Tag Archives: France

If you Google “French” and “food” you will get chapter and verse on culinary artistry, precision techniques, high-quality ingredients, and deep cultural significance. On my first trip to France – many, many years ago – I was working for some friends at a small auberge in Parignargues. There, I was introduced to concept of the […]

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It is like stepping into the past – but with artists’ ateliers, boutique shops, and great coffee! Saint-Cirq Lapopie is a heritage-listed medieval village in the southwest of France. Located on a steep cliff, 100m above the Lot River, it originally served as a defensive and administrative centre for one of the local viscomtés – […]

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The charming medieval town of Cahors in the Occitan Region of Southern France was full of delightful surprises. The centrepiece of the town is the beautiful St. Étienne Cathedral, a refuge on the famous Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage, and – along with the Valentré Bridge (see: A Pilgrim Pathway and a Medieval Bridge) – a […]

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I always laugh when people ask me if I have walked “The Camino”. Exactly which caminino (“way”) do they mean? Most people are referring to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela – the Way of St. James – a vast network of pilgrims’ paths leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the Catedral […]

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I had forgotten how much I love Paris! It felt like forever since I had spent time in that wonderful city – and indeed, my last post from there dates to the summer of 2010 (see: Just another Monday Morning) .  These days, I never know how I’m going to feel after squashy plane trips. […]

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