The end of an era

Don’t you just dread goodbyes? I do, because you never know whether it’s not a final farewell. During nine of our eleven consecutive visits to the Loire Valley we stayed at the Château de Belmont in Tours. Over the years we developed a home-coming feeling every time we arrived at the hotel on Sunday afternoon. And every year we felt sad when we left on Friday morning, looking in the rear-view mirror of the car, whispering ‘Goodbye, we’ll be back next year.’

We always wondered what it would be like to say our last farewell … if ever that day came. We’ll never know however, as things didn’t turn out the way we'd expected.

On our arrival in 2006 we were surprised to find a little notice at the reception saying that the swimming pool was closed. Although we are not keen swimmers, we felt slightly disappointed as the weather was extremely sunny and warm and we had taken the habit of taking a dip in the pool every night after a long and hot day of castle hopping. That year we spent one depressing hour in the deck chairs overlooking an empty pool, wondering why they hadn’t taken the trouble of cleaning and filling it before the summer season started.

The pool as it used to look in May 2001

Later, during that same stay, the proprietor of the hotel told us that, due to new national safety regulations, important investments were required to make the pool accident-proof. And he wondered whether it was still worth it. This somewhat alarming news made us nervous about the future of the hotel.

The next year, I won first prize in an internet competition. It included a night in a lovely B and B near Amboise. You can read all about it here. We therefore spent the first night of our 2007 stay at the Château de Pintray, followed by four nights at Belmont. By then the swimming pool had been adapted according to the new regulations. Unfortunately the alterations were not very aesthetic, spoiling the original charm of the pool. Apart from that, everything had returned to normal and we were quite confident about the future when we left Belmont on Friday morning.

The same 'accident-proof' pool in 2007

Little did we know that it would be the last time that we were to see the beautiful house and the lovely gardens.

In February 2008 we received an e-mail saying that our reservation for the month of June had been cancelled as the hotel had been sold. The chef would cook his last meal at Belmont on February 27th, 2008. The e-mail also recommended some hotels in the area. Knowing that we would never find the same home-like feeling in another hotel, we decided to change our way of travelling and to book a room in a B&B in the area. This is how we ended up in Vouvray, where we will be staying again this year.

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Change of plans

Getting this year’s Loire Valley program together turns out to be far more difficult than usual. As I’ll be ‘acting’ as a guide for my friends, I have to find the right balance between things they want to see, sites I think they should see and some places I would like to (re)discover myself.

Last week I thought that I finally had a program that met all these requirements. And then, I received the monthly newsletter of the Touraine tourist board in my inbox! As a result I added the château of Langeais and the exhibition of Food in the Middle Ages on our Thursday list. This however meant that I had to move some of the visits that I had initially planned to another day or put them on the Plan-B list!

After a bit of shuffling around, I decided to skip the market in Chinon, and to drive straight to the museum of Maurice Dufresnes on the Marnay road north of Azay-Le-Rideau. I’ve visited the museum, which is located in an old paper mill, in 2002. It’s the weirdest and most unusual collection of items you’ve ever see; ranging from the last mobile guillotine that was used in France, to the glider plane in which Louis de Funès and Bourvil escaped from occupied France in what is considered as France’s best comedy movie ever: La Grande Vadrouille. I’ll write a more detailed post about it after our visit.

After the museum I'll propose to drive to Villaines-les-Rochers and visit the basket-weavers workshop and showroom. It’ll be my forth visit. I hope that this time I will be able to resist the temptation to buy yet another artfully crafted object …

Next and also new on my list is the restaurant where I propose to have lunch. At first I wanted to return to ‘La Ridelloise’ in Azay-le-Riday where, in 2002, my friend was mistaken for somebody else. The Touraine tourist board’s newsletter, however, made me change my mind. It contained a positive review of a pocket-size restaurant in the lovely village of Crissay-sur-Manse: La table de Béa. So I thought that maybe we could have a light lunch there.

2007: patch of fieldflowers in the village of Crissay-sur-Manse

In the afternoon we can visit the castle of Candé and Wallis Simpson’s dress collection. On the way back, and weather permitting, I’ll suggest stopping at Villandry and having a walk through the gardens. Or we can take the guided tour of the Grottes Pétrifiantes’ at Savonnières.

Next, we’ll cross the Loire River using the suspended bridge in Langeais and visit the aforementioned exhibition, before returning to Vouvray. If we have some time left and if our legs and feet haven’t given up by then, we can pay a quick visit to the Château of Cinq Mars and the Aqueduct of Luynes.

Pfff, just writing about it has left me completely exhausted!

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Wednesday Whispers

2001: The Place Debré and the rooftops of Amboise. View from the top of the castle's ramparts. The grey tower on the right is the 'Tour de l'horloge', a gateway leading into Amboise's main shopping street: la rue Nationale, pedestrians only !

The picture is a bit blurry, but that's because it was taken in a 'previous lifetime' when digital photography was not yet accessible to John and Jane Doe.

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Brandade de Morue – the result

Well, Sunday’s ‘brandade, Belgian style’ was as good as it sounded and even better. The soft-boiled eggs gave the brandade a smooth texture. And the sour cream was a very pleasant surprise. I‘d never used sour cream before as I always associate it was the awful tasting and foul smelling cabbage soup I ate in Russia in 1979.

This cream was not sour tasting at all. It had a freshness to it that you don’t find in regular cream.

Lunch's over: this is what was left ...
without the cauliflower! I'll warm it up and have it for supper tonight.

Although I carefully followed the recipe, I added some personal touches:

- According to recipe 200 gr. of cod serves 4 … I used all 400 gr. (the complete content of the box in which it came). And although my mother and I have rather small appetites, I have only one portion left! Maybe the actual recipe is meant as a starter.

- I poached the fish in water to which I had added freshly ground white pepper (as the recipe said), but I also put in 2 bay leaves … the aroma was amazing!

- In spite of using 400 gr. of cod, I respected all the other quantities, except for the lemon juice. I used the juice of half a lime instead.

- Instead of pan-frying the coppa (bacon), I slow-roasted is for 20 minutes in an oven at 100°C.

- Finally, 1 small cauliflower is definitely too much. I used 1/4th of a normal-sized specimen.

One last tip! Don’t use pink prawns if you can’t get grey North Sea Shrimps. They are to large, and their texture and taste won’t do this dish justice. Instead, cut some smoked salmon in 1 by 3 cm strips to replace the shrimps. The delicate salty and smoky flavour of the salmon will blend in beautifully! Bon Appétit. You really should try this. It's fab!

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Brandade de Morue – Belgian style

“From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brandade is a puree of salt cod, olive oil and milk, sometimes called Brandade de Morue ('morue' being the French name for salt cod). Brandade is a specialty of the Languedoc and Provence regions of France, particularly Nîmes. Similar preparations are found in other Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain where dried salt cod is also enjoyed. Although brandade does not necessarily include garlic, in Marseilles and Toulon crushed garlic is added to the dish. Potato is also frequently added to brandade. The word is derived from the Occitan verb brandar, meaning to stir.”

For this Sunday lunch, I will be making a Brandade – Belgian style. Last year I prepared the original version, adding one clove of crushed garlic. This time I want to try something different. My good friend ‘Mr. Google’ provided me with a Belgian recipe supplied by the VLAM (Vlaams Centrum voor Agro- en Visserijmarketing). This regional institute is in charge of the national and international marketing of products and services provided by the Flemish agricultural, horticultural, fishing and agro-food sectors.

Salted cod. This package contains 400 gr. That's far too much
for just two people ... Maybe I should invite the neighbours!

These are the ingredients (serves 4):

200 gr. of salted cod or haddock

500 gr. of potatoes
A handful of fresh chives
1 dl of sour cream
1 dl of lemon juice
100 gr. of grey North Sea shrimps
2 soft-boiled eggs (3 to 4 minutes)
Olive oil
Pepper and salt
8 slices of dried bacon (pancetta or coppa style)
1 small cauliflower

This is what you do:

The evening before: put the salted fish in a large bowl of cold water and let it soak overnight. Change the water at least twice.

The next morning: peel the potatoes, cut them into slices and boil them in salted water until tender. Remove the fish from the bowl and rinse one last time under running water. Let the fish simmer for max. 10 minutes in a large pot of water to which you’ve added some pepper. Don’t let it get to boiling point, as this will harden the fish.

Cut the cauliflower is very small pieces and let them sit for a while in salted water. Next, let them dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Mash the potatoes and add the soft-boiled and peeled eggs. Crush the eggs and add the cod, olive oil, cream, shrimps, lemon juice and some pepper. Stir vigorously until all the ingredients blend together. At this point you can also add a knob of salted butter.

Put the brandade on a plate. Sprinkle the raw, finely chopped cauliflower and chives on top and serve with two slices of cured, pan-fried bacon.

I’ll try and post some photos of the finished dish tomorrow!

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Medieval foodies

The castle of Langeais sits in the middle of the village by the same name. I remember walking up the stairs towards the drawbridge during one of our annual Loire tours, but I can’t really recall what it looked like on the inside. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was one of the few better-known castles that we didn’t actually visit.

But I suppose I am to find out soon. This year it is definitely on our list as from April 15th till August 15th it hosts an interesting exhibition about ‘A table au Moyen Age' or Food in the Middle Ages. According to the website of the Touraine tourist board this exhibition has some surprises in store for the visitors.

Photo: www.tourism-touraine.com

Apparently our modern perception of food in the Middle Ages has been strongly distorted by the so-called historical films. The first movie that immediately springs to mind is ‘The adventures of Robin Hood’ from 1938 with Errol Flynn, in which King John and his brawling rogues feast on huge plates of whole chickens, wild boars and legs of beef or mutton, with grease and wine dribbling down their chin.

The exhibition shows us that food and table manners were in fact far more delicate than that. Elegantly decorated finger bowls were used to rinse one’s fingers before eating, sauces were a light and subtle mix of sweet and sour, cutlery and plates were made of the finest materials. Stuffed peacocks and other birds or even the inevitable piglet with a red apple stuck between its jaws were only put on the table for decorative purposes and were by no means meant to be eaten.

Through manuscripts, kitchen utensils and accurate replica of medieval dishes the exhibition wants us to discover the real medieval cuisine and banquets, which were a true feast for the eye and the taste buds. Apart from the grandeur of life at court, we also get a peek at what the poor people used to put on their plates.

Being a 21st century ‘foodie’, I’m curious to find out which dishes the medieval ‘foodies’ liked and how they were consumed. I also hope that they’ll let us have a peek at the kitchens. I just love castle kitchens with their big open fireplace, large enough to roast a whole pig. I’ve read on the internet that the kitchens of the castle of Montpoupon have recently been restored. When we were there in 2007 large metal bars prevented the visitors from approaching the table, stove and other utensils that were on display. Maybe all that has changed now; my friends B. and J.L. will be able to tell me, as they will be visiting Montpoupon while I’ll be having lunch with my French friends who live in Francueil.

Just a little over three weeks to go! Almost time to start the countdown!

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Mysterious buildings

When you drive along the D952 from Tours to Saumur, near the village of Luynes, you’ll see a strange tower-like building on your right hand. It’s called ‘La Pile de Cinq Mars; Cinq Mars also being the village and château that are located behind the trees.

La Pile is a very strange structure indeed. At first sight it looks like the solitary chimney of a 19th century industrial building. However, when you take a closer look, you’ll notice that it’s much, much older. In fact it goes all the way back to Gallo-Roman times. Nobody seems to know what it is. It could be a look-out or navigation tower, the remains of a palace or even an over-sized tombstone.

Just behind the ‘Pile’, but not visible from the road, are the remains of the castle of Cinq Mars. The two main towers and the moat, which date from the 11th century, are all that’s left. Originally, the village and the château were called Saint Médard, but gradually the name changed into Saint Mars and finally became Cinq Mars.

One of the castle’s most illustrious ‘seigneurs’ was Henri Ruzé d’Effiat, Marquis de Cinq Mars and a ‘protégé’ of King Louis XIII. He was foolish enough to lead a conspiracy against France and Richelieu; an act which he paid with his life, as he was beheaded in Lyon on September 12th, 1642. He was only 22 years old.

Aqueduct de Luynes.
Photo: www.commons.wikimedia.org

I’ve seen the ‘Pile’ on many occasions and I’ve read a lot about the castle. Over the years, however, we’ve never taken the trouble to stop and take a closer look. I hope that this year we’ll have the opportunity to do so. It would also be a good time to visit the nearby Gallo-Roman Aqueduct of Luynes. It was built in ancient times to assure the water supply of an important settlement that later became the city of Tours. The original aqueduct had 99 columns, 44 of which are still standing (only 40 according to some sources).

Once again, there are too many things to see and do. Maybe, and like one of my readers suggested, we should stay a month instead of five days. Or return to the Loire Valley in 2011 … But that would be our thirteenth visit! And although I hate to admit it, I’m a bit superstitious. Do you walk under ladders?

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Wednesday Whispers

I've decided to change the title of my Wednesday post.
The most recent entries were not totally 'silent', were they?

A sunny evening in June 2008.
While sipping a cool beer on the terrace of 'Le Bouchon',
the village bar at the foot of the church of Vouvray,
something peculiar caught my eye.
Do you see it too?

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Haute couture

In June 2007 we visited the Château de Candé just outside the village of Monts, South of Tours. During previous visits of the region we had often driven past the castle, which always seemed closed to the public, but from the road we had caught glimpses of the elegant building. It sits on a low hill in the middle of a well-tended park with almost endeless green lawns and multi-centennial trees.

The château is mainly known because it hosted the wedding of the former English King Edward VIII and the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of this highly contested marriage, the ‘Département de l’Indre et Loire’ in 2007 organized a temporary exhibition dedicated to the event. It seemed like a unique opportunity to get a closer look at the castle. You can read all about our visit in one of my earliest posts.

2007: Feeling like Wallis Simpson ... but without the appropriate attire.

One of the highlights of the exhibition was the two dozen or so designer suits and gowns of Mrs. Simpson, who through her marriage with the former king became the Duchess of Windsor. They were on display in one of the rooms of the castle and you could just walk around them and even touch them. They were all by the greatest couturiers of the thirties, forties and fifties. The finest and most expensive fabrics had been used to produce these handmade clothes. Some were embroidered with beads and pearls. Most of them belonged to a private collector who had lent them out for the duration of the exhibition.

In a dressing room on the first floor matching shoes, handbags, gloves and copies of the Duchess’ famous jewels were on display in glass cases. It was impressive and yet depressing to see the wealth in which the couple lived in what can be considered as one of the darkest periods in history: the ante-bellum, the Second World War, the reconstruction of Europe and the Cold War.

In view of the great success of the temporary exhibition, the Département decided to acquire the collection. Since then, and in tourist season, the castle is now open 4 or 5 days per week.

Knowing that sewing and knitting are some of my friend B’s hobbies, I have included a visit of the Château de Candé in our 2010 program. When I told her about it, she immediately agreed. I felt a bit uneasy though, as I wasn’t quite sure that all the dresses would still be there. I therefore telephoned the castle last week to make some inquiries. The young lady, who answered my call, partially confirmed my fears. The owner of the gowns had agreed to sell part of the collection to the ‘Département’. Today only ten or so pieces are still on display and they are all behind glass.

Nevertheless, I’ve decided to leave Candé on our to-see list. We’ll probably go there on Thursday. But I’ll make sure to tell B. in advance about the reduced size of the collection and I will let her decide whether she thinks it’s still worth our while.

Although I like to watch fashion shows, I would never buy haute couture clothes (I can’t afford them anyway!). Some ‘creations’ are too weird for words. And they look so very uncomfortable, don’t they? I prefer a more casual attire. How about you?

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Happy as peas in a pot!

In spite of the ash cloud of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano that has been floating over north-western Europe since Friday, the weather is nice and sunny. Temperatures are expected to climb as high as 18-20°C today; sheer bliss after the extremely long and cold winter we’ve had.

This spring feeling has somewhat influenced my shopping behaviour. No, I didn’t splash out on new summer cloths or shoes … but on fresh spring vegetables, the so-called ‘primeurs’. Although I’m not sure that they are of Belgian origin – or if they are, they have definitely been grown in greenhouses – they look so tempting and fresh that’s impossible to resist them.

Fresh unshelled peas

I got baby carrots and new potatoes (the potatoes are from Cyprus, or at least that’s what the label says) and … fresh un-potted peas! The last are a real find as even in full pea season, unshelled peas are very rare, unless you grown them yourself.

Happy as peas in a pot !

I’ve already glazed the carrots and a chopped onion in some lightly salted butter. I’ve added some pepper, salt, sugar, thyme and a bay leaf. The potted peas will go in at the last minute, just before serving. That way, they stay nice and crunchy and they will keep their delicate sugary flavour.

The potatoes are pre-boiled in their skin. Once they are slightly cooled, the skin comes off easily. Next I will pan-fry them in some olive oil, until they are nice and golden-brown.

The 'ballotin de lapin'.

Finally, the meat! I’ve bought a ‘ballotin de lapin aux herbes’. You can of course make this yourself, but de-boning a rabbit isn’t one of my best skills. It came marinated in different herbs. What surprised me most is that label showed ‘volaille – gevogelte’. I didn’t know that rabbits could fly, did you?

A rabbit; poultry?

That reminds me of a very bad translation that I read once about a South-American penguin species that –according to the translation – was related to rabbits because … it nests in burrows!

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1,001 castles

I don’t know for sure whether there are actually 1,001 castles in the Loire Valley, but that’s what a website claims. I found it while I was looking for information about the Château de Valmer near Vouvray.

Last year my friend and I had planned to visit Valmer on the day of our arrival. We never made it though, as we were rather tired after getting up at half past four in the morning and driving over 500 km to get to Amboise. After having lunch at the Val Joli in Vouvray, we drove straight up to our chambre d’hôtes where we spent a leisurely afternoon by the pool watching the air show over Tours.

The castle of Valmer – or what’s left of it - is situated on a bluff overlooking the valley of the Brenne. It was built in the 16th and 17th century and sits in an 80ha park with beautiful Renaissance gardens. These gardens and a 16th century troglodyte chapel are the main attractions of the Château, which was largely destroyed by fire in 1948.

Since 1888 Valmer belongs to the Saint Venant family. The Duke is a keen winegrower and the wines of Valmer rank amongst some of the best Vouvray wines. The Duchess takes pride and joy in the gardens, which are exceptionally beautiful and moreover produce over a thousand varieties of vegetables, the seeds of which are carefully stocked and even frozen for later use.

So you see; there is a lot going on at Valmer, even if there is no longer a sumptuous castle to visit. I therefore really would like to go there during this year's trip. I suppose it won’t be too difficult to convince my friends to spend Sunday afternoon – weather permitting of course - at Valmer before checking in at our chambre d’hôtes. Sunday being the only day of the week that the castle is open to the public in the month of May.

If Valmer is one of the hypothetical 1,001 châteaux, I would like to know some of the lesser known remaining 1,000! On this year's to-see-list I already have: Beauregard, Villesavin, Troussay, Fougères … Maybe you know of some more ‘forgotten’ châteaux within a maximum range of 75 km from Tours? Your suggestions are more than welcome!

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Au Pair – part 2

What happened before …

The next morning at half past nine we set out for on our little daytrip. We drove down the coast and visited the mundane beach town of Deauville where the yearly international film festival is held. While my friend read the daily paper on a sidewalk terrace, Helen and I did some window shopping. Next we went to the market in the nearby town of Trouville, where we bought freshly cooked langoustines and other supplies for our picnic.

It was a warm and sunny day and Helen* was obviously enjoying every minute of it. And she was great company too. She told us about her home, a sheep farm just across the English border.

In the afternoon we visited the ‘Brèche d’Hermanville’ where the British troops landed on D-Day. We had a long walk on the beach before returning to Bénouville. We got there a little before five, Helen’s curfew. She thanked us warmly and it was obvious that she had really enjoyed herself.

When we left the next morning, she accompanied us to our car. We exchanged addresses and promised to write; which we did for about two years. In 1995 or 1996 I called her home. Her father answered the phone. He knew immediately who I was as soon as I mentioned my name. Apparently Helen had told him all about us and the day we had spent together. He said that it had made all the difference to her and that, after we had left, she had really bonded with the French family. Since then she had been abroad on several occasions working as an au pair in France and other countries. At the time she was off again on one of her travels and she wouldn’t be back for six months. That was the last I heard of her.

Seeing her name in my little green book the day before yesterday made me wonder what has become of her. And just for a minute I was tempted to call her. But I suppose that she no longer lives at home and that she has moved on with her life. Especially as the farm has changed hands and is now a Bed and Breakfast. I could of course just call the new owners and ask them about Helen and her family.

But wouldn’t it be more fun if Helen were to read this post and recognize herself in my story?

… or maybe someone who knows her … Helen W. used to live at Lagnaha Farm, Duror – Appin – Argyl, Scotland.

This feels a bit like throwing a message in bottle into the sea … Can’t wait to see what the outcome – is there is any – will be!

(*) Note to Helen: Helen in case you should read this and you're not happy with the fact that I've posted your photo, please let me know and I'll remove it right awy.

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Au Pair – part 1

If we are to believe the comedy shows on TV, men often have a little black book in which they keep the names and telephone numbers of former, current and potential girlfriends. I wonder if women have such a book too.

Personally, I have a little green book in which I’ve listed useful numbers of family members, my car mechanic, my hairdresser, my insurance company … Yesterday, whilst looking for my cousin's number, I accidentally came across the name of someone I had completely forgotten about.

I posted earlier about our 1992 stay in Normandy where we were fortunate to meet the war legend, John Howard, who led the air borne glider company that liberated the first house in France in the early hours of D-Day in June 1944.

1992: our hotel in Bénouville.

That same year, one evening during dinner, we started chatting with the English couple sitting at the next table. The following morning, when we went to hand in our room key for the day, the owner of the hotel asked me whether we could do him a favour. He had heard that I spoke English and French and wondered if I would mind spending half an hour with the Scottish au pair girl who was looking after his baby daughter. Apparently the girl spoke little or no French and he had the feeling that she was lonely and homesick. He thought a little chat with someone who spoke English would sheer her up a bit.

As we were going out for the day, I promised I would spend some time with Helen, because that was the au pair’s name, later that day before dinner. Helen turned out to be a lovely girl with a good sense of humour. She was only 17 and it was her first time in France. She had been in Bénouville for four weeks and, in spite of her cheerful character, was dreading the three coming months. The proprietor of the hotel and his wife were working from dawn till dusk and most of the time she was left on her own, looking after the baby, for hours on end.

We felt sorry for the girl and wondered what we could do to make her stay in France a bit more pleasant. That same evening, after we had finished dinner and were having a night cap in the hotel bar, the proprietor came looking for us. He wanted to know how we had gotten on with Helen.

One thing let to another and we ended up asking whether it would be okay with him if we took the girl on an outing on her weekly day off, presuming that she had one. He immediately jumped to the occasion. As it was already Wednesday and we would be leaving on Friday, this only left Thursday, and Helen’s day off was Saturday. However, the proprietor said that he would talk to his wife and see if it was possible to switch days. He returned half an hour later with Helen. Both his wife and Helen had agreed to our proposal. The girl looked delighted!

Some people tend to give au pairs a hard time. This wasn't the case here; the girl was just lonely. Have you been an au pair yourself or did you ever employ one?

(to be continued)

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Silent Wednesday

April 2010: another picturesque scene in the 'Absent Prince's Lane'.

Should I use it as a banner photo for this blog?

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Absent Prince

... in the series: "We have castles too ..."

Friday was a nice and sunny day. My friend and I had a pre-birthday lunch in a restaurant in a nearby village. It’s located in an old barn that has been done up in a tasteful contemporary way.

An old barn that has been turned into a fashionable restaurant.

As it’s at only two kilometres or even less from where I live, we took the scenic route to drive back home. This led us through one of my village’s most picturesque streets: ‘The Prince’s Lane’. It’s a very narrow cobble stoned lane lined with big trees. It also runs passed our local castle.

The 'Prince's lane' on a sunny April day.

(Click to enlarge and to enjoy it to its full extend)

It’s the summer residence of the Prince de Mérode. Last Friday the Prince was apparently staying at his main residence in Rixensart, situated at some 40 km South of Brussels, as all the shutters were tightly closed.

Notice the tighly closed shutters!

Although the castle isn’t open to the public, I have been inside once. But I never made it beyond the kitchens! Let me explain. My grandfather used to work as ‘champêtre’ or local rural policeman, and the Prince’s gamekeeper was one of his personal friends. One day, my grandfather had some business to discuss with the gamekeeper and he took me along. We were received by the gamekeeper’s wife, who was the Prince’s housekeeper.

While my grandfather talked business with his friend, I had a glass of lemonade while the two men and the housekeeper each had a ‘shot’ of ‘genièvre’, a gin-like drink. That’s about all I remember of the visit, except that the kitchen was not unlike the castle kitchens I have seen at Montpoupon, Valençay and Chenonceau in the Loire Valley.

By the way, the Prince was absent on that day in the sixties too!

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Gardener Prince

Last Monday my friends B. and J.L came over to discuss the program of our upcoming trip to the Loire Valley. We did this over a home made lunch of Italian antipasti and a glass of ‘spumante’ (Italian bubbly); followed by my version of a ‘steak tartar’, French fries and a green salad. B. and J.L brought a nice bottle of red wine from the French Var region. It was completely unknown to me but very, very nice indeed. We ended our meal with a cheese platter: Camembert, Tomme de Savoie, Rochebaron and a ‘Brebis’ (ewe’s cheese).

I had prepared a two page program, listing castles, abbeys, gardens and museums to visit in la Touraine. It wasn’t difficult to come to an agreement, as B. has never been to the Loire Valley and J.L. was still a young boy - ‘en courte culotte’ (in short trousers) as he puts it – when he was there with his parents.

However, we did add one château that wasn’t on my initial list because I didn’t think it would interest them. If you’ve been reading my blog regularly you may remember that J.L. is a keen photographer and that he likes growing orchids. What you didn’t know – and neither did I – is that he’s also a keen gardener. So when I mentioned a château hosting a ‘conservatoire de la fraise’ (strawberry museum) he was immediately interested. I’ve never visited the place myself and therefore had to admit that I couldn’t tell much about it. However, I have visited the ‘conservatoire de la tomate’ at the Château de la Bourdaisière near Montlouis.

2003: Château de la Bourdaisière in Montlouis

My friend and I were there in 2003. The castle belongs to the Prince de Broglie, who’s also known as ‘Le Prince Jardinier’ (the Gardener Prince). In order to pay for the upkeep of the castle, the Prince has turned it into a hotel. The rooms are named after famous historic figures and the rates range from 170 to 300 euros per night. It is also available as a setting for movies and television programs. I vividly remember one reality show on Belgian television that was shot at the château.

The Prince’s pride and joy, however, are the beautiful gardens and the ‘conservatoire de la tomate’, a museum paying tribute to this delicate fruit. In a library-like room of the castle, the walls are lined from floor to ceiling with shelves on which sit hundreds of glass jars containing preserved tomatoes in all sizes and colours. In the greenhouses in the vegetables garden, rows and rows of tomato plants are competing in size and shape. And if you want to have a go at growing some of the exotic varieties yourself, you can drop in at the souvenir shop and buy the seeds of your favourite species.

I tried that some years ago and got a nice harvest of juicy and sweet yellow pear-shaped miniature tomatoes. But that’s another story!

When I told my friends about the castle and the tomatoes, they immediately decided to put the Château de la Bourdaisière on our to-see list. I’m now going to finalize the program by splitting it up in two parts: 1) the musts and 2) the alternatives. And a lot will of course depend on the weather conditions.

Have you ever visited La Bourdaisière or tried your hand at growing tomatoes?

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Almost over

My spring break ... it’s almost over. Today is the last day but one before I’m off to the office again. Time flies when you’re having a good time.

And today’s also my birthday. I’ll be having lunch with my mother and my cousin and her husband at Ludwig’s, the restaurant ‘in our back yard’, that my friend and I discovered last December. I wrote about it here. My cousin and her husband are real gourmets, so I hope that it’ll be up to their standards and expectations.

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Brussels at its best! - 6

The Royal Palace of Belgium and office to our King Albert II.
The king and his wife Paola don't live here,
but at the Palais Belvédère
just outside Brussels.

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Brussels at its best! - 5

Handicraft market in a small square just off the Grand'Place.
Years ago I bought a silk handpainted scarf there for myself
and a matching necktie for my friend.

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Brussels at its best! - 4

The 'Galerie de la Reine' (The Queen's Gallery).

A 19th century shopping gallery, designed in 1895 by the architect Laloux.

(Not the best of photos, I admit, but the best I could do with
my little hobby camera).

The gallery hosts a nice selection of exclusive shops such as
the famous Belgian 'chocolatiers' Neuhaus and Corné.

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Brussels at its best! - 3

The famous Rue des Bouchers:
a narrow street lined on both sides with restaurants.

The typical tourist's trap! You must visit it,

but whatever you do, don't eat there!

Just drop me a line if you're looking for a good restaurant
near Brussels' Grand'Place!

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Brussels at its best! - 2

Near Brussels' Grand' Place: a life-size bronze statue of
Charles Buls,
(Brussels, Oct. 13th, 1837 - Elsene, July 13th, 1914)

A Belgian politician and one of Brussels' most
prominent mayors.

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Brussels at its best! - 1

Rome, London, Paris, Berlin ... these are very often the cities overseas tourists visit. Brussels the capital of Europe and Belgium is rarely on their to-see-list; which is a real shame as Brussels has a lot to offer, such as the most beautiful historic 'Grand' Place' of Europe. For the next few days (my spring break and short e-vacation) I will therefore be posting some photos of this legendary city square and the surrounding streets.

The 'Grand'Place', the flower and art market.
The large beautiful house on the right is called 'Le Roi d'Espagne'
(The King of Spain), referring to the period in history that Belgium
was under Spanish rule (16th century).

I hope you'll enjoy them ... and that maybe - just maybe - they'll incite you to visit Brussels!

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Happy Easter!

or as we say in Belgium:

or 'Joyeuses Pâques',
as my friend, who's French-speaking, just pointed out to me!

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Half a century

Yesterday I found a bright red envelope in my letterbox. First I thought that it was an early birthday card. But it turned out to be an invitation for a dinner party celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of my mother’s cousin Paula and her husband Camille.

My mother’s mother and Paula’s mother were twin sisters. Although Paula is ten years younger than my mother, both cousins have always been very close. More like sisters than like cousins actually. Paula is also a very practical person, and some one you want to have around when you’re in a tricky situation. And although she has four children and eleven grandchildren, she’s always ready to help my mother and me.

I had just turned three when she married Camille in the spring of 1960. My mother had made me a really pretty frock and I got to wear a little crown made of flowers. I wore white socks and short white gloves. Before leaving for the church, my mother handed me a colourful bouquet of fresh roses. “Now listen to me,” she said, “When Paula and Camille leave the church you hand this bouquet to Paula.” I remember nodding in agreement and at the same time wondering why I should give such a pretty bouquet of flowers to somebody else. Why couldn’t I keep it for myself?

I silently and obediently sat through the whole church service. But my head was in turmoil. I really wanted to keep this bouquet!

When mass was almost over, my mother took me by the hand and accompanied me to the exit where she positioned me in front of the door to wait for the happy couple. “Remember, you are to offer this bouquet to Paula.” She said. However, by that time I had made up my mind. There was no way that I would let go of those flowers.

When Paula and Camille came walking down the aisle with the organ playing the wedding march, I firmly clenched the bouquet in my two hands. And then, they were standing in front of me. Paula bent over and reached out her hand. “Are these for me?” she kindly enquired. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. My mother, who was standing behind me, pushed me in the back. “Go on, hand over your flowers.” Again I shook my head, firmly holding on to the flowers. “Go on.” My mother urged me again. And then … I burst into tears and hid my face in her skirt.

To increase the horror of it all, the crowd that had gathered at the church to greet the happy couple started laughing. I can’t remember what happened next, but I do know that I got to keep my little bouquet!

And now, 50 years later, I’m about to give Paula another disappointment as the anniversary dinner party will be held on May 16th, the day that I’m leaving for the Loire Valley with my friends B. and J.L. I therefore won’t be able to attend. I really feel bad about it, but I see no way out of this. I hope she’ll forgive me … again!

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Eleven days of bliss

Today is the first of an eleven-day leave from the office. The last three months have been hectic, with a lot of stress about the company’s new website, two days of ‘Digital Boot camp’, bad weather conditions to get to work in the morning, the still unsolved ‘rising damp’ problem in my apartment …

Except for the last bit, I can finally relax. I won’t bore you with the details of the humidity problems, as it is going on, and on and on … and no one – not even the experts – can find the origin of the leak. But enough of that. It’s too depressing.

Heavenly bliss!

This morning, after a last bit of copy-writing for the famous website, I went over to my mother’s for aperitifs. Then I made myself a typical English lunch: baked beans on toast. It’s very simple: you just heat up a tin of Heinz Beans in tomato sauce. You grill a piece of bread on both sides until it is nice and crispy. In the meantime, you fry two eggs, sunny side up, adding freshly ground white pepper and salt. You put the grilled bread on a plate. Next you ladle on the beans and you top it off with the pan-fried eggs.

Let me also give you sneak preview of my week of ‘liberty’:

- Saturday: regular weekend shopping … nothing exciting.

- Sunday: lunch with my mother.
- Monday: lunch with my friends B and J.L. and making the final arrangements for our trip to the Loire Valley in May. I have some surprises for them in store and it will be hard not giving them away! It’s so exciting!
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: a little trip to the Belgian Ardennes, perhaps?
- Saturday: Business as usual.
- Sunday: My Birthday!! And lunch with family and friends in a nearby restaurant!
- Monday: Time-out … to get ready to pick up on the daily work routine on Tuesday.

I may not be posting for a few days while we’re in the Ardennes, but I’ll be taking my new laptop. So an occasional daily picture is always possible. Stay tuned!

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Whimsical w …

To get the gist of today’s post, it is advisable to read yesterday’s entry first.

On the second evening of our 2007 stay at the ‘Clos de la Garenne’ in Saverne, we had a light supper in the Winstub of the hotel. A Winstub is what we would call a ‘Brasserie’ style restaurant, serving regional specialties. In the Alsace this generally means a large assortment of ‘charcuteries’, ‘choucroute’, spätzel (a special potato dish), etc.

We went to bed at about ten, tired after a long day of exploring the region. Moreover, we hadn’t slept that well on the previous night, because of our young noisy neighbours who had kept us awake for several hours. This time we didn’t hear them come in. They clearly respected the landlady’s earlier request to be quiet.

The outer building of the hotel ... hosting a ... ?

However, by three in the morning I was awoken by a scratching noise. I got out of bed and walked to the door and pressed my ear against it. No, the noise was not coming from outside. Nevertheless, I noticed that it had stopped as soon as I had gotten out of bed and had started walking over the creaking wooden floor.

I got back under the covers and was about to doze off, when I heard it again. This time I woke up my friend and urged him to have a look around. Again the noise stopped as soon as I had started talking.

A thorough check of the bathroom, the window and the door showed nothing. Five minutes after we had settled down again, the noise was back. It seemed to come from somewhere under the floorboards and it was definitely moving around. We checked the floor and the corners of the room for holes … there were none. Whatever it was that was making the noise, it couldn’t get into the room; that was for sure. So we gave up looking and fell back asleep.

We left the next morning and decided not the mention the nightly incident to the landlady, as we had already complained the night before about the noise next door.

But this isn’t the end of the story. As I said before, we returned to the same hotel and the same room in 2008. On the first night we heard … nothing. On the second night, however, the scratching noise was back. This time we mentioned it to landlady whilst paying the bill. “Oh no, don’t tell be that he’s back?” she exclaimed. “That means that summer is over!” We looked at her in surprise.

Apparently a weasel from the nearby forest had chosen the basement of the building for his winter residence. In spring he always moved back to the forest, but once the temperatures started to drop in autumn, he would move back in again. The owner had had a specialized firm in to get rid of the little critter. After several attempts to catch the animal, even the expert had to admit that killing him was the only way to stop him.

As the owners couldn’t live with the idea of killing the poor creature, they decided to let it be. After all, the weasel was simply looking for shelter and not really doing any harm. And by spring, the whimsical weasel would be gone again …

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