Leaving Chatel-Guyon in the late afternoon I felt the call of the hill rather than the plain, in part because I’ve never associated Auvergne with the plain, in part because hills are more exotic to me than flatlands. But I also felt the call of a 5-star hotel, and Château La Canière, the only luxury hotel within many miles, stood out in the plain.
France Revisited meets with Jeanne Bernard, an American from Louisiana living in Paris, to discuss her documentary “New Wine From France,” an examination of the world of biodynamic wines, to learn how she got involved with biodynamics and filmmaking, and to discover her favorite shops and bars selling organic and biodynamic wines in Paris.
In Part III of the series “5 days in Auvergne,” the author visits the hot springs town of Chatel-Guyon on the edge of the Regional Nature Park of the Volcanoes and reports on the town’s evolution over the past 160 years, the medical uses of its mineral water, its architectural heritage, and its plans for future development.
Part II of an exploration of spa towns, hot springs, Romansque churches, cattle pastures, cheese farms and villages in Auvergne. A brief history of economic developments relative to hot springs, by way of Royat.
Part 1 of a 5-part investigation in Auvergne (in the center of France) with a focus on spa towns. Part 1 includes the train ride from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand, the region’s capital, some highlights in the city, and a dinner of hearty regional fare accompanied by uncommonly awful music.
Vincent Dallet invites us into his pastry and chocolate school in Epernay to make the Champagne region’s famous “biscuits roses” or “biscuits roses de Reims,” known in English as champagne biscuits, and shares the recipe with our readers.
A daytrip or overnight from Paris into the Chevreuse Valley, including Chevreuse, the Chateau de Breteuil, the Chateau de Dampierre, the Hotel/Abbey of Vaux de Cernay, Rambouillet, and the Forest of Rambouillet.
Heading south in the Drome region of the Rhone Valley, the landscapes, agriculture and architecture of Provence gradually assert themselves. Even on frigid winter days we recognize glimpses of Provence in Valence, Grignan, Nyons — in town squares, lavender fields, truffle plantations, vineyards and olive orchards.
Menton, last stop on the French Riviera, has two major markers of creativity and sophistication, one gastronomic, one artistic: Mirazur, the outstanding restaurant of chef Mauro Colagreco, and the Jean Cocteau Museum, dedicated to a poet and artist who represents the artful high life along the coast.
