Some of our well-traveled friends have already spent much time in France. This was our first trip. After 2 weeks, we are leaving for Firenze (Florence), Italy.  Our first class tickets give us more comfortable seating, if only we had gotten on the right car. We didn’t. From Chinon back to Paris we sat in between two 1^st Class cars, on inferior seats normally reserved for the train attendants.

 It was a minor setback and soon forgotten as we lunched on a delicious ‘jambon et fromage’ baguette sandwich we bought from our favourite boulangerie in Chinon.  The night train from Paris provides couchettes and a private compartment, but little sleep. We have time to reflect on our French experience.

 Many of our base sauces and recipes have evolved from classic French cuisine. The French prepare well-flavoured food. However, they are not the only ones. Italian, Spanish, Canadian and American home and restaurant cooks can also prepare delicious meals. What sets the French apart are their meticulously detailed presentations. Their pastries can be works of art.   

 The people here are very civilized. Even in Paris I didn’t see or hear anyone get impatient. There were no honking horns at traffic light changes, and no shouting matches at the markets. Language was never a barrier. Our hosts were very receptive to our weak attempts in communicating.

 In the parks we witnessed families engage in a universal language. You don’t need a French-English dictionary to understand the joy of a kid being lifted from the ground by a mom-and-dad swing. When he lands he exclaims something to his parents. We know it means “Again, do it again!”

 The climate here is wonderful. Even in Champagne and Normandy, the winters are mild. I was surprised to see so much rolling countryside – so much livestock, so many fields of wheat, corn, and root vegetables. Farming is an important and protected part of the French culture.

 I met a gentleman in Paris who had done some travel, but not to Canada. He asks me about the language, and how we get along – the English and the French. I tell him that there are many cultures in Canada and much like brothers and sisters, even if we don’t always agree, we always show up at the dinner table.

 NOTE: This is my final posting for the SCS blog. If you wish to continue following our travel through Europe you can go to:

http://jimsampson.bogspot.com

The Vienne River runs through Chinon. It’s about as wide and deep as the Exploits. The town has grown on both sides of the river and is connected by 3 bridges. There is a well-used park along the river bank. Monica and I are adapting to the area by finding an assortment of food tastes and sitting in the park for lunch. Today we get a wedge of brie and smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes and strawberries and the best baguette ever. People pass us and cheerfully greet, “Bon Appetit!”

 It’s a great place to kick back. We soak up the rays and a little French culture. Monica is re-reading ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, a Dickens’s classic about London and Paris during times of the French Revolution. I’m reading a 17^th Century history on the times of the divine monarch, Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil. Maybe knowledge of the French way of life will enter us through osmosis.

The weather here in central France is sunny and warm. I asked the hotel concierge about the climate. “Neige t’il ici en hiver?” I stammer triumphantly.

 “We had a hard winter here last year,” he answers in perfect English. “One day it snowed!”

 Well, I thought to myself, he’s never been on the Gaff Topsails in February.

 It’s the end of September, time for harvest and making jams. A lady enters the lobby with a basket of fresh fruit. She offers pears, figs, quince fruit and kiwi, all locally grown. There are oranges in the hotel garden, palm trees in the park and grapes in the vineyards.  C’est bon!

We arrive at Chinon (pronounced she-no) in the early evening and saunter through the narrow cobblestone streets of this historic village. These alleys are walled with stone and brick buildings that house the residents as well as many shops, cafés, bars, bakeries and charcuteries.  We choose an outdoor café for our evening meal – then both decide on the braised lapin with tagliatelle.

 Chinon is situated on the Vienne River in the heart of the Loire River Valley. France’s wine regions are defined by specific grapes. Here, the fertile soil along the river is cultivated with vineyards of cabernet franc and chenin blanc. Rising majestically from the steep banks are the remnants of a mighty fortress.

 Chinon was once a principal city of France and the fortress was conceived in the 12^th Century. It was here in 1429 that Joan of Arc met with the uncrowned Charles VII and pledged her allegiance against the English invaders. Eventually, Charles was crowned King at the Cathedral in Reims.

 A venture to restore the fortress began in 2006. The bell tower of the fortress now houses a museum dedicated to Joan of Arc. We climb to the top and look out at the river and bridges and the black slate roofs of the tight network of buildings. We descend into the dungeon where prisoners were once kept. And we walk along the courtyard and admire the stones and labour of another time.

Perhaps you’ve browsed through the sparkling wine section of the Liquor Store and noticed their distinctive yellow label. We are here in the Champagne Region, compliments of Veuve Clicquot.
It is time for the harvest. The conditions were favorable; no botrytis, no mildew. The winemakers are cautiously optimistic for a vintage year.

There is only a window of 10 days to pick the grapes. Migrant workers come here from as far away as Romania. Some of the locals take holidays from their regular work to earn extra income. An experienced picker can make up to €160/day.

Our chauffeur (we are being spoiled) takes us out to the countryside. We pass fields of corn, wheat, and sugar beets enroute to the vineyards and wine cellars. We are met by the amiable and knowledgeable Kasha, a professional, multi-lingual guide provided by our sponsor. Kasha takes us through the Veuve Clicquot story – how the widow (veuve) Barbe-Nicole carried on with the Champagne business after the untimely death of her husband François. The year was 1805 and Barbe-Nicole was 27. In a business world dominated by men, the shrewd widow’s passion, innovation and marketing skills were unmatched.

Kasha takes us down to the wine cellars. During the Great War, they were used as a bomb shelter and a temporary hospital. The cellars are a network of limestone caves that maintain a humidity of 80% and a temperature of 10°C – perfect conditions for aging wine. We are shown old and new processes of winemaking. Oak barrels, dégorgment stations and manual riddling tables are replaced by stainless steel, automated riddling and dégorgment. Pallets of wine (500 bottles) are moved by forklifts.

Our lesson in history and winemaking culminates with Kasha popping the cork of a Veuve Clicquot Rosé. We all raise our glasses and have a casual discussion on wine, foreign languages, France, and Canada.  Santé!

Note:  Riddling was invented by the Widow Clicquot to produce a clear wine.  In this process, the bottles are gradually inverted, collecting the yeast residue for dégorgment.

A black Mercedes pulls up to the door of Residence Villa Daubenton. It’s our ride to Reims, compliments of Veuve Clicquot and Charton-Hobbs. The rolling countryside and fields of grain hide the scars of World War I battlefields as we drive east of Paris. This land has a history of changing hands – first France, then Germany, now France.

We are soon in the Champagne Region which is all about the grapes: pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. France’s strict controls only allow these grapes to be used for the production of Champagne.

Reims is in the heart of Champagne. Its gothic Notre Dame cathedral is a UNESCO world heritage site. Built in the 12th Century, it became the setting for the coronation of the Kings of France up to the 19th Century. Reims and its cathedral suffered through more than 300 bombings during the Great War.

After lighting a candle for our loved ones, Monica and I leave the church and stroll to the city centre, a hub of shops, restaurants, cafés and Champagne retailers. We’re overdue for a rest and lunch. It’s very warm and an open-air restaurant attracts us. We celebrate our first day in Reims appropriately with a glass of Champagne and a delicious meal of tournedos de boeuf with deux poivre sauce and braised endive. It never takes us long to find foodie heaven.