Thursday, January 6, 2011

A Feast for the Eyes, Giverny

After this.
We all need a lot of this.
When I was in Paris in October, my friend Kelly asked me what I would like to do. Without a moments hesitation I said, "Giverny". We spent the day surrounded by beauty, color, fragrance and light dazzled our senses. Now it's time to share that experience. To all my friends that have been stranded by winter storms, I offer you a feast for the eyes. Enjoy, you deserve it.











 Kelly and the quintessential Frenchman.
And of course nothing was complete with a delicious lunch. 


Pate served on country bread with salad dressed in vinaigrette.

All text and photographs are property of The Gypsy Chef.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

A Walk through the French Countryside

One of the nicest things about being in the French countryside is the lovely walks one can enjoy in the fall. We decided to walk to town and enjoy lunch at a local bistro, Kiki and Minou. What better way to work up an appetite?
The view was spectacular. Newly plowed fields, an occasion a cow and of course clumps of trees looking as though they were designed by a local landscaper. They sky was cloudy and a bit dark, but we decided to carry umbrella's to ensure it wouldn't rain. Besides we had Olivier on stand-by to pick us up. After all, we are sugar and we wouldn't want to melt.
French Town signs are so charming. They really tell it like it is.
Welcome to Espinesse Vozelle.
You are now leaving .....make no bones about it.
 
Lots of wild flowers were found along the route. This Queen Ann's Lace, or Chigger Bush as we called it in Ohio,  was just blooming.
We passed picturesque homes and gardens.
I love this driveway mirror.
Looks to good to be true, doesn't it?
Les Creux, means Slack periods.
The way I post my blog these days I should hang this sign over my own front door!
What was truly wonderful were the flowers that had taken route in the most unexpected places.
I am always a sucker for flowers falling over a fence.
The local school was charming, like a WW2 movie set. 
For some reason this place caught my heart. maybe it was the pink door and blue shutters. It just kept calling my name. " Pam, fill my yard with flowers, build a fountain, cook in my kitchen."
Something about those blue shutters....
And of course pink roses!
We posed under the road sign. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to just close your eyes and choose a destination.
And then the food!
But that's another blog.
 
All photos and text are property of The Gypsy Chef