The Seven Year Itch

We're coming up on seven years of living way out here in the French countryside. Seven.

Husband grew up in New York City. I spent my entire adult life living smack dab in the middle of urban spaces - Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans. I never had the desire to live in a rural setting.

Now we live in a village of 418 people.
Which is beautiful. Idyllic. Full of friendly neighbors and a tranquil, charming village life.

Lately though, we've both been craving a change of pace, we're wanting some new adventures. It's time to head to a city. We want to go see films, go out to art galleries and restaurants, see some live music, get back into the general buzz of an urban landscape.
And we miss take out! The luxury of being able to call for Chinese food, pizza, etc. while lazing about the house, wearing slippers, hair up in a messy ponytail, no make-up. (heck, just getting some decent Chinese food, delivered or not, would be a luxury!)

But which city?
Montpellier?
Marseille?
Paris, perhaps?

Seven years. I'm starting to itch. Pin It

South of France Views

Since October I've taken advantage* of friends who live in beautiful places and made a couple of trips around southern France to two stunning regions, each of which with their own unique personality and charm.
Last month I went east on the train to Marseille & Cassis and last week I jumped in our little car and drove north to Rodez.

Both times I was well taken care of!
There were local wines to taste and cheese shops to visit; I was driven to a picturesque Provençal village perched on a hill, and to a picturesque Aveyron village perched on a cliff; we explored le Panier neighborhood in old Marseille and sat with un café noisette in a sunny café along the pretty port in Cassis; we toured the lovely city of Rodez and sat with a glass of Marcillac red wine in a local bar looking out at the glowing nighttime Rodez cathedral.
Both times my French got a good work out, as did my little camera.

The view from Cassis


La Vielle Charité in Marseille


The Vallon des Auffes in Marseille


Provençal patisserie


Petite maison à Rodez


Gothic courtyard of Rodez


Cathedral in Rodez


Village of Bozouls

Église de Bozouls


Side street in Bozouls



Next week I'm taking trip number three.
Tuesday morning I'm pointing the car northwest and heading to the Lot-et-Garonne to visit Kate for few fun-filled days of Armagnac, duck fat infused cooking and Gascon markets.


No camp this time, (I will definitely miss my fellow campers) but I'm sure there will be Cassoulet!


le Relais de Camont



*I mean that in a nice way, of course Pin It

Photo du Jour - Colors of Marseille

Faded sign in le Panier.

This quirky quartier, one of the oldest in Marseille, is a maze of narrow streets and steep staircases lined with colorful old houses, art and craft galleries, cafés and restaurants.

Le Panier's current claim to fame - it's the backdrop for the popular night time French soap opera, Plus Belle la Vie (often called PBLV). Pin It

Photo du Jour - Graffiti!

Now this kind of graffiti, I can live with. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Some of the color combinations in Marseille reminded me of the colors in Tuscany. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - If You Can't Stand The Smell....

...you better stay away from our kitchen!

My trip to Marseille last week yielded a Corsican cheese to die for.
In a small fromagerie, le Normandy, I bought a piece of this pasteurized sheep's milk cheese called U Bel Fiuritu. When the fromager handed me the cheese I put my nose near the the little waxed paper package to take in its aroma, but the shop was so odoriferous, I didn't pick up anything unusual.
It wasn't until later, on the train home, that I noticed an aroma wafting up from my bag...this was one smelly cheese!



It had a washed rind that was quite sticky, yet edible, a soft texture and flavors that ranged from creamy to spicy. We both loved it's heady flavor that prickled on our tongues as it developed.
A glass of Minervois red paired nicely with this cheese.

I highly recommend U Bel Fiuritu and since it is a pasteurized cheese, it is hopefully readily available outside of France. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Cookies in Marseille

On the left are Cancatelli and on the right are Croquant Amandes, which I love. Pin It

Photo du Jour

The most beautiful asparagus at a market in Marseille. Pin It

Marseille - One More Step on the Path to French Citizenship

The alarm sounded far to early Tuesday morning.

An 8:15 AM train out of Narbonne means leaving our house at 7:30 at the latest. The train going over was a TGV so stops were minimal: Sete, Montpellier, Nimes, Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille. (I never realized that Avignon was only 2 hours from Narbonne by train. I love Avignon!)
Armed with a map, a good book, my camera, paperwork for the Consulate and a list of cheese shops pinpointed on the map, I was ready for a full day.

The transition from the train station to the Metro went without a hitch. I found my stop and came above ground to get my bearings. By now it was 11 AM. Three hours until my appointment.

Off to find the first cheese shop, le Normandy.

I walked and walked. And walked.
None of the cross streets names were appearing on my map, a fact that didn't worry me too much since I'd printed it from viaMichelin.com and wasn't sure how detailed it was. Finally I came upon a large boulevard and another Metro stop. Turns out I was walking in the wrong direction! For 40 minutes.
That is so like me...one of these days I'll learn to just ignore my instincts and go the exact opposite direction that I think I should.
Retracing my steps and walking 15 minutes in the right direction, I found le Normandy. (and yes, all of the streets were on the map)


The aroma upon entering was pure, in-your-face cheese heaven! They had a nice, varied selection and some gorgeous looking Camembert from Normany. One of the only cheeses available that I haven't already tried was a brebis from Corsica, so I bought a piece for la Fête du Fromage.

After a decent lunch in a busy little brasserie, I checked in with the guards at the Consulate, passed through the metal detectors and went to get my signed document from the Consul General.
The process required $30 and took about 35 minutes in total. The paper I received, the equivalent of an extrait de casier judiciaire étranger, required my swearing to the fact that I've never been convicted of a crime nor filed for bankruptcy. Piece of cake.

Now it was 2:35. My train wasn't departing until 4:45. The other cheese shop on my list, l'Art de la Fromagerie, didn't look too far away, so I made sure I was going the right direction and set off. Several long hilly blocks later I found the shop. Fermé.
Merde.
Oh well. There was still plenty of window shopping at Zara and H &M to keep me busy until my train. (my feet weren't that sore and swollen, really)



I finally got home about 8:30 PM. My husband and I had a celebratory glass of local red, had a bite to eat and I collapsed in bed.

So....
This morning I triumphantly took my entire, completed Demande d'Acquisition de la Nationalité Française dossier to the Mairie and turned it in.

Now I wait.
For possibly up to 18 months. Pin It

Photo du Jour - A Moment in Marseille

The sad thing was, all the shops had gone out of business... Pin It