Dear Friends of French Affaires!
I am just back from a 4-week stay in France. September is a great month to be there. Good weather, fewer crowds, and of course, it’s France!
The language immersion trip of Aix-en-Provence is always a popular choice. I decided to try a new venue and a different model, for alternate years. Virginie Rouxel was our language specialist and host in the charming town of Beaune, historic center of the Burgundy wine trade. We stayed in two medieval-era hotels, run by a couple from Beaune, and ten minutes on foot from each other, inside the historic ramparts.
The trip starts with a cooking school run by Adeline Borra, close friend of French Affaires. The idea is to start at the market, make our way to her home with professional kitchen overlooking pool and garden, speak as much French as possible, and prepare a sumptuous feast. This is a five-hour cooking event, tapped off with the dinner we have prepared and lots of Burgundy wine pairings (she and her husband also run a fantastic wine club).
Sunday is a tour of Beaune with a local guide, including the historical Hospices de Beaune. Classes start on Monday and run for three hours during the week. The concept is ‘live like a local’ – focus on spoken French with outings in the village to practice the growing language competence. Virginie has a super language lab in her beautiful family home. One nice feature of Beaune is its compact, ‘village’ feel. Due to the wine trade, it also has an abundance of good restaurants to enjoy. And we did.
Excursions include a wine education class and lunch with Adeline, followed by a drive to vineyards north of town in the Côtes de Nuits region. A gastronomic lunch in Pouligny Montrachet south of town. Maud Hacker, my associate, came down by train from Paris to give us her trademark skills in introducing Dijon to the group (and meeting old friends from the Aix immersion of the previous summer). One afternoon was a special language clinic and workshop with Virginie. The famous mustard Edmond Fallot has its historic mill (La Moutarderie) in Beaune, and I will include that on future trips.
The trip ends with cooking school #2. Now we are able to spend the time using more French and honing our new cooking skills. It is a great way to wrap up a fun week and say thanks to Adeline and Virginie (who joined us for dessert and a glass of champagne).
I then took the train to Avignon and rented a car for eight days. I wanted to do some research for future trips. I spent four days at the relais et château Hotel Domaine de Fontenille in Lauris (Luberon). I toured several new perched villages of the Luberon, including Saignon, Simiane la Rotunde, Rustrel and Banon. Now you are getting into the Haute Provence region, made famous by the author Jean Giono (‘The Horseman on the Roof’). Sisteron marks the northern limit. I had a lovely lunch on the terrace, during a driving rainstorm, the enormous pass (col) facing the town.
I also wanted to visit the former language school (CREA Langue), based in a monastery, in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (also famous for porcelain). It is still operating as a residence for retreats and business meetings of various kinds. A lovely facility in a beautiful part of France, followed by lunch at Sainte-Croix de Verdun. I also spent a day in Aix and lunched with the director of the language school we have so enjoyed over the years.
The next four days were spent in Cannes and Nice, as I wanted to make some final preparations for the upcoming Cote d’Azur trip. And just enjoy the area, swim, and visit the Island of St Honorat by boat, 20 minutes from Cannes. I was there for the anniversary of my precious Elizabeth’s passing. The abbey of Saint Honorat was a perfect setting for a midday worship service. In Nice I stayed at the historic hotel Beau Rivage on the Promenade des Anglais (where guests Matisse, Anton Chekhov and Thérèse de Lisieux all stayed).
Nice was one of the venues hosting the Rugby Worl Cup and it was a riot to see Scots in kilts roaming the streets, all in good humor (they won their rounds there).
The guests for the Cote d’Azur trip were slowly arriving and the trip started in earnest at the Chevre d’Or Hotel, towering over the shimmering waters around Villefranche and the Cap-Ferrat below.
Maud arrived and the guide from Paris displayed her talents and control of history, culture, and the best the region has to offer. Due to the light, it was a famous destination for impressionist painters Renoir, Matisse, Marc Chagall and others, all with museums dedicated to their work. In time, Picasso also made his way there, staying in the old town of Antibes. The area is also famous for perfume (Grasse is the historic center of perfume in France, and world-wide). We had a lovely tour of the Fragonard plant and museum in our village home high above the Cote d’Azur, the incomparable Èze.
Our excursions included the Rothschild Efrussi Villa and Gardens, on Cap Ferrat. An afternoon in Nice, seeing the extraordinary Orthodox Basilica, flower market and Place Massena. No trip to Nice can miss a visit to the Belle Epoque landmark, Hotel Negresco, followed by a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais.
A highlight of this part of the trip was a day spent in Monaco. The beautiful Royal Palace, changing of the guard, lunch on the square, and the charming automobile collection of Prince Ranier (a fun surprise). Before dinner at a rooftop restaurant, we have the obligatory visit to the casino in Monte Carlo. Designed by Charles Garnier (who in his early 30s built the Opera Garnier in Paris), it is more like an elegant club than a US-style casino. You expect 007 at any moment.
The rest of the trip was basic in the historic Martinez Hotel in Cannes, on the Croisette down from the famous Cannes Film Festival building. We visited Saint-Paul-de-Vence and the Renoir house and museum. The Picasso Museum and market in Old Antibes are truly not to be missed. The Island of St Honorat by boat, with a wine tasting of the vineyards capably cared for by the 21 monks who alone live full-time on this island just 20 minutes by boat from Cannes. There is a lovely terrace restaurant which we enjoyed. Good food throughout this special Riviera trip was a trademark of our 6-day visit. Maud always brings such excitement, intelligence, and joy to the trips. She is becoming much-loved, as we have now done 10 trips together!
Maud and I have begun putting together the calendar for 2024, and the Cote d’Azur trip is one we want to repeat. It is a super destination, and the distances in the beautiful corner of France, from Èze and Monaco to Cannes, are quite manageable. The food is great, not a lot of tourists, and varied and interesting excursions.
Let us know if you’d like to come along in the Fall of 2024.
Sincerely,
Chris
P.S. For more photos, see our Instagram.