Assemblage, the secret behind the Bordeaux wine

Last year we went on a special wine outing arranged by the Bordeaux Tourist Office in cooperation with Les Médocaines, four female wine growers in the Médoc wine area. At the La Tour de Bessan Castle we learned a little about assemblage, the art of mixing different grapes to create a wine. Here they say that assemblage is what gives the Bordeaux wines their soul.

The La Tour de Bessan Castle does not resemble a castle. It's a futuristic creation in the shape of a cube, totally modern. When we arrive we are greeted by Marie-Laure Lurton, the owner, who shows us three different wine glasses in front of each seat. The first glass contains a wine made of merlot grapes, the second a wine made of cabernet sauvignon grapes and the third a mix of the two grapes.

Pool is open!!!

We are privilegied to have our own pool. Can't tell you how much I appreciate that - not to mention the children that grow fens during summer... I just finished the after-winter-start-pool-again-treatment and the water looked so tempting that I gave it a try. It was kind of refreshing. I didn't stay for long!

Clara followed me for a short dip but her brother made a more sensible decision and stayed by the border rescuing small insects that had fallen in the water.

The oak trees in the background have tiny little leaves now and summer seems to be in reach... this is the best time of the year...

Monkey tree business

Common in the Landes pine forest are different installations high with adventure paths high up in the trees.  Clara had already tried the children version at Adrenaline Parc outside Moliets, but this time Bjorn was finally old is enough to join her. They both got a thorough explanation of how to use the safety harness and how to unclip one at a time, making sure that at least one clip out of two is attached at all times. Then they headed off together, Clara helping out her brother at times. He was very proud to finish the four different paths for children. The instructor said that next year Clara could try the adult version, much higher up and much more difficult, if she was accompanied by an adult. Maybe I should go there and practice before? Who wants to join me?

Beach Bliss in Moliets

We can go to the beach all year round, but we really don't go very often during winter. In spring, retrieving the beach and the sand is always a bit emotional. Does it show?

Sunny Saturday in Dax

Dax is the closest city to my village, so I go there pretty often. I'll get back to you about Dax, because I want to tell you about its thermal water and about the Férias de Dax, the yearly festival. But this time we just went there to have lunch and and a stroll in the old pedestrian centre. New shoes for Bjorn, trousers and perfume for my husband, pink nail polish for me. Sunglasses on, walking slowly...

Simple salad with Spanish ham, cheese and chorizo

The Splendid Hotel, newly renovated, and its palm trees

Typical pedestrian street in the old part of Dax

The plane trees are still all bare, while all the other trees are freshly green

Bonaguil, impressive medieval military architecture

The Bonaguil Fortress from the 13th century is a perfect example of medieval defense systems. Most of the defense techniques were put in place during the 15th century by Bérenger de Roquefeuil. The constructions lasted for forty years. The funny thing is that it afterwards it was never attacked... a new era was starting and the Bonaguil Fortress became obsolete.

I went there with the children on our way to Penne d'Agenais last year in May. When I told them we were going to see a castle, they started moaning. No, not another castle! I just kept on driving on a beautiful road along a valley, turning and turning, waiting for the castle to appear.

Suddenly it did appear, as you see on the photo. Massive, impressive, beautiful.

The children went silent. Is that the castle we are going to? Wow!!!
No more complaining...

We didn't do the guided tour, as I thought 1,5H was too long for my little one, but I would reallly like to come back and do that to get a thorough understanding of how the defensive system was supposed to work. Seemed very interesting!

The official web site for the Bonaguil Castle
Interesting article about the history and defense system

Sssch... Messanges is my little secret

Some things are best kept secret. Those special spots... with special memories attached. You promise not to tell anyone?

Messanges is a tiny village and sea resort on the Silver Coast in Landes. There you find a small restaurant up on top of the sand dunes, with the most astounding view over the beach and the ocean.  A view like that is extremely rare here, because most parts of the coast are protected, so there are no buildings close to the water. This place is actually the only one I know of with this kind of view between Mimizan and Vieux Boucau.

I go there to walk on the beach, take a coffee and enjoy the view in the morning or to have lunch. Sometimes we take the kids and have dinner there, all soaked in salt and sand. The sunsets are incredible... and last for an eternity as the sun slowly falls down toward the sea horizon.

 

The restaurant is called Bar snack de la Plage and they serve a short menu of fresh really nice salads, a piece of meat or cod. Their sangria is top and the waiters are very friendly. Come just before noon, when they start serving food, if you want to have a seat, because when the weather is nice, it fills up quickly. Another good place in Messanges is La Hitillère, a bar restaurant with fresh food and great music.

The Telegraph elected Messanges one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world... pfff...my secret is not so secret any more I guess!

Big blue sky....

A romantic getaway in Saint Emilion

Saint-Emilion might look like the standard example of a tourist trap. It is very touristic - but still. This little medieval city has an incredible amount of charm. UNESCO has put both the city and the surrounding vineyards on the world cultural heritage list. Steep stone laid streets, real old stone houses with thick walls and wine shops in every corner. At several places you have an astounding view over the tiled roofs and the vineyards.

I went there with my husband on a romantic getaway.... perfect! We stayed at the Logis de la Cadène, one of these real old places with stone walls and furniture with a history. From our room we saw out over the restaurant below and its terrace covered in vines. We had lunch there, with the sun light filtering through the leaves...

San Sebastian leaves me speechless

Café in the Gros district of San Sebastian

Just to make things clear: San Sebastian is not in Aquitaine. It is very close though, go on for fifteen minutes once you cross the border and here you are, saying Hola and Gracias (most of my Spanish vocabulary right there) and experiencing a completely different culture. You are in the north of Spain, in the Spanish Pays Basque.

Biarritz rugby team wins important game

Basque supporters who came from Paris to support their team

I have already told you that rugby is important in the Southwest of France. Now I finally have some good pictures to show you, because I finally made it to my first rugby game! Biarritz against Ospreys in the quarter final of the European Cup in San Sebastian.  Important match. Many supporters. Big sun on a big blue sky. The kind of day when you don't even have to like rugby to enjoy the match!

Gujan Mestras and the seven Oyster Harbours

The Larosse Harbour in Gujan Mestras makes for a perfect postcard picture with the oyster farmers small boats and the little huts where you can taste fresh oysters with chilled white wine. Gujan Mestras has no less than seven harbours and stands for half of the Arcachon Bay's oysters.

I went there last spring with the children. We started with some play time on the Hume beach next to Gujan Mestras. The tide was low, so the sand stretched far out and the boats where tipped on the side. The air smells of sea! This just dry landscape is difficult to take pictures of, it is beautiful in a subtle way with shades of green and grey and beige...

Get Charmed by Bayonne, the Chocolate Capital

The charm of Bayonne is hard to resist and it is my favourite shopping place. You combine the rationals of shopping with the pleasures of winding streets, cafés and a beautiful setting by the Nive River. Maybe you know that Bayonne is famous for its ham? A little less known is that Bayonne also is the Capital of Chocolate in France. About one shop out of two has a shop window full of chocolate...

Moliets, our Beach

Moliets is our favourite beach.

Since the outflow of the Courant d'Huchet runs freely, it overflows on the beach every year, which has made the Moliets beach the largest one along the whole coast.

The only problem is that once we're here, the children never want to go home.

Photo Rodrigue Flickr

The Easter Bells come with Chocolate Eggs

Happy Easter! Here in France the children will go out in the garden to look for chocolate eggs. The Bells - les Cloches - have left them there. Don't ask me about the story behind it.... well, according to Wikipedia, the bells are silent and mourning since Thursday, then they go to Rome and coming back they bring the eggs and spread them out. Strange tradition!

Photo Wikipedia

In Sweden the children get loads of candy in fancy decorated eggs made of carton. Then we paint real eggs and use feathers to decorate branches of trees.

This weekend we are going to Paris to see my husband's brother. Maybe I will share a few photos from the City of Lights when I come back...

Sarlat-la-Canèda, no stress, only pleasure

Pleasure is a word that comes easy when talking about Sarlat. The beauty of the landscape, the abundance of castles, the wings of a history full of bravery and shining knights. And the food. Always the food.

Photo: C. Sotomayor

Before going on this long weekend trip I had gotten advice from my neighbour, I had studied guide books and done research on internet. My predominant feeling the night before leaving was anguish. Too little time, too many things to do and see! How will I choose?

Time for Asparagus from Landes!

Maybe you know that Landes, where I live, is the kingdom of Asparagus? Last week the Asparagus harvest started here! Finally! One month late, because since winter had been colder than usual, the soil took longer to reach the necessary temperature.  Yesterday I went to get my first shot of fresh asparagus - I say shot because it is very easy to become dependent on the fresh ones - here in Castets at the Copa, cooperative. You buy they in boxes of five kilos! Yeah, it is a lot, but they can be stored for up to three days and also frozen (peeled). In my box you only see the tops, but you can also buy the whole long ones.

Sunday lunch in Guéthary

Sunny and warm weather made us feel like meeting the sea again... and in Guéthary we found a charming restaurant, Café Loco, by the railway tracks and a view over the ocean.

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Article about Bordeaux in Washington Post

Enough of Bordeaux for a while! But I am making an exception to tell you about this article written by an American lady married to a Frenchman. More and more people are discovering the new Bordeaux... more lively, more outgoing, more fun than ever before.

Bordeaux in Washington Post

Entrancing Courant d'Huchet

Courant d`Huchet is an outflow from the Léon Lake all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean at Moliets. It is classified as a protected area and only licensed 'Bâteliers' have the right to bring boats with tourist on excursions. Many have talked to me about this place, telling me how fantastic it is, a tropical and very different nature, magical environment... but I must admit I remained pretty sceptical about the whole thing. I thought it was more for retired people with a botanical special interest.
Last year I tried the short version, two hours, and I am totally conquered!

Peaceful and entrancing are the words that best describe what it was like. Next time I will try the longer version of four hours, which will take me all the way out to the ocean. The old French president Mitterrand used to come here many times. Apparently he never uttered a word, he just sat silent and admired the nature, thinking.

Duck for Dinner

Living life easy. Go to your village butcher. Pick up some duck ribs. Prepare them with salt - Brazilian way. Cook until rosy inside. Enjoy, immensely.

Anything with duck can't go wrong.

My weekend in Bordeaux - the Hot Dry Docks

Bordeaux was the most important harbour in France during the 17th century and using the Garonne River for transport was an important factor in making Bordeaux wines known world wide. Since then the activity of the harbour has declined a lot and the dry docks north of the centre had become a wild and partly abandoned area, with empty hangars and other storage buildings.

But now the docks are getting a new life as the hot spot for the festive part of the young Bordeaux people! Here you find some the hottest bars and dance places in town. Or at least that is what I had been told. So I suggested to our friends that we go there on a Saturday evening in May 2009.

We took the tramway to the last stop - bassins à flots - and got off. This is what we saw.

My friends and my husband looked very sceptically at me. Are you sure we aren't lost? Is this the hot party area you were talking about? I confirmed, but of course I was starting to wonder myself....

Armagnac VI - Domaine d'Esperance

We visited the Domaine d'Esperance on a bleak and grey winter day. The photos are not doing justice to this place, full of charm and beauty, set on a high with a view over the vineyards around. Here they make armagnac and wine, both with several medals. The proprietor, Duchess Claire de Montesquiou, was not there for our visit. One of her family ancestors was the wife of d"Artagnan, the famous young man in Dumas book ‘The three musketeers’.

It was her experienced oenologue Sylvie who showed us the propriety, explained how they work and let us taste some Floc de Gascogne and an armagnac from 1941... Awesome!

Arcachon, with oysters and love

View of the Moulleau beach in Arcachon. Further away the Pyla sand dune. Photo Wikipedia

My first visit to Arcachon was to see my friend Nathalie, who has a summer house there. She showed us around, the Winter City area with the crazy architect houses, the shopping street in the centre, the marina, the old fishermen area and the main pedestrian street longing the beach. I fell in love instantly.

Arcachon has, like the villages around the Arcachon Bay, a special light, a closeness to the sea and its movements, its smells. The tide decides a lot for life here, taking the water far out at low tide, setting the boats ready to go at high tide. It also sets the working hours for the fishermen, because they can only take care of the oysters at low tide.

Arcachon is like the capital for the Arcachon Bay. It is a perfect starting point for discovering this unique region, by car, by bike or by boat. It's always lively here all year around. Many people living in Bordeaux have their summer house in this area.

My weekend in Bordeaux - Brunch at the CAPC

An old storage building that is reused as a museum for contemporary art, that is the CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain. Incredible place with enormous volumes below old arcades, like a cathedral. It is also, on the top floor, a beautiful restaurant/café Café du Musée with a very charming terrace. We went there for brunch.... if I lived in Bordeaux I would go there every Sunday morning...

The permanent collection of the museum is of a very high quality and for free. There are continuously different temporary expositions. When we were there, one has just ended, so the locals were empty.

Aran Goyoaga and her amazing food blog

This girl lives in the US now, but she was born in the Pays Basque and grew up with her bakery owner parents. She has the most amazing blog, Cannelle et Vanille, with the most amazing photos. Especially desserts and cakes look like they are to die for. Her photos are very poetic, with a special light. To be honest, I must mention that I have never tried any of her recipes, but I can't get enough of her photos and her stories about her Basque family. Maybe I recognise her way of looking back at times, the nostalgia of a place where you grew up. Fresh ingredients, respect for natural flavours and beautiful presentations make her blog utterly attractive to me.

Her photo of a Gâteau Basque. I got a special permission to use it.

A happy day at Ganaderia de Buros

 

After my day with Jean at Ganaderia de Buros I had like a small glowing ball inside that kept radiating warmth and happiness for hours. Strange... I'm not exactly a cowgirl you know, not a go back to nature and eat raw roots person at all... And still, every time I meet people from the Southwest countryside, with occupations that include a lot of fresh air, animals and a hell a lot of work... I feel happy. These people glow of something that has become pretty scarce in the cities: harmony and contentedness. They work a lot, sometimes really a lot, but they don't stress.

My happiness that day had a lot to do with Jean himself. He is the owner of Ganaderia de Buros and a very charismatic person. The nice weather was just the extra bonus!

He told me about the excitement in chasing pigeons with nets, using the techniques of an old, old tradition. He also told me about his wild cows, the cows he breed to participate in course landaise, another old tradition in the region of Landes. Follow me into his world, where pigeon hunting by net is part of everyday life and breeding wild cows a passion.

Pigeon hunting with nets, colombière
Breeding of wild cows for course landaise.