Le jeu de boules

la vinaigrette

Sarastro — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:44:00 +0000

At the heart of a great deal of French cooking is la sauce vinaigrette. Used in salads and a host of other applications, this simple sauce adds flavor to even the simplest of dishes. It’s not the least bit difficult but the proportions resulting in the best flavor are to mix:

3 parts olive oil

1 part vinegar

¼ part French mustard

salt to taste

From this basic beginning one may add thyme, parsley, or other herbs as are available. I shall refer to this basic recipe from time to time as it is a valuable tool in any kitchen.

SOS Medicine

Sarastro — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:28:11 +0000

A good number to always have handy in the unlikely event that you or someone with whom you are traveling becomes ill:

01 47 07 77 77
For about 70€, you’ll have a physician visiting you in your Parisian hotel room in under an hour.

Le Grau du Roi – The shops, my personal favorites

Sarastro — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:30:12 +0000

Historically, the French patronize a wide variety of sole proprietors for virtually all of their basic needs: meat, bread, vegetables and a host of other supplies. Of course now much of these needs are provided by large grocery stores, corporate behemoths where one never meets le partron. I still believe there are advantages to developing personal relationships with those from whom we purchase life’s necessities and consider the sole proprietor as my first choice when seeking daily provisions.

Here is my list of the best shops in Le Grau du Roi, these shops are open year round:

Le Panier des Fruits – near the Post Office, offers consistently the best produce in town. Madame will add a few sprigs of parsely to your purchases at no charge if you ask.

Le Friand II – boulangerie with excellent baggettes. Pasteries are good, perhaps the best in town, but baguette is the draw.

Au Pain Paysan – a newer boulangerie with a wide range of bread choices which are probably just as good as the Friand II. The merangues are particularly outstanding.

Butcher – alas, I have found the butchers in Le Grau average at best. For meats I recommend a trip into Aigues Mortes where there is an excellent butcher (no shop name of which I am aware) but he is found about 30 meters straight in from the main gate, just on the left. His meats (both beef and pork) are excellent and the butcher himself is a jolly gentlemen but beware, his accent can be a bit difficult to understand. Otherwise one might wait for the thrice weekly markets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings . There are several butchers whose products are probably better than what is typically available in town.

Other unique items at market:

Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy either the local lucque olives or the olives à l’ail (garlic olives) which are both quite heavenly.
Look for Fougasse d’ Aigues Mortes - a sugar coated, lightly perfumed with fleur d’oranger flavoring bread that may be enjoyed with one’s morning coffee or served as an excellent dessert
Tellines – small, sweet bi-valves similar to tiny mussels, steamed and served with either a vinaigrette or bourride sauce. They may be purchased at the market, uncooked for approximately 12€/kilo.

Your mobile phone in France – UPDATE

Sarastro — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:46:37 +0000

I recently reviewed the telecommunication options for those traveling in France. Among the companies offering service in Europe (including Callineurope and Mobal) the following are my recommendations. Unlike the better known plans there are no set up fees with the following and per minute costs are minimal.

Consider either of these two options:

1. If you have an unlocked, GSM tri or quad band phone, purchase a Breizh SIM from PhoneHouse. Cost is 6.90€. Minutes are sold prepaid in increments of 5€. 52 minutes for 10€ or .19€/min. This rate applies to calls made to either other mobile phones or fixed line phones. There is never a charge for inbound minutes.

Phonehouse

Note: Recent reports have indicated Phonehouse no longer sells this SIM, at least not from its Paris stores. It is still available via internet sales from Breizh.

2. If you do not have an available GSM phone, purchase one for 29€ ($41) from Virgin (stores all over France). There is no setup fee and it comes with a SIM and 12 free call-out minutes. Additional minutes available in increments of 5€ and charged at .27€/minute. There is no charge for inbound calls.

Virgin Mobile

Updated 7 Nov 09

La Gourmande – the best Crêperie in the south of France

Sarastro — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:44:21 +0000

Certainly there are a good number of Crêperies in Brittany. However in Le Grau du Roi, there is a crêperie that is every bit as good as anything found in St. Malo or elsewhere in Brittany.

La Gourmande is not easy to find at 3, rue Etienne Bonneze (on the left bank). In fact rue Etienne Bonneze is not a street at all; it’s an alley and not a very long one. But within a few steps of the rotating bridge in the heart of Le Grau du Roi is one of this areas greatest restaurant surprises. Madame Cotton, an import from Brittany herself, uses only the freshest of ingredients, her batters made from scratch from long tested, family recipes. Her galettes are cooked to a dark brown perfection, her crêpes are so tasty that even with nothing on them but butter they could be individually boxed and sold as large, flat cookies. Of course you may order yours with Nutella or various other sweet fillings but I prefer just plain with a bit of sugar. With but a minimum amount of filling the rich taste of the crêpes itself really stands out.

La Gourmande is a culinary delight, difficult to duplicate at any price. But here, a galette (ham with egg), salad, and your choice among a list of dessert crêpes is only – 9.90€. Of course you’ll want to order a pitcher of cider with your diner, a 50 cl of cider is under 7€.

We’ve been regulars here for several years but recently, we dined with a family friend who is French with deep roots in Brittany. Our friend too was impressed with the quality of Madame Cotton’s galettes and crêpes.

Le Grau du Roi has an abundance of good restaurants serving fresh seafood and oysters but even a seafood devotee such as me enjoys an occasional taste change. La Gourmande has become one of our favorite restaurants.

Le Grau du Roi – marché aux poissons

Sarastro — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:04:25 +0000

One of the best things about le Grau du Roi is the food. The restaurants are inexpensive and the fresh fish are plentiful. If you like fish and can prepare it yourself, there are four or five fishermen selling their catch every morning along the port. If you ask, they will clean the fish while you wait.

Marche au poissons, le port du Grau du Roi

If the fish is to be cooked in the oven (au four) it will be scaled. If you plan on grilling your purchase (grille) it will not be scaled. There is generally an excellent selection of fish: dorade, loup, pageot as well as bulots (sea snails), and ray (raie).

One of the easiest ways to prepare fish is in the oven. Cover the fish in olive oil and place then in an oven dish. Add onions (or shallots), olives, tomatoes or what ever is on hand. Salt and pepper, adding just a bit of butter for the final touch of subtle flavor (une noisette de beurre). Before placing the dish in the oven, add one half a glass of white wine. Here, Picpout de Pinet is the local favorite, a dry white wine perfect for fish and oysters or mussels. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and dinner is served. Shown below are two pageots, purchased just minutes before preparing and cooking.

Pageot ready to serve

le départ, destination le Grau du Roi

Sarastro — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:41:47 +0000

It’s the end of the first week in Jun, today we depart for Paris and connect through to le Grau du Roi in the south of France along the Mediterranean coast. Le Grau du Roi has been a six year pilgrimage for us, its beaches and activities are a perfect detraction for our daughter and the seafood and inexpensive restaurants are a perfect attraction for me.

We first depart IAH on Continental. This is our first trip on a Boeing 767 as Continental recently downgraded to this aircraft from the B777 it had been using since retiring their DC-10s. In a word, the flight was disappointing. An earlier departure time, just after 3 pm, means one is less likely to obtain the required sleep and the aircraft itself does not compare in comfort with the previous model. Cramped seats and older audio-visual systems lead the list of disappointments, food and service were OK but for a Business Class fare, we were underwhelmed.

We easily connected to AF for our flight to Montpellier where we were met by our landlord. M. Coviesec always finds time to pick us up at the airport and drive us the 20 minutes to our apartment . Wow, what a view! The 4th floor of an apartment building at the end of the canal’s entrance into the sea with a view not only of the port entry but of the beach as well.

It’s been a long trip but we cannot wait for dinner. Tonight it’s le Rose des Sables, a very popular restaurant for us as well as with the locals. Le Grau du Roi is a working fishing town which unlike many of its neighbors is open and thriving every month of the year. Le Rose des Sables remains open even when the summer tourist return home, a testament to its reputation, excellent service, and always fresh seafood.

As we settle in for our first night, I can hear the waves slap against the sand on the beach below me. Vacation is underway.

France summer 09

Sarastro — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:25:52 +0000

Beginning this week, I narrate our 4 week stay in the south of France. The food, the beach, the lifestyle – all as seen by Sarastro.

Daytrips from Paris

Sarastro — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:47:43 +0000

I could very contentedly spend weeks vacationing in Paris without ever feeling compelled to leave. Many visitors though wonder about the surrounding country side and there are some fascinating destinations just an hour or so from the center of Paris.

Here is my list, sanitized from long, boring, and expensive tour bus rides which offer little but the reward of fatigue and the advantage of hours of transportation boredom.

Château de Pierrefonds

Château de Vincennes

Located at the end of Métro line 1

Fontainebleau

Take SNCF train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon in the direction of Montargis Sens and disembark at Gare de Fontainebleau Avon
Fare 9.40€
En route time 1+02

http://www.transilien.com

From Gare de Fontainebleau-Avon, take Aérial bus line A to Château
Fare: 1.40€
Buses every 15 mintues.

Entrance fee: 8€
Students: 6€
Free entry the first Sunday of each month
Entrance plus one hour guided tour (in French only): 11€

Giverny

Open daily except Mondays from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm from April 1st to October 31st

Provins

Low Season
Open from January 2nd to March 21st and from November 3rd to December 31th:
Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weekends & public holidays from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
High Season
From March 22nd to November 2nd :
Daily from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m..
General closure December 25th and January 1st

Vaux-le-Vicomte

Open from March 15th to November 9th from 10.00 am to 06.00 pm, last admission at 5.30 pm
RER D to Melun
Shuttle or taxi from Melun
Entrance: from 14€

Versailles

RER C: direction Versailles-Rive-Gauche-château
Gare Montparnasse: SNCF train serving Versailles-Chantiers
Gare Saint-Lazare: SNCF train direction Versailles-rive-droite

And for children:

Parc Asterix

Disneyland Paris

From Paris, take the RER A4 to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy. RER station is at the Disney gates.

Fare – 6.55€, children 4-10 50% fare, children under 4 free

updated 17 May 2010

Spending in Euros

Sarastro — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:44:22 +0000

Though certainly no expert, I have followed the topic of money exchange carefully for some time now and have drawn several conclusions. Here is a summary of money exchange options and how you may benefit from the advantages of each one:

__________________

Credit Cards

1. While your bank may not charge a currency conversion fee, Visa and Master Card does on all transactions made outside of the US whether the charge is in dollars, euros, pound sterling, or any other currency.

2. Most banks, particularly the large well known variety, add a 2%-4% service fee to all international charges or fixed fees per transaction or both. You will pay this in addition to the 1% Visa/Master Card currency conversion fee.

3. Many smaller banks or credit unions pass along the 1% MC/Visa currency conversion fee but few add any additional fees of their own

4. If you return an item or are issued a credit on your card, you will incur new and additional fees on the credit transaction.

5. Capital One is one of the few credit card issuers that not only adds no fees of their own to international transactions but absorbs the Visa/MC currency conversion fees. Using this or a similiar card is the least costly means of doing business (making purchases) outside of the US. What Capital One may charge for those carrying monthly credit card balances is another matter.

6. Discovery cards are not accepted in France (or Europe in general). American Express is accepted by hotel chains and more exclusive restaurants. AE is not widely accepted outside of well trodden tourist paths.

7. The only way to really know what you are paying for the privilege of using your credit card while traveling is to ask a knowledgeable representative at your bank. This website may help one understand the costs of international transactions:

___________________

ATM Cards

1. Few if any French banks charge for withdrawing money from their ATMs. This means transactions are at or near mid market rates with no fees.

2. Cirrus and Pulse charge a 1% currency conversion fee on all ATM withdrawals make using their networks.

3. Few US banks will miss the opportunity to add fees and charges to international ATM transactions. The Bank of America/BNP alliance offers no cost currency exchange in obtaining euros at market rates. Again, many smaller banks and credit unions do not charge for international ATM withdrawals.

4. Those using ATM cards with 6 digit PINs may want to confer with a knowledgeable representative at their bank as 4 digit PIN access appears to be a European norm. A 6 digit PIN card carrier may find that his card work fine by entering only the first 4 digits with withdrawing cash at a European ATM.

5. If your ATM card is tied to more than one account, a French ATM will not give you the option to choose from which of your accounts the withdrawal will be made. Knowing which of your accounts tied to ATM withdrawals in the default account may be useful information for those travelling.

6. When in need, remember that virtually all French post offices have ATM machines available.

7. Daily limits may make using ATM machines as a primary means to obtain funds for prepayment of apartments difficult. These limits are generally set by terms established by your bank, not necessarily a French bank.

8. The only way to really know what withdrawals will cost is to ask a knowledgeable representative at your ATM issuing bank.

__________________

Travelers Checks

1. In my opinnion, ATM machines have made Travelers Checks obsolete.

2. Travelers Checks are expensive to buy, difficult to spend, and are generally exchanged for euros at rates less favorable than cash rates (direct dollar for euros).

3. Overall, I find no compelling reason to use them.

___________________

Cash

1. There may be many valid reasons which require one’s obtaining large cash amounts in euros; rental or apartment deposits/advance payments being one of the most common.

2. Generally, the most cost effective way of obtaining large euro amounts is to trade dollars in Paris (acknowledging the obvious risks). I have found the following offer the lowest overall cost to the traveler who needs such an exchange (usually at 2%-3% premium above the mid market rates):

CC Opéra

FCO Change

Bureau de Change

Updated 25 July 2009