People, Places: Raison d’être

Experience Life

Perouges France: A charming Medieval Village

Written from the heart.

Written from the heart.

The name of this ancient french city about 2o miles east of Lyon reminds me of Periogie, but that is likely due to my poor french pronunciation. Yes, I know better.

The day my friend Mary and I visited Perouges it was nearly deserted and eerily quiet. We arrived late morning mid-week, and we parked in an empty lot that  is not doubt filled during tourist season.  It was a cool spring day. At one point, rain quickly turned into snow flakes and then minutes later-nothing. Apparently, the weather there changes more quickly than in New England.

We walked along the cobblestone street past stone buildings.  There were only a few other people strolling around.  I felt as though we were sneaking around in forbidden territory, but  a reverent town is best explored peacefully. I was grateful there weren’t droves of tourists to ruin the experience.You know how they are. 🙂

Perouge is small. I suspect about half  the size of one city block in Boston. street-view-perouge-2There are a few shops, galleries and restaurants in the historic town. Only two restaurants and one shop were open during our visit. We stopped in the shop and spoke in broken French to the women working there. She said the season is off to a very slow start, and people are afraid to spend money due to the uncertainty of the economy.  Being a brave American, I bought a few small items including a jar of jelly and post cards.  She recommended that we have lunch at L’Ostellerie du Viex Perouges. It’s a Michelin rated restaurant.  Apparently President Clinton ate there in the 90’s.  Now, they can tell people that I ate there in 2009! 🙂

Lunch, as she warned us, was expensive at 40 euro/person, but reasonable when you consider it was 3 courses in a one-of-a-kind venue with excellent service .  I had smoked duck with avocado, chicken with veggies. Their specialty dessert is galette pérugienne à la crème (the “pancake of Pérouges”).  I realize chicken and duck sound boring, but I can’t recall the name of the sauce. Trust me, it was beyond fresh and flavorful.  This region of France is known for gastronomy.

While the dessert looks like pizza crust, it’s not!  It’s dough made with sugar, lemon, and butter. If that’s not fattening enough,  the waitress arrived with a vat of creme and  scooped a healthy portion onto the “pancake.” Not cool whip. 100% creme. It was so thick and buttery it looked like French vanilla ice-cream.  I cried uncle! Could not eat another bite, but somehow I managed to eat the entire desert (a slice not the entire pancake). After all, I can’t have this dessert in Boston.

You see what I'm saying?

You see what I'm saying?

Oh, I should mention that at Noon, many people arrived in town to have lunch at the restaurant. All business men actually. Apparently, there is a car factory near by.  Mary and I were the only two women eating at the restaurant. The other women worked there.

There were many impressive details to note from this lunch, but I think the wine list stands out.  Not just for the fabulous selection of regional wines available, but specifically because it was hand written on a very large sheet of parchment paper. You can’t tell in this picture, but the wine list was about 3 ft x 2 ft.  Check it out!

What a beautiful wine list!

What a beautiful wine list!

It was a short day trip, but a very memorable experience. If you are in the area, I recommend a visit to Perouges.

May 6, 2009 Posted by | Food, France, Lyon, Travel, Wine | , , , | Leave a comment

Six Hours in Paris

Peter Shankman, of HARO fame, today asked subscribers for suggestions on where to stay/what to do with six hours in Paris. It’s one of my favorite cities, so I could not resist offering my recommendations.

I recently spent half a day in Paris on route from Lyon to London, so I know the dilemma well. I’ve been to Paris about 9 times, so I’ve seen all of the major sites and have visited many museums.  I opted for a stroll which began at Rue St. Michel in the Latin Quarter. I stopped by the  hotel where I usually stay to say hello to staff and to check my bag for the day. Eric, front desk clerk,  has worked there for about 10 years, and it was nice to see a familiar face. I had not seen him for about 2 years. He told me that he had two heart attacks since my last visit. He is rethinking his priorities in life, and he said he may quit and pursue other paths.  I mention this as a reminder to do what makes you happy. Life is short.

Anyway, I walked around the Latin Quarter, along the Seine to my favorite bridge, Pont Alexander, and then back along the Right Bank from the edge of Champs Elysees, past Place De La Concorde, through the Jardin Des Tuileries to the front of Musee du Louvre.  From there I walked down Rue de Rivoli and over to Ile de Cite and then Ile St. Louis for Berthillion ice cream which I ate while listening to a man playing his accordion. Perfect!

Cafe in Paris

Cafe in Paris

I spent the last two hours at  a cafe across from Notre Dame. Enjoyed Bordeaux, food and people watching before I made my way to Gare Du Nord to catch the Eurostar to London. Believe it or not, my only purchase was the green scarf I’m wearing in the picture.

What would I recommend to others?  There are a few considerations:

1) Is this your first trip? If so, pick three icons you always wanted to see. Skip the museums. You don’t have enough time.

2) What’s your temperament? Do you prefer to be active? Paris is a very walkable city. You can cover quite a distance by foot in a few hours.  (TIP: The buses are very easy to use, and they are the same price as the metro. You can see more if you take a bus from one destination to another. )

3) What is the season? If it’s warm, enjoy the parks and outdoor seating. People watching is an art in Paris. If it’s cold, find a cafe with a view to sip coffee or wine, check out the fashion trends in Galeries Lafayette etc.

Sample itinerary for Peter:

*Go to Canal St. Martin. (Metro: Republique) This area is more bohemian than the Latin Quarter.  Have lunch at Chez Prune, 71 quai de Valmy. After lunch, check out a few of the trendy shops in the area. Depending upon what direction you walk, there are several other metro stops.

From Canel St Martin,  go to Montmartre if you haven’t been.  It’s a bit touristy at Sacre Coeur, but it is the highest point in Paris, so you get a nice view of the city and you can stroll past the artists in the square and perhaps have a glass of wine.

Or, skip that and walk around the Marais. There will probably be musicians around the Place des Vosges.

Since it’s summer time, you simply must have Berthillion ice cream. Go to the shop on Ile St Louis behind Notre Dame cathedral.

If you haven’t seen the stained glass windows at Sainte Chappelle (Ile de la Cite), you must if it’s a sunny day. It’s a short stop: 20 minutes?

Enjoy!  Paris is a beautiful city, and you’ll enjoy it no matter what you see or explore.

May 4, 2009 Posted by | France, Paris, Travel | , , | 5 Comments