For those who love a cold class of Rose' in the summer

As I do not drink alcohol it is not the article for me, but it is interesting for those like D. who can enjoy a cold class of Rose' with a meal on a hot Provencal day. That said, the restaurant in Cassis sounds worthwhile: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/provence-its-transportive-rose-wine/1

Department of Gers, the home of Armagnac

As always, the New York Times never fails to have a great France article, including some obscure places. Here's the latest about the Department of Gers, where Armagnac originates: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/t-magazine/farm-fraiche-in-the-southwest-of-france.html?pagewanted=all

Buying a French hamlet - followup

As I reported a few months ago, a small French hamlet or village was for sale for about 1.2 million for a willing and qualified buyer. Ultimately, the village was re-possessed by the bank when the owner defaulted on his loans, and put up for auction ultimately selling for $700,000. The new owner will be a South Korean artist who wants to experiment with sustainability in a communal setting. I hope this ends up being a boon to the 150 residents as it sounds like they need some economic assistance. http://www.france24.com/en/20120522-rural-france-hamlet-auctioned-off-south-korean-artist-vi

Retiring in France

Another article about Paul and Bearn region of France as an excellent and inexpensive place to retire, even for Americans. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/retire-french-countryside-budget-173557017.html

Fishing in France

During the last year we've become fascinated by Jeremy Wade and his show "River Monsters" on Animal Planet. As a child, D. loved fishing, including fishing on Lake Como and numerous other spots in Europe. I have done some fishing in the Florida Keys and deep water fishing off Cape Cod. Although we are animal lovers, until watching Jeremy Wade, I was never truly thinking about fish (other than Sharks or piranha ) as predators in a true sense like alligators, but they truly are. Wade travels around the world showing us the predators living in our rivers, showing fish that is the stuff of nightmares, but fascinating. Naturally, this got us discussing the summer and whether we could try some French fishing and where to go. Fortunately, I have found some good info about where to go and what to fish for in France, as well as permit requirements. One spot we will try is near us, the Sorgues river that flows through Illes sur la Sorgue, and involves fishing for Grayling and Trout. http://www.go-to-france.co.uk/pages/fishing.htm Here is the link which explains the fishing permits, note the difference in the cost for a woman's annual permit, just a little sexist: http://www.french-property.com/news/french_life/fishing_permit_right_france/

A shoe survey

So did you ever wonder who buys more shoes - American or French women? and what do they buy? Here's the survey that answers all the important shoe questions, because "need" when it comes to shoes is a relative term as I always say to D. when he asks me do you really need another pair of shoes: http://worldcrunch.com/europe-womens-shoe-style-choices-reflect-national-identities/5351

Kabuki dance at an Indian restaurant

Last week one evening, D. was completely obsessed with Indian food. He loves it and we usually eat at Tandoor Oven in NYC, but he had recently had a restaurant tip for Star of India in Kenilworth and we decided to go to an early dinner. We arrived before 6 p.m. and the place was empty except for a bizarre grouping of people. The owners and their family members and staff, all Indian, watching, helping, and directing, two young Hispanic men, trying to take down old dirty drapes and hang new clean ones for mother's day events they were hosting. We sat down in the back away from the goings on, and ordered what turned out to be an above average meal. D. had his back to the crowd in the front while I sat and watched, as people walked back and forth with curtain rods and much dialogue ensued between and among them all. It was an odd stylized Kabuki dance, as the two men conversed in Spanish, the Indians conversed in Hindi, and then they tried to mutually communicate in English to discuss the drapes and how they were being hung. Fascinating and entertaining unintended people watching. D. is now obsessed with the term Kabuki dance and how to use it, rather than just Indian food.