My Two-Week Road trip: Exploring the Food & Wine Regions of France
It’s that time of year when school has let out for the summer. So you know what that means….it’s time for my Passport To Europe, as Samantha Brown would always say.
This year I am doing a food and wine tour of Eastern France. One of the things I’ve always said that I love about the country is that each region is so vastly different- the culture, tradition, wine, food, and at times even the language as is true for Basque Country in southwestern France and also in Bretagne or Brittany, France.
I got inspired by a book that I first learned about on Facebook titled, Mastering the Art of French Eating, by Ann Mah. It’s based on a true story where she and her husband move to Paris for his work. But shortly after the move he gets reassigned to the Middle East and was not able to bring his wife, leaving her all alone in Paris, poor thing. The assignment was for at least a year and so to fill her time, she would visit the different regions and learn about their food culture. I thought that sounded like it would be fun and figured why not make this my next adventure?!
So I’m all set and ready to rock & roll. Wish me (and Zoë) luck! Stay tuned and Bon voyage!
Arriving at the Atlanta Airport International Terminal…
Zoé is all ready for her European adventures!
Here we go…
Here is something I like to do for extra long flights like this. I bring my own snacks and even a Publix sub for dinner…way better than the awful airline food. For entertainment, I download from iTunes my favorite TV Shows such as Anthony Bourdain on the travel Channel, a movie or 2, music, and reading material all on the iPad. It works out great because it’s like having your personal multi-media center right at your seat.
My usual routine when I first arrive to Paris. Since the flights usually come in way early, I like to stop at a local café, and I get the same thing every time- un café (a coffee), deux croissants (2 croissants), and a jus d’orange (orange juice) for breakfast. I take a seat outdoors where the locals are seated and just take it all in while people watching!
My food and wine adventures begin in the northeast region of Alsace. So when I arrive at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, I then take the Métro which is the city train to Gare du Nord. From there I could take a connecting train to Gare de Lyon, which is the station I need to be for departure to Colmar, my base in Alsace. But because Gare de Lyon is literally like 5 minutes walking distance from Gare du Nord, and Zoë really needed to stretch her legs after being in her carrier for over 8 hours, I decided to walk there instead. Very doable IF you pack light.
Arrival at Colmar, the 2nd largest town of the Alsace region where I am ready to start my tour.
