10th Anniversary in Uzes

10 years ago today we were in the notaire's office with Mr. Feignier, the previous owner of our Mas, signing the paperwork to complete the purchase. It was scary then and at times it still is but we don't feel that we could've found a better property nor village or region. It's been a great ride and let's hope for many more years together.

Summer in Carry-le-Rouet

We're very fortunate to have Gisele's family summer home outside of Marseille in Carry-le-Rouet. It's our go-to place when Uzes is rented in the summer. Carry is a beautiful small town on the Mediterranean with mostly rocky beaches and picture postcard scenic views. Most of our meals consist of the daily catch and so are quite different from Uzes. This could be swordfish, tuna, makerel or sardines, usually on the grill. Also Gisele & her mom pool their talents for a delicious bouillabaise made from the rockfish found only along the coast near Marseille. It's delicious!

A Visit To a Bridge

While our house was rented last week we decided to take the time to explore the region of Aveyron northwest of us. it was about a 2 1/2 hour drive to the first stop at St. Jean de Bruel where we found a very nice B&B and excellent restaurant, taking their last available table. The Aveyron has a reputation as a gastronomic delight with reasonable prices for delicious preparations. We were not disappointed that first night with a scrumptious appetizer of cepe mushrooms in parsley and main course of Magret d'Oie at the Hotel du Midi. The vacation was off to a good beginning.



The following day we set of to visit the Viaduct du Millau a multi span bridge of 2.4Km over the Tarn River.

A trip to this area would not be complete without a visit to the famous caves of Roquefort. A delicious creamy world famous blue cheese is refined within this town. It's an interesting visit finished with a tasting.

We also discovered the Aven D'Armand which consists of caverns of stalagtites & Stalagmites different than those in most other caverns. Many are like pancakes stacked over thousands of years. It's a similar environment with different formations than those found in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

We made a deal

Our friend Marie Christine(aka Titine) is visiting from Paris this week and had a request. She had a urge to eat Texas Chili, drink margaritas and finish a meal with a genuine New York Cheescake. Knowing that Titine is an excellent cook I asked for her to prepare her world famous paella. I made out the best as we can see from the photos(I was a little late taking a photo of the cheesecake).

(L to R: Gisele, Malcolm, Regina, Bill, Felice, Larry, Marie Christine)

Texas Chili Chez Nous

What can be better on a day of 90 degree (32C) heat than some good old Texas Chili. We make it without beans, just chopped beef and spices topped with genuine cheddar cheese from the USA...yummmm. Of course, what would go well as an aperitif but a pitcher of homemade maragaritas made with Jose Cuervo gold tequila in Bill's own recipe.

(counterclockwise around the table starting with Gisele then Sarah (Debora's mom), Delphine (Debora's daughter), Malcolm, Bill, Stephan (Delphine's husband), France, Esther (Delphine's daughter), Debora. In other words 4 generations plus us & Malcolm)

We eat very well!

It seems that the majority of our posting revolve around food. I'm not complaining, but just stating a fact.
There are some delicious ethnic local specialties which, although available in nearby restaurants, are so much better when prepared by friends for friends. This is the case with the Valencia Paella from Antoine & Esther as well as delicious Armenian specialties from Alice & Jean and thick hearty Pot au Feu from Armand & Keiko.

Without a doubt we eat very well here and, joking aside(yeah, I know it shows), it's not difficult to have a good meal here considering the ready availability of fresh locally grown ingredients as well as huge Saturday market for that and much more.

Dinner at Lisa M's in Vers

Lisa M is one of our favorite restaurants near Uzes. It's a "menu unique" and depends a great deal on local farmers for each day's offerings. Our friends visiting from Calgary, Giselle & Marco, set up an amazing evening amongst good friends that will not be forgotten.