Knowmark Travel

France 2005: Belvès

Sunday, 24 April 2005

After a longish day+, we are safely ensconsed at the delightful Hôtel Clément V in Belvès.

We left Toronto on Saturday evening on an Air France flight to Paris, along with the 100 or so members of the Kirov Orchestra who were on their way home to St. Petersburg after a one-month tour of North America. (This included a well-reviewed concert in Toronto on Friday night which we read about while on board with them!). One of the most interesting aspects of travelling with the orchestra was that all the cellos got their own seats. Imagine eight or so cello cases strapped into their own airline seats – every one with a window.

From Paris we changed planes and flew on to Bordeaux where we picked up our rental car and drove to Belvès, a journey of just under 3 hours. Much of the journey covered some amazing wine country – vineyards everywhere. The weather was quite nice (we give it a 2.0 on the Knowmark Weather Scale today) – it varied from bright sunshine to torrential downpour and several variations in between.

After a nap and a brief orientation walk around Belvès, we decided to eat at our hotel and had a delicious light supper of salmon quiche and a green bean/tomato salad all washed down with a tasty 2002 Bosredon (Bergerac). This wonderful meal was prepared and served by our gracious host Anne who has already been of great assistance.

Monday, 25 April 2005

Our first complete day in Belvès found us with a full (but, limited) schedule. Café just around the corner from our hotel was followed by wonderful pastries (apple and apricot) from the little boulangerie/patisserie a few metres down the street in the other direction.

Then, we needed to buy some essentials which we accomplished at several establishments throughout the day. We took a circuitous route to Bergerac, which took about 1½ hours, through some lovely country and a number of small villages. Bergerac is one of the larger cities in the region (population: 26,000) on the Dordogne river. It is a commercial and agricultural centre, especially wine and tobacco. We did some shopping and had a great lunch at the Autour d’un Verre restaurant. This pleasant little restaurant specializes in tartines which are open-faced sandwiches. Steve’s was a combination of jambon de pays, a cheese called pur brébis and confiture des cerise noirs. Susan’s was magret fumé with cabecou (a local kind of goat cheese) and honey. All washed down, of course, with a pichet of local red wine.

After lunch we toured around Bergerac for a bit and then set out to visit one of the local wineries – Château Terre Vieille – which is a few kilometres east of Bergerac. They make some well-thought-of wine, so we had a tasting and purchased a couple of bottles (one to drink here; one to bring home). Then, back to Belvès by another route, just in time to relax a bit; explore a bit and then have dinner at Le Home. We weren’t expecting too much here and were not disappointed. The weather today rated a so-so 1.5 on the Knowmark Weather Scale.

Tuesday, 26 April 2005

Today we had absolutely glorious weather, a perfect 3.0 on the Knowmark Weather Scale: clear blue sky; no precipitation; comfortable, shirt-sleeve temperature. We took the opportunity to visit two more wineries – this time in the Cahors A.O.C. The first stop was at Domaine La Berangeraie; it was a highlight of this trip and probably the best visit of its kind that we have made. Steve corresponded with Marlène Oberdorf-Beranger back during the winter and today we met her. Despite our late arrival (corresponding with the beginning of the lunch break) she kindly took an hour to explain to us the philosophy of the family-run business and to allow us to taste several of their wines. The property is absolutely beautiful and the wine delicious. We bought three bottles – one to drink here and two to bring home.

Marlène recommended a restaurant in nearby Puy L’evêque which provided us with the light lunch we wanted – we shared smoked salmon served on hot potatoes and a tomato/basil salad with fresh mozarella and a balsamic dressing, accompanied by a tartine tapenade.

After lunch we wandered around the area a bit more and stopped at another of the wineries researched by Steve prior to the trip, Clos La Coutale which has a wine (2002 vintage) awarded two stars in the 2005 Guide Hachette des Vins. We tasted it and really liked it but the woman serving us said that they had no more for sale, only the 2003! We expressed our regrets, telling her that it was that particular wine (and vintage) that brought us there and it was the only one we were interested in purchasing. And, as we began to leave, two bottles of the 2002 miraculously appeared!

We wandered back to Belvès on small back roads just in time for a nap. (Slow travelling can be quite exhausting!) Dinner this evening was at the hotel, with Susan finally trying the area’s most famous delicacy – foie gras, in this case served with Anne’s homemade, cumin-flavoured onion jam which made a marvelous combination. The main course was the local speciality of tourtière also made by Anne. This version is made with shredded duck meat and potatoes in a flaky pastry with herbs – quite different from what Graham’s mother, Denise, used to make, but equally delicious.

Tomorrow we have a reservation at Font de Gaume – a site containing some of the last publicly-accesible paleolithic cave paintings. We’re really looking forward to it!

Wednesday, 27 April 2005

We started at Font de Gaume – a site containing some of the last publicly-accesible paleolithic cave paintings. It was most impressive – recommended!

Then, on to Sarlat-la-Canéda, a well-known town in the area. We had a nice lunch there at Le Bistrot: magret de canard grillé avec sa sauce au miel for Susan; omelette de cêpes for Steve. Both came with pommes de terre sarladaises, which are memorable!

After strolling around Sarlat, we drove south to Domme, another bastide town that has a wonderful panoramic view of the Dordogne valley.

Then a quiet late afternoon and evening in Belvès, which is a delightful village. Another lovely day in Aquitaine – 2.5 on the KWS.

Thursday, 28 April 2005

Hike – lunch – winery – dinner.

A great day in Aquitaine – 2.5 on the KWS.

Friday, 29 April 2005

Winery – lunch – winery – dinner.

The weather actually got too warm for a while, so we had to knock off a half-point: 2.5 today on the KWS.

España 2004: Madrid

Thursday, 20 May 2004

Ah, Madrid! We are particularly fond of Madrid, perhaps because it was our first experience in Spain, and it was a very positive one. We are staying in the same place as last October (Goya75), an aparthotel complex at the corner of Goya and General Pardiñas. This time we actually have a corner apartment – one of the windows is on an angle looking directly down Calle de Goya (to the east) on the fifth floor, so our view is quite good.

After a pleasant two-hour drive from Peñafiel, we were able to navigate Madrid traffic and road system (it was very straightforward, as we suspected), and pulled into a non-parking place in front of Goya75. This, of course, started three different arguments (discussions): with the car behind us trying to park in the underground that we were partially (but not completely) blocking; with the Goya75 employee who wanted us to move so that the car behind us could get through; and with the next car behind us (after Steve directed the first car into the underground safely) who was also not very happy with the parking arrangement. However, there was no other choice and we remain on good terms with the Goya75 employee (see discussion #2) who we remember from last October. We are not sure what our status is regarding the drivers of the two aforementioned cars.

Another adventure ensued as we vacated the disputed “parking” place (after getting checked in and unloading our stuff). We then had to return the car, which we had enjoyed for the last two weeks (the Audi A4 – a very swish car). Navigation to the approximate location of the rental car agency (EuropCar – we have used them twice in recent years and highly recommend them) was fairly easy, but pinning down the exact spot where we were to drop the car was less straightforward. Nonetheless, we finally sorted that out and proceeded to check the car in. We were pleased that there were no extra charges, despite the fact that the car had been viciously attacked by a large flower pot as we left Barcelona two weeks earlier.

The EuropCar drop-off/check-in is actually at Atocha station, which was the scene of the terrible attack just over two months ago on 11 March. The (small) informal memorial that has been created is incredibly moving and we (along with many others) spent some quiet moments there.

We decided to walk back to our apartment through beautiful Parque de El Retiro, which looks quite a bit different than it did in October! Since it was about time for some lunch, we stopped at a restaurant with sidewalk seating (the Molaquatro) and had bocadillos de calamares. We had been told about this delicacy while in Barcelona, so we took this first opportunity and indulged – good choice! It was the perfect day for eating outside (yet another 3.0 on the Knowmark Weather Scale). Later, some shopping in our favourite haunts (recognizing many faces and being recognized once or twice), and then some tapas at a couple of the local establishments, followed by a late snack in our apartment.

Friday, 21 May 2004

One of our main reasons for coming back to Madrid (or so we keep telling ourselves) was to use the third portion of some art museum tickets that we bought last fall when we were here. At that time, we used the portions for the Prado and for the Reina Sofia museums. This time we visited the Museo Thyssien-Bornemiza which is located very close to the Prado. We walked down as it was a lovely morning and on the way saw many of the preparations for the Royal Wedding which is tomorrow. (Prince Felipe is marrying “former TV anchorwoman” Letizia Ortiz in a ceremony the likes of which haven’t been seen in Spain for almost 100 years.) After the wedding, which is in the church at the Palacio Real, there will be a procession through the streets of the city. We think we might check it out just for fun.

Anyway, we spent close to three hours in the museum, which was great. This is truly a wonderful city for art lovers. On the way back to our apartment we stopped for lunch, setas con jamon to start, followed by sepia a la plancha then flan for Steve and croquetas caseros and coffee for Susan.

After a short siesta we went on another small shopping trip, looking for a few wine-related supplies to take home. Eventually we hit a few of our favourite haunts for tapas. At Casa Poli (or the “red bow-tie place” as we refer to it) we had a particularly yummy version of patatas a la brava along with the usual bread with blue cheese and anchovy that they always seem to give us there. At Taberna Ultreya they fed us hazelnuts and tortilla with chorizo and peppers and in addition we ordered a tapa-sized version of their calamares a la romana which are really good. All washed down with wine, of course! Our late night snack at home was pear and cheese with wine which was delectable as usual.

Weather-wise, it was a pleasant 2.0 on the Knowmark Weather Scale as we did encounter a bit of rain. But there wasn’t too much of it and the temperature was just right. Not too bad at all!

Saturday, 22 May 2004

¡El día de la boda real! It had obviously been raining pretty much all night (despite the rain, the weather registered a nice solid 2.0 on the KWS) and today’s weather forecast was for light rain which actually held off for quite a while. We got a leisurely start and went for coffee at Taberna Ultreya where they always give us a small breakfast treat. Back for our regular yogurt/fruit/bread breakfast and by then it was time for the wedding. If you can believe it, we actually spent parts of two hours watching that on TV! Parts of it were fascinating, but by the end it was getting pretty boring. It went over time so the car procession started sooner than expected (perhaps also because of the rain?). By the time we hustled down to Plaza de Cibeles to check it out, they had already gone past but one of the cops we talked to said they might be coming back the same way. So we waited, and sure enough about half an hour later the procession did indeed return. So, what did Susan and Steve do on their last day in Madrid? They became semi-serious royal-watchers :-).

Once the wedding excitement was all over, we strolled back to our own neighbourhood and had lunch at Cassandra, which we knew from last October. After a complementary tapa of paella, Steve had revueltos Cassandra – scrambled eggs with green beans, carrots, mushrooms and shrimp. Susan had pimientos piquillos con gambas al ajillo. Both dishes were particularly yummy.

And, we found out that our flight tomorrow is three hours earlier than planned, so we are scrambling a bit. Nonetheless, we got everything sorted out and stayed up late (starting with an extra round of tapas and wine at Taberna Ultreya) enjoying our last day in Madrid and Spain. Until next year, perhaps!

España 2004: Peñafiel

Monday, 17 May 2004

Today we travelled from Ábalos in the Rioja region to Peñafiel in the Ribera del Duero area. Another beautiful day in our part of Spain – easily hitting 2.5 on the Knowmark Weather Scale. We first drove south through the mountains (Tierra de Cameros) to Soria. It was a beautiful mountain drive, rivalling similar travels in North America. There was a huge highway project underway, building a tunnel under the Puerta de Piqueras, which is difficult to navigate in winter due to snow, etc. However, we encountered no such problems today!

From Soria, we turned west on N-122, a great highway running east-west across much of Spain. We stopped in Villaciervos for lunch at a truck stop, having one of the best menús del día that we could remember. The Ribera del Duero wine region begins as we entered San Esteban de Gormaz, and we began to see vineyards quite frequently from that point. However, this region is quite different from Rioja country in some respects, as the vineyards don’t seem to be as concentrated, with many other crops and bush, etc. interspersed. But, we’ve only seen a little bit of the area, so our view point may well change.

Peñafiel seems to be a nice little town (~5000 inhabitants), with an absolutely stunning castle – real fairy-tale stuff. We wandered around, getting our bearings, had a glass of the local wine in one of the many bars and finally had some nice raciones for dinner at our hotel.

Tuesday, 18 May 2004

Briefly, the high points:

Drive to Quintanilla de Onésimo and visited the Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro; toured the bodega (with a most charming guide – Gustavo) and had a wine tasting; bought some wine; back to our hotel restaurant for a very nice menú del día; rest; driving tour north of the Rio Duero (comparing the countryside to the recently visited Rioja region – many differences, but also many similarities); returned to Peñafiel and decided to tour the storybook castle (it is quite amazing); walked through some of the town and stopped for a glass of wine and some tapas.

And, it was another beautiful day – we’ve decided to only give it a 2.5 since it was a little too warm for a while.

Wednesday, 19 May 2004

Today found us meandering through the Ribera del Duero region in the morning, taking in two bodegas (both in Pedrosa de Duero) – Bodegas Rodero and Bodega Hermanos Pérez Pascuas. We tasted at both places (and were well pleased) and bought several bottles. Our guides (Elena and Mónica respectively), were both perfectly charming and very knowledgeable. Our experience at both places was very positive and we continue to learn more about Spanish wine.

After our morning (and, early afternoon) in Pedrosa, we ventured over to Roa and had a very nice lunch at Hermanos Arrante. We wanted to try the lechazo, but many of the asadors only open occasionally, so we settled for chuletillas a la plancha – very tasty. Back to Peñafiel on some new roads (of course!) for a rest. Then a little shopping for jamón y cheso to go with the good bread we bought in Roa earlier. The default bread in this area is not to our liking, but they make a special bread in Roa (thanks, Mónica!) which we found. It is quite wonderful – much like focaccia. So, that was our dinner, accompanied by a fine young wine (tinto roble, 2002) that we had tasted at Rodero in the morning. On to Madrid tomorrow – apparently just in time for the royal wedding! The weather forecast is good for our transition day (and, another perfect 3.0 today).