Cognac

Our drive today took us to Cognac, which is not only a spirited libation, it's also the town where Hennessy is headquartered.  The chateau is impressive, and our tour began with a boat ride to the other side of the Charente River, there we were shown a video and then toured the cellars.  The grapes for cognac come from this area, and there are strict requirements as to how the cognac is made. 

Hennessy was founded in the 1700s by an Irishman with forward-thinking ideas about commerce and sales.  His Cognac was the first sold to the American colonies, and the rest is history.  Hennessy is sold around the world, with some types only sold in various areas to complement the tastes of their customers, such as the Pure White sold in the Caribbean. 

Hennessy employs its own masters to create their barrels, which are reused, and repaired in their cooperage. 

You can see how precisely the barrels are placed here in the cellar.  When a new employee lays down a line of barrels, the others will put a bouquet of flowers over the front barrel to applaud their new co-worker, as well as labeling the side of barrels in that row to identify the employees' hard work. 
There are 3 calligraphers employed by Hennessy to write on the barrels.  Every step is geared toward tradition as well as history. 

After a tasting, we were let loose in the retail store, showcasing the interesting shapes and designs of their bottles.  Of course, there are the traditional bottles as well. 

After our tour, we headed off into the countryside for our next nights' stay near Bergerac.  Finally, in the Perigord, we are at a beautiful chateau where we enjoyed a delightful dinner with our group. 

View from our room

A few classics

In the Dordogne at last, foie gras

Beautiful vegetarian starter

Ah, duck breast

Dessert-sort of creme caramel with fruit

After this delicious dinner, we decided it was time for bed, and a late morning wake-up call, since our drive, will only be 70 miles and we can laze around in the morning.  Off to St. Emilion sometime after 11 tomorrow.  Ciao for now. 

Road Trip

Dr. C. and I left Rome on Thursday to fly to Paris and pick up a Mercedes C class convertible to meet a driving tour with Classic Travelling.   We had done a trip to Kent with them last September, and it was so much fun, this year we decided come to France and tour the Dordogne.  We've had less than great luck with vintage cars, so we decided Hertz would be our provider this time, and they did not disappoint. 

That shifty looking character eyeing the car at the Hennessey cognac center is Dr. C

When we got to Paris, it was cold and rainy.  We were to meet the group when they landed on the ferry from the UK in Brittany, so we drove to Brittany and were met by a cold blustery evening.  The winds were howling when we went to get the luggage out of the car. 

When we woke up the next morning it was rainy, windy and cold, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you look in the distance you can barely make out Mt. St. Michel

Once on the road from Brittany, we headed south along the coast; the brilliant thing about Classic Travelling is that the routes are mapped out for you, with suggested stops in little towns along the way.  We stopped in the small town of Vitre, and had lunch. 

We decided on salads for lunch but then.........

Profiteroles arrived...this is one portion, but we managed to do it justice!

This is the French version of a cappuccino which was sublime!

  After lunch, we headed south again to our hotel for the night, a beautiful place on the ocean. 

Tomorrow we head for Cognac, a tour of the Hennessey chateau, and then finally staying in the Perigord, one of my favorite places.  I taught here twice at La Combe en Perigord, and loved the small towns, markets and the food which is sensational.  More on that tomorrow, until then Ciao for now.
P.S. Dr. C. and I speak no French whatsoever and it has made us realize that we need to remedy that on this trip.  My bon jour and merci are about all I know.  

Searching for the real France

This morning I arrived at Charles De Gualle airport in Paris; me and 300 sleepy passengers, stumbling off the plane, into the light, and then down a tunnel into the baggage claim area, all tapping our feet, wondering whether we'd ever see that bag we packed 2 days ago. Why is it that baggage claim is your first hint of what the country will be like---I think that's pretty unfair, since France is a lovely country, once you get outside of the cities. Although my friends love Paris, it's not my favorite city --- granted it's got great art, food, and culture, but it's also congested, sprawling, and today it's an oven. I hopped over to St. Germain des Pres on the Metro and stopped in at Simrane a lovely store that sells linens and some women's furnishings; the ride over on the metro was hot, hot, hot, and reeked of BO, sweat, leather and gym socks. I walked back to the hotel, it was worth the sun burn. Tomorrow I will be going to the real France, the one that isn't crowded with tour buses, or Ma and Pa from East Oshkosh complaining about everyone speaking a foreign language, and the pace is slower. When I come to Europe, I want my clock to slow down---I'd stay at home if I wanted to continue at Mach II. A two hour ride on the TGV high speed train to Angouleme, then we will be picked up and whisked another 2 hours away to La Combe en Perigord (www.lacombe-perigord.com) for a week in the Dordogne. I'll have students, and we'll do 3 hands on cooking classes, but the rest of the time we will be going to markets, seeing the incredible sights this part of France has to offer, including the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux. And the food---if you ask any Frenchman where the best food is in their country, they will say the Dordogne. Foie gras, goat cheese, walnuts, prunes, and Bergerac wines---I'm ready and will be posting this week as time allows with photos and stories, as we savor the joy of the real France.