorted tours. We’re away from September 11 to late October and our house & dog sitters will not be answering business calls, so please talk to us soon if you want more information or wish to make a booking.However, we’ll be checking and answering emails as often as possible, so will always get back to you in a few days. Hasta la vista,baby - BARBARA TASTE FRANCE 2011 We’ve had an enthusiastic response to our launch of next year’s escorted tours, thank you! As we said then, we will set the price in November, but if you would like more information before that, click on the link below the two tour outlines and we’ll send you the proposed daily itineraries with a guesstimated fare. THE DORDOGNE EXPERIENCE  - 15 SEPTEMBER - 29 SEPTEMBER There's something for everyone in this delightful part of South West France.  Highlights are gardens of all kinds - contemporary, traditional, terraced, formal, wild, watery, even a garden museum - and prehistoric cliff dwellings, cave paintings and drawings. We'll stay in a chateau, visit several others, explore beautiful villages and towns and put together a picnic of delicious produce at the market.   Plus we'll take a morning cooking class, taste the wines at Monbazillac, visit a chocolate museum, and enjoy many memorable meals, naturally.  The tour starts with 2 nights in Paris, then TGV to Bordeaux, to pick up our mini-bus and it ends in Bordeaux, where we suggest a couple of extra nights to explore the city.    THE BASQUE EXPERIENCE -  29 SEPTEMBER - 14 OCTOBER For everyone who wanted to come this year, but was too late. Featuring five nights in the delightful fishing village and resort of St Jean de Luz; excursion on the Little Train to the summit of la Rhune, visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, villages, gardens and ancient grottos, fine wine and food, a short walk in the Pyrenees, a hot air balloon flight, medieval Carcassonne and a six night barge cruise on the Canal du Midi.   We’ll be staying in a lovely boutique hotel with a courtyard garden in St Jean de Luz, an elegant 18th century residence with just four guestrooms in a small hamlet near Navarrenx, and a 14th century courthouse on the central square in Mirepoix.    We’ll meet you at the St Jean de Luz railway station, off the TGV from Paris and the tour ends with a morning transfer to Montpellier station after the barge cruise.   SEND FOR 2011 ITINERARIES ********* Notes from my Food Diary Auberge de la Riviere, Velluire Velluire is a riverside village at the sleepy southern edge of the Vendee département, just north of La Rochelle. Its only hotel, Auberge de la Riviere is set seductively on the riverbank, which is perfect for a post-lunch walk. But first, lunch, Sunday lunch, in the posh-rustic dining room overlooking the water. We began with an amuse bouche of roasted prawn with parsnip puree - a beautifully cooked little morsel and a novel combination. The French custom of sending out a complimentary pre-nosh nibble is not just a charming surprise, it’s a good predictor of the cooking to come. Our starter of langoustine & prawn on a salad of Mediterranean vegetables - tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers was the essence of summer on a balmy autumn afternoon. The main course of roast monkfish came with a rich meaty jus, an almost liquid potato puree and a long crisp sesame feather - an elegant signature decoration that we noticed on many dishes at other tables. Roast fish with gravy and mash sounds pretty trad, but this one arrived in a big glass, with the sesame feather balanced on the top and we had to plate it up ourselves before we could eat it. We were puzzled by the presentation, but very happy with the cooking. The cheese course came on a traditional tray, phew. A good and varied selection, but not so many that choosing became impossible. We had a Boulette d’Avenses for the first time - it’s a white cow cheese flavoured with fresh herbs and rolled in paprika, and worth seeking out, as is the garlic-spiked, slightly smoky Gaperon, from the Auvergne. I’ll always have a sheep cheese if there’s one going and there was. There are dozens made in France, the most highly regarded come from the Pyrenees, but others are made in Provence, the Rhone-Alpes and Aquitaine. I didn’t catch the origin of this one, but it had the typical pale colour, fine texture and subtle salty taste. Lovely. Our menu offered a choice of two puddings, so that’s what we had - one was a restaurant favourite, a baked chocolate pudding with a liquid centre, served with rum and raisin icecream. “Best pudding so far” said Robert. Mine was a strawberry milkshake, with strawberries and redcurrants and a parcel of hot stone fruit on the side. Mad packaging, but with good flavours underneath the gimmicks. Then a dear little pistachio creme brulee appeared - “pour finir”. Service was friendly and smooth, from two young men under the watchful eye of the elegant and charming patronne. The Vendee has had a turbulent history - the 100 Years’ War in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the shorter, but still nasty, Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century, and a revolt against the Revolutionary government in the 1790s, which didn’t go well either. But sitting on the sunny veranda of the charming Auberge de la Riviere, or strolling beside the Vendee river, it’s impossible to imagine that it hasn’t always been this peaceful and calm. AUBERGE DE LA RIVIERE,VELLUIRE, VENDEE ********* BOATING NEWS & SPECIALS GREAT RENTAL BOAT DEALs for 2011 - BUT ACT QUICKLY! Le Boat have some great deals for 2011 for the quick witted and decisive traveller - book and pay for a rental boat before 23 AUGUST this year and pay the 2010 prices AND get the early booking discounts. We expect 2011 prices to rise significantly, because this year's Euros prices are so low, when compared to the prices in other currencies. Le Boat have canal and river bases all over France, plus a couple in the Veneto region of Italy, for boating around the Venice Lagoon and the Po Delta Nature Reserve. They have a wide range of boats too, sleeping from 2 - 8 people. (The early booking discount applies to all Le Boat boats except the top of the range “5 anchor” class.) Most other operators will also accept bookings at the 2010 rates up to when they release their 2011 prices, so if you are considering a boat from France Afloat, Nicols, Locaboat, Pavilon Saone, etc. it is advisable to book soon to get the best price.  New Depot in Venice Le Boat also tell us they are opening a new boating depot north of Venice at Precenicco, near Trieste. Plus they are launching a new range of eco-friendly, deluxe boats this month. We’ll have more details soon. LAST MINUTE HOTEL BARGE SPECIALS The lovely six passenger barge Emma, on the Canal du Midi, has now opened the week of 2-8 October 2010, for individual cabin bookings.  They will be cruising between Beziers and Carcassonne through the most scenic part of the canal and are offering a 250€ p.p. discount on bookings confirmed before the end of August.  That reduces the all-inclusive fare to 2750 Euros per person, share twin. European Waterways have an Earlybird offer of 25% off some 2011 charter cruises. Deposits must be received before the end of August and the offer applies to selected boats including the Anjodi, Art de Vivre, the Belle Epoque, the Impressioniste and the Rosa. They also have some very good discounts on some end-of-season 2010 cruises - 25% off selected 12 & 8 person charters in October - so a party of 8 goes for the price of 6. and a party of 12 goes for the price of 9. Deposits must be received by 31 August, so get a group together fast. If you don’t want the whole boat, just a cabin for two, they also have a few September and October departures, mainly in Burgundy and Gascony, but also on the Thames in the UK. €500 or €1000 per cabin discountis a significant saving, but with the same 31 August deposit deadline. Other barges, such as the Caprice, Lorraine, St Louis and Etoile, also have reduced fares for selected cruises, which are great value for the flexible and decisive.   CONTACT US FOR DETAILS OF THESE BOATING SPECIALS CHARTER? CABIN? QUE? If you charter a hotel barge for a week, it’s your cruise, if you book a cabin, you join the other passengers who’ve also booked a cabin. Some smaller 6 or 8 passenger hotel barges only take charters, usually with a minimum of 4 passengers. So, let’s say you’re a group of six vegetarian, pinot noir-loving golfers and you book a charter (somewhere in Burgundy, I suggest), your week can be tailored to your requirements and interests - lots of salads and tomato tarts, playing on local golf courses, and visits to vineyards. Some things won’t change, like the cruise route and direction, but the crew will arrange the details to suit your party. Larger boats, taking up to 20 passengers, are available for charters too, but they need to be booked fairly well out, in order to get a week that is still completely free. If you book a cabin for a cruise, there is still more flexibility than on, say a coach tour, that’s one of the pleasures of hotel barging. There’ll be a programme of activities for the week, the boat’s guide will take you out on visits to chateaux, vineyards, craftspeople, etc, but if you’d prefer to go for a bike ride or a walk along the tow path, or just lounge on the deck with a good book or a sketchpad, feel free. Either way, a hotel barge cruise is a wonderful holiday. ********* SNAPSHOT Riquewihr - A beautiful base in Alsace The border region of Alsace is a uniquely delightful destination and Riquewihr is one of its most beautiful villages. It has many attractions that make it a great base for exploring. Its setting is perfect; a walled town with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses covered with baskets of geraniums and surrounded by row upon row of grapevines. But it’s not a theme park, it’s a working wine town. Alsace produces distinctive and seriously good wines - especially Riesling and Gewurztraminer, but also Pinot Gris and Muscat. Riquewihr has notable wine houses like Dopff & Irion, who are open for cellar tours and tastings and whose wines are available in NZ too. Riquewihr is also blessed with some notable restaurants. We especially like Le Sarment d’Or for its beautiful old furniture, friendly welcome, impeccable service, delicious traditional cooking and great value. http://riquewihr-sarment-dor.fr/index/en/ Then there’s Chef Jean-Luc Brendel’s stunning Table du Gourmet with a Michelin star and his informal, tres cool, bistro d’Brendelstub. He combines the traditional and modern with great panache in both establishments,on the walls and on the plates. Equally stylish is his Le B. Espace Suites - four suites with all mod cons in an old vigneron’s house, near the Brendelstub. http://www.jlbrendel.com We also like the hotel L’Oriel, in the centre of town, but down a quiet side street (the main drag can get a bit hectic at times.) With 20-odd pretty rooms arranged around an internal courtyard where breakfast is served on warm days, and helpful staff to smooth your stay, it’s relaxed and restful. http://www.hotel-oriel.com AND SPEAKING OF WINE.... Forget scallops and paua, forget gold bullion even, the luckiest divers in the world must be the ones who found a consignment of 200 year old Veuve Cliquot at the bottom of the Baltic. They think there may be more than the 30 bottles found so far, & I’ll bet they’re searching hard for the rest. The good news is that it’s still drinkable - “absolutely fabulous”, according to one expert. The champagne, made in the 1770s or 1780s, was thought to have been on its way to the Russian Imperial Court from Louis XVI. Poor old Louis, if he’d known what was coming in 1793, he might have drunk it himself.... mailto:info@bespokefrance.co.nz?subject=query%20from%20websitemailto:bestour@xtra.co.nz?subject=taste%20france%202011mailto:bestour@xtra.co.nz?subject=boating%20specialshttp://riquewihr-sarment-dor.fr/index/en/http://www.jlbrendel.com/http://www.hotel-oriel.comshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5
 
eBon Voyage.....
is our slightly irregular web newsletter, featuring notes from Barbara’s food diary & other useful information to make your holiday in France easier, more fun, more French.
B E S P O K E      F R A N C E
Robert Buchanan & Barbara Keen
PO Box 5489 DUNEDIN NEW ZEALAND
ph:  03 472 7856     fax:  03 472 7855
 
email :     bestour@xtra.co.nz
         info@bespokefrance.co.nz
THE PYRENEES
MARQUEYSSAC
RIQUEWIHR
BAR, ESPELETTE
l’IMPRESSIONISTE