Written on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Eurostar, flights, Montelimar, MP2, train
These days it’s so much easier to travel to the Drome by train than it was, even five years ago.
Eurostar from St Pancras to either Valence, Montelimar or Avignon takes more or less the same time as flying once you factor in all the extra time required at airports these days with enhanced security checks etc. You have to change at Lille but it’s only a question of a quick change of platform. Going via Paris is a little trickier as you have to change stations but the Paris metro is a doddle – or you can always treat yourself to a taxi! (If you’ve left yourself some spare time between connections, the moules-frites at any of the restaurants opposite the Gare du Nord are far superior to any plastic sandwiches bought on board the train).
You can hire a car at Valence TGV station and take the scenic route through Crest and the mountains to Condorcet.
Montelimar is the best destination for getting a connecting coach straight to Nyons, and they’ve changed the times now so that they coincide with the TGV arrival/departure times. From Nyons it’s only a short hop in a taxi – or call us and someone may be able to pick you up.
Train travel seems so civilised in comparison to the experience at MP2 where you wait in an overcrowded terminal that ressembles a cattle shed and then jostle to get the best seat on your Easyjet or Ryanair flight. From the train you can see the French countryside passing by or just get stuck into a book. Nor do you have to worry whether your hand luggage is the right size – you can take a normal suitcase without having to break the piggybank.
So if you live in or near London with easy connections to St Pancras International, it’s definitely worth giving it a try; you may be surprised how quick and easy it is!
Written on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 4:33 pm
local produce, vineyards, wine
Having tempted you all with my restaurant suggestions I thought I’d now move on to my favourite local vineyards. We are really spoilt in this area with so many of the Cotes du Rhone named villages close by to choose from. There’s nothing quite like drinking a bottle of wine from a place you’ve visited, sold to you by the people that grew and bottled it. A highlight of every summer for me is to visit the vineyards choosing a new selection to load the car to take home. Don’t be daunted by the idea of ‘degustation’ – most domaines are geared up for visitors and are happy to explain about grape varieties, percentages etc. It’s only good manners though to buy a few bottles at least.
For those of you looking for a good place to take friends or family for their first wine-tasting the Domaine de Viret is a good place to start.
Situated just outside St Maurice, the Domaine is well signposted from the village. The building, constructed according to the principles behind the pyramids of Egypt, is very impressive (hence the name), perched on the hillside. The vineyard practises cosmoculture, a mixture of biodynamics and ancient practices. They have a full explanation of all these terms on their website, but don’t worry it’s not ‘obligatoire’ to hum or chant, you can just taste and enjoy!
They offer a good range from excellent ready to drink wines such as Energie Yang or Solstice to top drawer ‘keepers’ such as Renaissance, with something to suit every pocket.
Written on Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
activities, autumn, fires, walking in provence, wine
Really looking forward to my week back in the Drome. I love this time of year: daytime can still be warm enough to soak up the rays or swim but the mornings and evenings have that slight chill in the air. It only needs the smallest hint of a chill for me to light a fire – any excuse really. I love to close the shutters in the evening and sit in front of blazing logs with a glass of Vinsobres and the latest slice and dice.
It’s also the perfect time to go for long walks in the countryside without having to pack numerous bottles of water. The light is particularly clear in September – just right for those artists or photographers among you. In fact the quality of the air around Nyons is famous – so much so that in the past asthmatics used to be sent to the area to recuperate.
It’s also vendanges time and the scent of wine lingering in the air hits you as you drive up from the airport.
Time to go out wine-tasting once more. Naturally not for my own benefit but just so that I can report back to you all!
Written on Wednesday, September 7th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
activities, boar, local produce
A few days ago shots were ringing out on the hillsides near Venterol and bobbing red hats could be seen moving through the undergrowth. Boars don’t wear red hats so this is a safety measure for the hunters. Friends staying at my house saw 2 dead boar loaded in the back of a pickup on its way back to the village and the next day the ex-mayor brought round a leg for them to sample. Clare was invited to dinner that night and reports back that it was very tasty indeed.
French wild boar
Don’t feel too sorry for the wild boar: this article gives more inforamation on French wild boar.
Wild Boar or Sanglier Tweet
Widespread
across the whole of France the Wild Boar ~ Sus scrofa scrofa or Sanglier as it is known by the French is
much maligned by farmers who readily blame it for…
And this next report by BBC News Europe details how their numbers are on the increase and pose a serious threat to agriculture. They’re even starting to encroach on the urban landscape. So French hunters are being urged to wage war on the boar. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11948612
Written on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 8:28 am
restaurants
Yes, this is yet another blog about eating out. As Clare has already pointed out, I take my duty of restaurant testing very seriously indeed.
Following my son’s instructions that I simply must try out Café de la Poste in Venterol we dutifully booked a table (luckily as it was packed out) and walked up the hill. They have created a charming little shaded area outside with lanterns and drapes, but there are also tables inside for when the weather is cooler. There is a choice of two dishes for each course and everything is priced per course which means those with smaller appetites can skip a course. All the food was great but the highlight for me was the main – roast quail with a peppercorn sauce, served with a ratatouille and a sweet potato gratin to die for. The wine list is local and we had a pleasant Vinsobres – no worries about quantity when you can walk home! Service was very friendly and efficient – but note they don’t take cards so go to the hole in the wall first.
We shall definitely be going back very soon.
Written on Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 12:33 pm
dogs, hotels, restaurants
It’s always sad to leave after the long summer break. That drive back north with the temperature plummeting every kilometre is a killer. At least with the drive down you have the whole summer to look forward to.
This year on the way home the weather held until we left Avallon on the second day after a mega storm overnight that continued for several hours in the morning.
The stay at Le Relais Fleuri was most relaxing with a quick swim before dinner, a wander around the extensive grounds with Blodri and a pleasant meal. My canard (and yes, there is a strong possibility I may begin to sprout wings myself after all the duck/quail/guinea fowl I’ve eaten this summer!) was good but not great but Graham’s veal was great. My dessert was interesting – a chocolate egg shaped shell filled with a dainty fruit salad and swimming in a raspberry coulis.
It’s a while since I stayed here and I’d forgotten what an attractive area it is. You are just on the edge of the Morvan, a beautiful and mysterious landscape filled with forests and lakes. And the drive cross country to get back to the motorway takes you through quaint little Burgundian villages and impressive forests.
Will be booking for next year.
Written on Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 12:27 pm
restaurants
Are there no lengths to which this woman will not go in order to provide you with restaurant reviews??
Yes, I’ve forced myself to go out for yet another meal. Jo, our local Shiatsu guru, told me about this place which is right at the end of rue des deportes in Nyons. As she also told me about Crocodile which was excellent I decided to try it out and was not disappointed. Very friendly front of house and interesting food: foie gras layered with peach – sounds a bit odd but worked for me; magret de canard which was excellent served with polenta and a good melange of legumes; caramel fondant with caramel ice-cream for dessert which was stunning and a new one to me. You can eat inside in the quiet or sit outside and observe the world passing by.
Will definitely be returning!
Written on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 9:17 am
restaurants
The restaurant has now reopened under the new management and we tried it out a few days ago. Very friendly front of house but the restaurant seemed a tad desolate with no pictures on the walls and no table flowers/candles etc. The whole experience seemed to fall between two styles – neither quite relaxed bistro nor high-end dining. So butter with the bread but no side plates. Front of house in jeans but still smart tablecloths. They are no longer doing the formule for wine whereby they suggest a suitable glass of wine for each course and I think that’s a big mistake. It was a signature of the restaurant dating back to the days of Muriel and Christian and means you get to try out different wines and can be flexible on quantities. These days with the gendarmes on the prowl, a bottle is too much for a couple. For us it meant that I only had one glass as nothing else by the glass really went with my other courses and my other half didn’t have anything.
And the food? Well, it’s early days so I don’t want to be too harsh but let’s just say it was very disappointing. Not up to our gastro-pub at home. I think they’re going to have to up their game if they want to survive the hot competition in the area.
Written on Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 9:58 am
driving, special places
Do you have special places or things you look out for on long journeys? It was a way my parents kept me amused as a child on journeys and I still have fond memories of the full-size horse outside a garage on the way to Cornwall who only wore his tail in good weather; the mysterious pool on Bodmin Moor that I was told was bottomless; and the amusing sign outside the Wibbly Wobbly Wheel garage near Exeter.
What things do I look out for driving down through France?
The slag heaps of Northern France which always remind me of Zola’s ‘Germinal’.
The impressive sight of Laon, the ancient capital, perched on its hill. I once broke my journey there in a hotel (I think Bannieres de France) memorable for two things – a massive en suite with the door hidden in the flowery bedroom wallpaper and a huge cheeseboard in the restaurant which included a pyramid shape cheese that I seem to remember had a touch of ginger. I’ve never found it anywhere else.
The sign for the ‘vallee d’aa’ – what a great name – I wonder what its derivation is?
I love the elves and mushrooms which pop up in various guises and varieties beside the autoroute between Troyes and Beaune.
Before Troyes there is the Aire de Charmont with its sign for ‘station carburant automatique’ which turns out to be one solitary pump. Why???
I’m also intrigued by the seemingly random windsocks that occasionally appear.
This year there was a new sign warning us that the powers that be are creating ‘les passages pour faunes’. I’m sure it can’t mean that they are being encouraged to cross the autoroute?
My absolute favourite (yes, I know this is very sad) used to be a large ad on the side of a house not far from Nyons for ‘toilettage’(pet grooming parlour) which showed a very soignee poodle – sadly the sign has now been painted over.
Written on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
restaurants
I’ve been told to try out Cafe de la Poste in Venterol where I (Sue) have my house. My son and friends have been a couple of times and really rate it. Of course, a major plus point for me is that I can walk home from there. No worries about having a few glasses of wine! So I shall try it out very soon and report back.
