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September - November 2024
  • Danielle and Co travels
Heading off with my BFF to Scotland and then meeting Ian in France to make some wonderful memories. Read more
  • Danielle and Co travels

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  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    We had a nice group for the tourLooking across the vineyardsIt is a lovely wineryChateau Lancyre main buildingThe weather was looking quite inhospitable but the rain held off for most of the dayBi-product that is used in a variety of waysBertrand explaining the history of the ChâteauWe took shelter where the barrels are stored, previously this is where the sheep were kept in winterThe wines we got to tasteDelicious and plentiful lunch prepared by Bertrands motherMore wineDessert was a piece of chocolate cake and a piece of coconut cakeSnow the family dog

    Pic Saint-Loup (part 1)

    October 16, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Today we ventured out to the Pic Saint-Loup wine region, located about 20 km north of Montpellier. Our guide was Bertrand, who grew up, and still lives, in the area. There were seven us on the tour, a French couple Karin and Laurent from Versailles, an American couple Rachel and Gerard from Kentucky, and Anne from Scotland.

    We headed off pretty much on time in Bertrand’s Fiat Van. He was full of energy, very engaging and spoke very rapidly in both French and English while waving his arms about for most of the trip out there. It was a 25 km drive from Montpellier and he told us a lot about the wine regions or appellations of France, with Pic Saint-Loup being the youngest (2017). He also told us the legend of how Pic Saint-Loup got its name - it involved three brothers who loved one girl, war, lost love and loss. Pic Saint-Loup is the spectacular mountain that the wine region is named after, or it would have been if the sun was shining.

    We arrived at the Château Lancyre where they had finished harvesting a few weeks ago and were now busy with the post harvest activities such as blending. This vineyard is owned by one family and grows mainly Syrah and Grenache on one property which, as we found out, means that it can be called a chateau. It has been in the same family for a couple of hundred years but has been producing wine for a lot longer. After a tour of the property in gale force winds we went to Le Caveau, where we tasted five wines, a rosé, two whites and two reds. They were all very good but there were two standouts for me: D’Ici en Voit La Mer, 2023; La Rouvière, 2023 AOP Pic Saint-Loup; D’Ombre et de Lumière, 2023 AOP Pic Saint-Loup (my favourite white); Vieille Vignes, 2021 AOP Pic Saint -Loup; and Grande Cuvée, 2020 AOP Pic Saint -Loup (my favourite red).

    After we finished the tasting and bought some wine, we were back in the van heading to Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles, a small village in Pic Saint-Loup where Bertrand was born, raised and still lives. We went to his house, which is more like a compound with several residences and buildings. He lives there with his wife and three children and his mother. We were treated to a delicious lunch made by Bertrand’s mother (who is 74 and fabulous). Lunch comprised of a range of dips - chestnut, pea, beetroot, lentil & hummus with bread - a piece of spanakopita, a piece of onion pie, baked goats cheese in filo pastry, confit duck with smashed potatoes, and a salad. We then had a piece of chocolate cake and a piece of coconut cake for dessert, finishing with an espresso. The food was washed down with a red wine from Pic Saint-Loup. We also met the family pooch, Snow, a 4-year old Golden Retriever.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Fiat Van that got us around
    It was magical to stroll around this villageBeautiful Les MatellesThe village is so well keptBeautiful metal relief of horsesBeautiful pots and well kept climbers everywhereAutumn colours make it even more specialAll so well maintained - 80 people live in the medieval villageChâteau La RoqueAll full following the harvestTower at Château La RoqueBertrand in his elementA very nice red - 70% Syrah, 30% GrenacheHarvest is completeChâteau La RoqueSome leaves have started turningThe various sized bottles on offerIan admiring the ancient Roman road discovered under the floor

    Pic Saint-Loup (part 2)

    October 16, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Following lunch, we rolled back to the van and Bertrand drove us to a stunning medieval village called Les Matelles. Here we were able to wander the narrow streets and stretch our legs and, most importantly, let our lunch digest.

    We then headed off to another winery, Château La Roque, for an additional tasting. Earlier in the day, as we had been chatting with Bertrand, it came up in conversation that Gerard had proposed to Rachel with a bottle of red from Château La Roque. Bertrand thought it would be cool to visit the winery and so he spoke to the owners who said of course we could come by and have a tasting. So we did. It was a beautiful winery and when they were recently doing some renovations they discovered part of an ancient Roman road under the floor.

    We got back to Montpellier and had a quiet night in. It is hard work eating and drinking all day!    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Out the front of Musée Fabre
    Painting from the Flanders section - I just liked it, no idea who the artist wasPierre SoulagesPierre Soulages had a thing about the colour blackPortrait de Lucien Bonaparte (1808) FABREAdam by Alexandre CabanelBy Alexandre CabanelThis room is very grandLove a still life - this one is by ManetRenoir, painting Frédéric Bazille paintingAn early Claude Monet (1866)Portrait of Frédéric Bazille by Claude MonetAspasie (1824) DelacroixUne nourrice au Jardin du Luxembourg (1872) DEGASSome of the spaces are magnificent, this is the Griffin RoomYan Pei-Ming, ShanghaiYan Pei-Ming, ShanghaiYan Pei-Ming, Shanghai

    The Fabulous Musée Fabre

    October 17, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    We headed off for a coffee on our way to the Musée Fabre. Unfortunately, Café Cours, where we had coffee on our first walk around Montpellier, was closed, so we found another place in the pretty Place Jean Jurés. We then walked up to the museum which is located just past the large Place de la Comédie.

    Musée Fabre, was founded by the neoclassical painter François-Xavier Fabre in 1825. It is one of France’s finest public collections and continues to grow through donations and bequests from artists and collectors. Pierre Soulages recently demonstrated his attachment to the museum and the city of Montpellier by making a large donation of works from his collection, which covers his career from 1951 to 2012. The museum was renovated between 2004 to 2007 and is a deceptively large space. It is easy to get lost or distracted as there are many floors and staircases to follow.

    It was fairly quiet, so we started off in the ‘Nordic’ painting section which had art from Flanders and the Netherlands, from the Renaissance to the 18th century. We had planned to continue looking at the old masters but caught a lift and somehow found ourselves on the top floor in the much more contemporary Soulages Collection, which was very interesting. Pierre Soulages was born in Rodez and moved to Montpellier in 1941 to study at the School of Fine Arts to become a teacher; around this time he also discovered the Musée Fabre. Following World War II, he established himself as one of the main representatives of French art abroad. A unique feature of his work is that he paints almost exclusively in black, apparently due to a fascination with an ink stain on his wall when he was a child.

    We found our way back to the old masters and went through the Renaissance and 17th Century, French Painting of the 17th and 18th Centuries, and then onto Neoclassicism, Modernity and Contemporary Art. After two solid hours we had had enough, so went in search of lunch.

    We saw much that we liked and much that just didn’t do it for us, especially the religious art. A new artist I was drawn to was Alexandre Cabanel, but only his later work from the 1860’s till his death in 1889. We saw a number of Delacroix paintings, a few by Rubens, Renoir, Degas, Manet, Monet, Corot, Greuze and of course Fabre.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Lunch at Le Marvelous
    Tomato and BurrataBruschetta with peppers and anchoviesWe both had pork as our main, with new potatoes, carrots and a three pepper sauceJean Jaurés, a French socialist leader who was assasinatedLove this little laneAnother cool street signAnother lovely place21Great box our treats came inI had a caramel Mille-feuille1Ian had an apricot and pistachio tartAnother cool streetLots of lovely street artStreet artMore street artMore street art2I love the attention to detail the French pay when wrapping your purchase

    Discovering Montpellier

    October 17, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    After leaving the Musée Fabre, we went in search of a place to have lunch. We ended up in Place Saint-Ravy at a brasserie called “Le Marvelous”. We went for the fixed price two course lunch. I had bruschetta with toasted peppers and anchovies to start and Ian had tomatoes and burrata, and we both had slow cooked pork in a three pepper sauce with new potatoes and carrots. All the food was delicious. We chose a Pic Saint-Loup red to go with the meal.

    After lunch, we just wandered around the streets for a while, checking out some of the interesting stores. We went to the supermarket for some dinner supplies and then went to Lily Cakes to get ourselves something delicious and decadent for afternoon tea. Ian chose an Apricot and pistachio tart and I chose a caramel Mille-feuille. They were both very good, but not something to have too often.

    We were making our way back to our apartment and came across a number of interesting stores that carried locally made products. I ended up getting myself a ‘banana’ bag (that’s what the French seem to call them) - a bum bag you wear across one shoulder and under your other arm. They are made locally in Montpellier by a young woman whose company is called Sunny Moon. There are some other wonderful Ateliers of St Roch that I will check out tomorrow.

    Our area is a wonderful part of the city to wander around. Tonight we did some washing and had some Charcuterie, cheese, baguette, fruit and a bottle of white from Château Lancyre. I can’t believe it but I am also pretty much up to date with my blog.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Saying hi to Mira who we bought some things from yesterday
    Great coffeeSainte-Anne ChurchLovely crochet workAppeals Court - cleanest building I have ever seenArc de Triomphe - Gate of PeyrouLarge statue of the Sun King (Louis XIV)Château d'EauAqueduc Saint-ClémentPlace Royale du PeyrouView to Pic Saint LoupCathedral St Pierre, MontpellierCathedral St. PierreAnother aspect of Cathedral St. PierreLunch at Black CatCheersCathedral St.Pierre in the background as we head back to the centre of townPlace de la CanourguePlace de la CanourgueMocha and Moccachino at Café Bonvoisin

    Last day in Montpellier

    October 18, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today we had a bit of a late start as I had got up at 3am to buy tickets to the Cyndi Lauper tour coming to Australia in April 2025. A a bit of frustration and seeming to go around in a loop over and over, I can report I was successful and Heidi and I will be going to see her next year. I then went back to bed and slept until 9am, which is quite late for me. After a petit-déjeuner of yogurt, fruit, toasted baguette and coffee we headed out to explore more of the city.

    Ian had found a self-guided tour on-line, so we vaguely followed that. We passed the shop where we had bought some handmade products yesterday and Mira greeted us like friends, so I asked if I could take a picture of her shop and her, which she agreed to. We wandered around the narrow streets and laneways and came across Café Bonvoisin (aka Coffee House) that was run by the very friendly and talkative owner Sid. He was very pleased to be preparing coffee for two Aussies from Melbourne as he said that the French don’t yet appreciate great coffee. We both ordered a Cortado (piccolo in Melbourne). He was very keen to hear what we thought of his coffees and, luckily, we could tell him that they were excellent and of the standard we expect in Australia.

    After our coffee we continued up Rue St Anne, past lovely artisan shops and the Église Sainte Anne towards the starting point of our self-guided tour. We stopped at a post office so I could buy some more stamps and it was the quickest and most straightforward transaction I have ever had in a French post office.

    We walked up Rue Foch, past the Hotel de Ville and beautiful apartment buildings, the court of appeals building - one of the cleanest buildings I have ever seen - towards the Arc de Triomphe, also referred to as the Porte Du Peyrou. We continued towards Place Royale du Peyrou, where there is a huge statue of the Sun King (Louis XIV) and the Château d’Eau. Just beyond the Château d’Eau is the Aqueduc Saint-Clément, which was 14 kilometres long and took 12 years to build.

    We then headed down towards the Montpellier Cathedral, called St. Pierre. On the way we passed the Jardin des plantes de Montpellier (Botanical Gardens), which is associated with the University. St. Pierre Cathedral is a huge building; you don’t realise the full magnitude of the building until you start walking from one end to the other.

    After all this sightseeing, we had built up an appetite, so we started looking for somewhere to have lunch. We came across a lovely Square called Plan de l’Université where we had lunch at The Black Cat. After lunch we continued to walk through the area, finding some great spots like the beautiful Place de la Canourgue, Place du Marche aux Fleurs (that used to be a flower market), and amazing Pâtisseries every few hundred metres. We also spotted lots of cats today, although most were camera shy.

    We started making our way back to our apartment via rue St. Anne as I had a noticed a jewellery shop that had interesting and colourful earrings called Bijoux, Creations by Henri Mouraire, I chatted to Henri for a while and got a peak at his workshop. He designs and makes everything himself which is so nice to see. His material of choice is Perspex.

    Before heading home we stopped at Sid’s place again for coffee. I had a mocha and Ian his first ever Moccachino. Sid was very happy to see us again and gave us a couple of recommendations for Lyon which is nice. I also stopped in on another store called Merveilles where everything is hand made by the owner or friends of hers who are also artisans. It has been a lovely day just meandering around this beautiful city at our own pace.

    Tonight we plan to try another local place for dinner.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Sites on our evening stroll
    St. RochPlace St. RochPlace St. RochA beautiful sunset over MontpellierSuch intense coloursOur dinner venue tonightSuch a lovely eveningHappy customerSuch a cute Jack Russell who entertained us during dinnerCheersThe chef - excellent foodDinner - a veritable feastWe shared lava cake, it was so goodLovely cat we saw today - they had a lovely comfy spot, totally protected but could watch the actionCats were the theme today

    Last dinner in Montpellier

    October 18, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    We went for a bit of a walk before dinner around the burb, which we have become very fond of. We also wanted to build up an appetite and add to our steps for the day. I have ended up with 10,500 steps, so not too bad but nothing compared to when we were on the bikes last week. We went to L’Amuse Bouches for dinner, a restaurant at the end of our street about 50 metres away.

    This place specialises in tapas and so we shared a chicken and mushroom brochette with a mustard sauce, padron pepper croquettes, a mini cheese and bacon burger, and the most delicious fish bites with a mint sauce. We had a lovely half a litre of red wine (grain sagesse) which was smooth and went perfectly with our dishes. We then had a chocolate lava cake to share for dessert. We sat outside and people watched. We were also entertained by a vey busy little Jack Russell whose owner was in the restaurant.

    We have really enjoyed our time in Montpellier and I hope we can return someday.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    On our way to Lyon
    Our lovely apartment, check out the beamsLooking towards kitchen and dining areaThe bathroom, everything is beautifully styledOur bedroom - the bed is so comfortableLooking out of our window to the street belowThe Cathedral looking down on usRue St Jean, a very busy pedestrian area in the old town (and the street we are living on this week)A juggler entertaining the crowdsChicken with a mushroom sauce and potatoes dauphinoisIan chose a local delicacyEnjoying a digestive after dinnerAppreciating the cognacA lovely little restaurant near our apartment we might try this weekBeautiful glass shop that I intend to return to while we are hereMarionette storeStreet ArtBaker in full gear churning out some delicious goodies

    Montpellier to Lyon

    October 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today was a travel day. It is exciting to be heading to a new city, but also sad as you are leaving a city that you enjoyed, and where there is a feeling of so much more to do. We left the apartment around 10am and had a relatively quick and easy walk back to the main station - it had felt so much further when we first made our way to the apartment just four days earlier. We had breakfast at Café Paul and then it was nearly time to get down to the platform and wait for our train, which was coming from Barcelona. Boarding the train was fairly hassle free, although there was limited space for our suitcases, but we got it sorted in the end. The trip to Lyon was just under two hours and we had been in contact with our host, Odile, who said we could come straight to the apartment. We caught a cab from the station and Frédéric, Odile’s husband, was there to greet us and let us in. We were staying in the old town in a very busy street, Rue St Jean, but the apartment, which is on the 2nd floor had two sets of windows (one double-glazed), so was very quiet.

    The apartment was very nice, stylish and comfortable, with beautiful exposed beams that are hundreds of years old. Once we unpacked, we headed out to get some supplies from the supermarket and we had a light lunch back at the apartment, as we planed to go to a traditional Lyonnaise Bouchon for a relatively early dinner. Packing and travelling, and then unpacking is very tiring indeed!

    We did head out for an early dinner. I had tried to book a couple of places that Frédéric had recommended but, being a Saturday night, they were all fully booked. We ended up at a place just around the corner from the apartment. The meal was quite nice. I had a chicken supreme with mushrooms, and Ian had Quenelle de Brochet, a light and airy pike dumpling in a creamy seafood sauce, a local specialty. We even indulged in a digestive following the meal when the waiter looked a bit disappointed that we weren’t having dessert. We then did a little promenade around the area to check out some of the other bouchons and restaurants as possible options for this week, as well as some of the beautiful shop windows without the crazy crowds of earlier in the day. We were both tucked up in bed before 9.30pm.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    The great chef Paul Bocuse
    SEVE patisserie2Cheese glorious cheeseCharcuterie as far the eye can seeEvery stall was so beautifully presentedGlacé fruit anyone?More cheese!Our lunch venueSaucisson to get the appetite going2Steak tartare with a side of roasted bone marrowEnjoying my steak tartareIan had the special of the dayThis is called café gourmand which is a taste of all the desserts and a coffee - we shared itHappened upon a beautiful Sunday art marketThere was some lovely art for saleStatue on the banks of the SaôneOn our walk back from the market,outside the appeals courtLooking back across the Saône - are apartment is behind the building with columns and French flagThe Lion, the emblem of Lyon, it is a symbol of nobility, strength, resistance and courageThe song of the Canuts

    Les Halles de Lyon - Paul Bocuse

    October 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This morning we had a lazy start to the day. We headed off for the market, named in honour of Paul Bocuse (who passed away in 2018), who was based in Lyon and known for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approach to cuisine. He is considered to be the “pope of gastronomy”.It is a wonderful market full of fantastic food and produce stalls, and also a number of great restaurants.

    After checking out the produce and buying some chocolates from Seve Chocolatier - recommend by our mate Sid in Montpellier - we decided we would find a spot to eat early as we know how popular Sunday lunch out is to the French. Ian chose Les Garçons Bouchers, Restaurant de Viandes. I think we were their first customers of the day and we chose to sit at the bar amongst all the action. Ian chose a lovely AOC Burgundy from the Beaune region, which went down well with our food. He had the special of the day - Araignée de veau(or veal spider) - which was a special cut of veal that has been marinated for a few days and then quickly grilled, served with Paris mash. I had steak tartare (a favourite) but with a little roasted bone marrow on the side. The friendly young chef had suggested that we share this entree to start, which horrified Ian, so I paid a supplement to have just one marrow bone with my main meal, which was bloody beautiful. We then shared a tasting plate of the desserts which included a pana cotta, a praline tart, crème brûlée and a chocolate cake. The food and wine were all great.

    We then slowly walked the 2kms home via a gorgeous shop that sold silk scarves made in Lyon - a few will be coming home with us.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsTravelerEurope 2024
    Early in the climb
    Roman ruinsFlowering passion fruit vine with a beeYou can see how many stairs there were and we haven't reached the summit yetThis part didn't have stairs just a very large inclineView back down to the centre - we had climbed about a third of the wayThis is the mural in its entirety- the rolling snaps zoom in on particular aspects or scenesThe gardenThe stairsFeathered friendsThe centre of the pieceCat on the balconySome goose trying to use the ATMMarionettes and puppets are important in Lyon's historyThe living garden wallThat dude in the hat keeps photo bombing meOn our way back down, that's why I am smilingReward for all the hard workI was so I need of a coffee after all the climbing and then descendingPlace des Terreaux

    Croix-Rousse or bust!

    October 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After returning from the market and a short sit down, we were off again. This time, heading for La Croix-Rousse District, which is also known as silk workers (Canuts) hill because this is where they used to live and work. There were many, many, many steps to climb, I lost count of how many. The effort was worth it for the views we had over Lyon from the top. On the way, we passed the two thousand year old Amphitheater des Trois Gaules, which was in pretty good condition considering its age.

    After stopping at the main terrace to enjoy the view, we continued a bit further in search of the “Mur des Canuts”, which is the largest trompe de l’oeil (trick of the eye) fresco in Europe. The history of the mural began in 1986, when a company wanted to have a mural painted on a building wall along the Boulevard des Canuts that was a hideous eyesore. The mural painters of the cooperative CitéCréation were engaged to create a trompe l’oeil fresco, illustrating all that was typical of the Croix-Rousse district and its unique identity. They decided, in conjunction with the inhabitants of the Croix-Rousse, to design a work comprising buildings, courtyards, alleys and stairs, all with architecture mirroring that of their quarter. This became the largest painted wall in Europe and won acclaim, so much so, it was included in the living heritage of the City of Lyon.

    In 1997, motivated by the huge success of the “Mur des Canuts”, which had made Lyon the French capital of mural painting and attracted millions of visitors, CitéCréation’s mural painters decided to breathe new life into this mural by updating it to reflect the changes that had occurred over the past decade. The buildings had changed, the colours had brightened, shops had opened on the ground floors, stairways had come alive and the characters in the first version had aged ten years.

    In 2013, the CitéCréation’s mural painters once again used their fresco to reflect the changes that have occurred in the Croix-Rousse. They kept the original composition and spirit of the work, but they again updated the architecture, facades and shops, aged the characters fifteen years, added to families, gave life to the squares, stairways and alleys and, for this most recent version, a dimension of urban equity and sustainability. It is a really impressive piece of art which was worth the climb!

    We then had to make our way back down into town, which was a much easier walk. On the way we stopped for a coffee and a cookie that we shared. We will be having a quiet night in after a big lunch and a very big walking day. We also were entertained by a flamenco dancer and her guitarist this evening.    Read more

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