Mom in France

Weekend Visit: Theoule-sur-Mer

Lucky ducks!  That's what I think when I look at this picture.  Their frickin' playground is the French Rivieria - which has all kinds of glamorous connotations (bardot on a yacht in St. Tropez, etc) but just looking at this picture and seeing the amazing not -for-nothing is it called azur sea and the snow-capped mountains in the distance I realize how hard their lives are going to be later, when they will leave such extreme beauty to find their way in the world.  Meanwhile I, no stranger to an impressive landscape (cue Bennet singing "I left my heart in San Francisco"), lap it up.

A Day Out: The Institut Oceanographic in Monaco

 

I recently had a week-long staycation while our nanny was on a real vacation.  My mom came and we spent the week gardening, preparing for a birthday party and playing with out boys.  We managed to make it out one day and did the short trip to Monaco to visit the aquariums at the Institut Océanographic in Monaco.

Have you been to Monaco?  I like going there - it's different enough to feel like I've actually been somewhere.  The thing I always note about it is how clean it is - like the "streets" of Disneyland the place feels a bit staged, but pleasant.

The Institut was founded by Prince Albert I in 1906 after more than 20 years of exploration and research. It feels like something directly out of Jules Verne.  A huge neo-classical building built into the rock, the instiut houses aquariums, a museum that memorializes the days of exploration under Prince Albert I, a theatre and research facilities.  It's most famous director, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, is no where mentioned.  A little research hints that the Cousteau family - still very active in oceanography - tightly controls the Cousteau legacy (even if they don't all get along themselves).  Therefore, the museum has no mention of the relationship and role that Cousteau played as director or how the instiut and Monaco provided a base and support to Cousteau. 

If you want to get a (funny) idea, you need to watch Wes Anderson's hommage.

Today, the public part of the Institut is on three floors - the main entrance and atrium which were closed due to an installation while we were there, downstairs were the aquariums and upstairs the displays of artifacts and history of the early explorations

The aquarium is not huge like in Monterey Bay in California but it is nonetheless impressive and interesting, especially the wing devoted to the Mediterranean species.  The museum was filled with preserved specimens, huge fish skeletons and models of the on-board labs used at the dawn of the 20th century.  In all, an amazing look at one piece of oceanography from its beginnings to today.

A Little Bit of London: Borough Market

Writing this post reminds me that the amount of stuff I don't know is a lot.  And sometimes finding something new that isn't new at all makes me feel like that last to know.  However, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the discovery of Borough Market while on a visit to a very frigid London in early February.

Growing up in California during New Wave '80s, London seemed like the best place on earth.  It also was hopelessly foreign, not a place that I could actually go to.  So it's still a bit of thrill that it's only a 2-hour flight from where I live.  I went to meet up with a Bostonian friend I hadn't seen for 4 years.  A friend from fresh-out-of-school youth - raw, not yet fully formed adults.  Now we are middle-aged, married and parents, and this visit was a fun way (for me) to reconnect to that period and to somehow make our friendship relevant now.  I wasn't disappointed - my friend spent part of his college time in London and had his favorite spots and lucky me, Borough Market was on the tour.

We headed there early Saturday morning while the rest of the city slept, recovering from the previous evening.  It as amazing to glide through the city in the sunny but frigid air, the city itself nearly silent.  The market was open, though drowsy, when we arrived.  People were blowing in their hands to warm them.  The stalls were either foods screaming local or careful imports from France and Italy.  There was a lot of cheese. 

The veggies were of the incredibly beautiful winter variety, similar to what we have been eating at home all winter - cabbages of all kinds, squash, chard, potatoes and leeks. 

I was craving a 2nd cup of coffee so my friend introduced me to the Monmouth Coffee Company which immediately reminded me of some of the coffee purveyors in San Francisco.  They clearly take the coffee very seriously (as apparently should we).  Of course it was wonderful - either single-drip or espresso drinks.  I waited at the standing bar while my friend ordered and right there in front of me was kind of manifesto - what it's all about.  I quickly learned that I was not just in some random market coffee stall, but a kind of institution.  Founded in the '70s in Covent Garden by hippie entrepreneur Nicolas Saunders, it has been run and owned by Anita Le Roy for more than 30 years.  It has maintains just three London locations and refused to proliferate despite the growth of coffee culture (i.e. Starbucks and their ilk and Nespresso).  What can I say?  My caffe latte was excellent coffee house coffee.  There is no picture because I put the camera down and drank it hot as soon as it arrived.

 

Walking through the market we were approached by a finger-glove and winter beanie wearing gentleman offering pill-cups of artisanal granola.  It was excellent, nuts, grains and coconut spiced with ginger and sweetened with guava.  I forked out the 5 pounds for a 300g bag.  Basically $7 for 2 cups of granola.  Outrageous and not for the every day.  2 weeks later I enjoyed with my homemade yogurt for breakfast while it lasted.

Then to Neal's Yard, the sister company of Monmouth Coffee.  It was founded by Saunders at the same time, and is owned by Randolph Hodgson, Ms. Le Roy's husband.  I knew immediately that I was in cheese heaven.  While France flouts their cheese and the UK is constantly having to battle their reputation as inferior cuisine, I can say that the cheese at Neal's Yard was simply awesome.  I shied away from the English-made, French style cheese - I don't need another camembert.  We were there early and it wasn't busy but it was still humming.  I'm sure later in the morning it was packed. The folks behind the counter were definitely cheese-crazy - pulling out tasting slices almost before it was asked and importing a lot of arcane information about each one.  We had an interesting discussion about the cultural dimension of taste - we discussed the difference between Chinese, American, French and Italian palates.  No doubt about it that taste is tricky but I can say there is nothing to shy away from at Neal's Yard.  Eat it all.

A thousand thanks to J for taking me on his tour.  Happy to share a 9am burger with you,anytime!

An Evening in Madrid

Last week I spent a couple of night in Madrid where even in near-winter we stayed out until 1am (on a school night!)  I love that when I'm in the taxi going home the town is still full of life.  The only life I might encounter at home at that hour is a hungry wild boar.

My colleagues and I enjoyed a drink at the rooftop bar at the Mercado San Anton (in Spanish) and contemporary Spanish cuisine at La Kitchen.  Thanks to my hosts and I'll let the photos say the rest!

 

 

The Last Gasp of Summer

The rain comes in a deluge again today and will last for at least 3 days, though I know that once it starts raining it's for at least a week.  Rain on the Riviera can be impressive - heavy at times and causing flash flooding and dragging on for days.  I won't feel too bad though because we have only had one period of that so far this fall and the past week has been glorious.

It was Halloween in the US. Here in France we celebrate All Saint's Day, or Toussaint.  Toussaint is a public holiday and 4 day weekend.  While many people travel during this period we decided to stay home - and how glad we were! 

We spent two days in the mountains, and two days on the seaside. 

Day 1:  Picnic on the Pic des Courmettes

The Pic des Courmettes is the highest mountain closest to the sea at 700m.  It's only a half hour drive to the beach and up on the plateau below the summit we felt like we were just hanging above the seashore.  The land is private but there is public access and plenty of trails for walking or climbing to the top.  We picnicked in one of the fields normally used by the sheep or goats we saw grazing elsewhere which made a terrific running place for the kids and gave us exceptional views of the coast and the mountains to the west.

Day 2: Paragliding in Gourdon

While on the Pic des Courmettes we could see paragliders (and one of our friends!) flying from nearby Gourdon.  E had the itch and so the following day we packed a second picnic and with friends headed up to Gourdon to watch the pilots.  It was a fabulous day with E flying 2.5 hours (we were long home by then).  The kids loved watching all the colorful paragliders and hangliders taking off and flying so close by.

Day 3: Lunch in Juan-les-Pins

Need I say more?

Day 4: Nice

Nice was fabulous as always.  We joined the families walking along the Promenade des Anglais and watched the G20 protesters warming up for their march later in the day.  Like everyone else, they were enjoying the weather on the beach.  We ate lunch at one the beach restaurants and enjoyed a gelato at the yummy Crema di Gelato on the square in front of the Palais du Justice.

After lunch, we visited the magnificent Carrousel Palace in the Parc Albert 1er - it is truly beautiful with magnficent horses and cars and airplanes to ride.  It's a double-decker and is just glittery to see turn.  At the top the panels are painted with scenes of landmarks of Nice.  Most I recognized but some, I know, are of buildings that have been destroyed or demolished.