Sunday in Beaujolais - Part 2

We are so fortunate to be here in France at this time. There are still lots of family-owned businesses around, especially wonderful restaurants, farmers’ stalls, and wineries. They provide a variety and a touch of personal style and service that cannot be found in ordinary businesses. Unfortunately, economics are taking their toll – one must work long, hard hours for what is becoming relatively little monetary return. It is no-one’s fault – it’s simply that one can make a lot more money doing other things. Those who continue in this type of business are passionate about what they do – you can see it in everything they do – products, service, caring about their work and their customers. At the same time they want their customers to care about them and their work. That is increasingly rare with the pace of life these days. Two-earner families are becoming the norm in France, too. But, we saw the perfect example of a family-owned business. The passion, the products, the service, the conviviality were matchless. This is part of what we came to France hoping to experience.

Bruno Loyat welcoming us.

After everyone arrived at Pierre and Marie-Claude’s country home, we set off for the home and winery of Bruno and Roselyne Loyat. M. Loyat welcomed us and explained what was to come (essentially, good wines with food to accompany it).

He definitely enjoys this part of his business and seemed to be enjoying himself as much as we were. Mme. Loyat prepared the food to compliment each wine, and it was wonderful!






We started with a sort of gingerbread with pate on it and a Cremant (sparkling wine). (There was fresh bread with throughout, of course.) Then we moved on to an apple and blood-sausage tart with salad. From there we went on to charcuterie: sausages, potatoes, and cabbage. Then came the cheeses. And, then a very rich, chocolate tart.

Bruno Loyat serving wine and telling us about it.

Again, each course had its own wine(s) with lots of descriptions and repartee from M. Loyat. We finished off with Marc and some kind of a distilled plum drink. I had never tasted Marc before, although I had heard it was pretty lethal. (Marc is made by distilling what’s leftover in the tanks after the wine has been removed – it is basically brandy.) It was definitely impressive stuff; I couldn’t finish my glass! But, it couldn’t hold a candle to the plum drink-one sip of that was all I could handle. We were all joking about the dangers of smoking while drinking these.




Those of us who were interested were able to purchase bottles of wine, then it was back to Marie-Claude and Pierre’s country home to close everything up and off to home. It was about 7:00 PM when we got home. Quite the adventure!

Sunday in Beaujolais - Part 1

Sunday, October 24th, we went on another AVF excursion. This “field trip” was to Beaujolais, where a local winemaker and his wife were to serve us their wines and various regional food specialties. Since, as you know, we don’t have a car, we were offered a ride by Marie-Claude and her husband, Pierre, who were hosting the event. All we had to do was meet them at their home in Lyon at 9:00 AM and be on our way.



That’s where we got our first surprise. We pushed the button next to their name and entered a spacious courtyard. This was obviously an older building but was in top condition. We pushed another button, another door opened, and we walked up a flight of very old stone stairs showing the wear of many, many feet. (There was an elevator, but who needs one for one floor?) Marie-Claude opened their front door, and we walked into an entry hall with gorgeous parquet flooring. From there we went into the dining room. And, what a dining room! It is HUGE and beautifully decorated. I was really amazed! (Side note: we have learned that many of the truly gorgeous homes in Lyon have very unprepossessing exteriors. The Lyonnaise definitely did not flaunt their wealth and kept their beautiful homes very private.) I asked Pierre about the history of the home, and he said the building dates back to the 17th century. It has been owned by his family for generations, and his flat was left by his grandmother to his mother, who left it to him. When he was growing up, he had aunts, uncles and cousins on all the floors above. What fun for a child! It also is right across the street from the Saone River, and has a view that encompasses the river and 180 degrees of that side of Lyon.


Then we drove to their country home outside of Ville-Sur-Jarnioux. They have transformed what started out as a very modest 16th century cottage with barn and stable into a lovely country home that has all the conveniences of modern homes while retaining many of the charming features of the original home. 

View of house from drive (covered pool in front)



View of main and second floors from entry.

It now has four bedrooms, modern bathrooms, a modern kitchen, a large dining room, and lots of space for family members to either find a quiet spot or join in the fun in the main rooms.

The yard is nicely landscaped as a country garden and includes a swimming pool. Here are some of the pictures I took while we waited for the rest of the tour group to arrive (the sky was gray, but certainly didn't dampen our experience):

Welcoming fire in the living room.

David, Marie-Claude, and Pierre in the living room





What's Happening in Lyon...

You know when your son sends you a link to a picture regarding ‘events’ in the city you are living in that it's time to mention them in the blog.



Mark sent us a link to this picture.

Yes, there are strikes going on in France. Yes, there is some ‘excitement’ in Lyon.

Why the strikes? The government has voted to change the retirement age (for full bennies) from 60 to 62. There are lots of other related issues involved, but that's the biggie. Essentially, the French government is facing the same dilemma the US government is facing – how to pay retirement benefits for a growing, aging population. (As you no doubt remember, the age for full Social Security benefits in the US went up years ago, and we still are facing financial challenges in this area.) So far the strikes have involved a variety of workers (periodic transit strikes, for instance), and the one that’s getting people’s attention is striking oil refinery workers. The French are just as dependent on their gasoline (“essence”) as we are!


So what about the ‘disturbances’? Seems to be largely students and is somewhat reminiscent of our days at UC Berkeley in the 60s. They started by burning “poubelles” (doesn’t that sound much better than “trash cans”?) and have escalated to overturning some cars and burning a few. (insert picture) There has also been some vandalism, unfortunately. According to one poll quoted in Le Progress, the local paper in Lyon, 2/3 of French citizens support the protests. Everyone seems to understand that something must be done about the social security system; it’s the “what” that’s the problem.

One thing that is very impressive is the CRS (Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité). This body was established on December 8, 1944, by the French Provisional Government essentially to keep order. They report directly to the Minister of the Interior (which is what Sarkozy was before he was elected President). They arrived in Lyon in large numbers, well equipped, well trained, and seem to be very disciplined. They are a formidable force - their presence has acted as a great deterrent to further vandalism.

There was some talk about potential attacks on the Part Dieu Shopping Center near us (one of the largest in France). However, there’s been no problem. This photo taken from a helicopter will give you an idea why. See all those vans and trucks? They are CRS vehicles.

Picture of street outside Part Dieu Shopping Center taken from a helicopter.

Recently we walked past the Hotel de Ville (City Hall), which has been a logical and popular target for demonstrations, and saw no demonstrators – just lots and lots of CRS personnel and vehicles. Today we were at Place Bellecour in the heart of Lyon, where much of the vandalism occurred, and all was calm.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. And, kind of reassuring to realize this is a world-wide problem. Misery loves company??

On to the Historic Village of Oingt

As mentioned before, we were very fortunate to be travelling with Yves and Angelika because they enjoy exploring the area as much as we do. So after we had toured the Chateau de Dree and enjoyed our amazing meal at Ferme Auberge de Lavaux, we continued driving through the countryside, hills, pastures, and vineyards. We started winding uphill and reached the village of Oingt.

This picturesque village dates back to Roman times and was at its zenith in the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the Seigneurs Guichard d’Oingt, who were powerful magistrates here and built a castle with a moat and a chapel that became the parish church in 1660. From the castle keep, remaining from the second castle built in the 12th century, one can get a panoramic view all the way to the Alps. The village came under the protection of French Heritage in 1947 and became one of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (most beautiful villages in France) in 2007.

Check out the view!

Here's the 13th century gate - all that's remaining of the ramparts that protected the village and castle.

The narrow, winding passageways and streets remain as they were centuries ago as do many of the buildings.

Notice the color of the buildings? This is the Pays des Pierres Dorees (golden stone country), and all the buildings are made of this yellow sandstone/limestone.

We climbed the steep stairs to the Church of Saint Mathieu. This was originally the castle chapel (10th century) although the current church dates back to the 13th century. The stained glass windows alone made the climb worthwhile!

Couldn't get all of them so here are a few.

But, this IS Beaujolais, after all! The village is surrounded by vineyards and an ancient wine press remains on a village street.

One family winery is actually in town, and we stopped for a chat and wine tasting. We purchased three bottles of wine and toured their informal museum of vehicles in the adjacent barn. They have everything from vintage cars to motorcycles, to toy cars (large enough for a child to drive and matchbox-sized), to bicycles, and farm equipment.

Then it was time for the amazingly short drive back to the City of Lyon. It’s hard to believe all this seems so remote and yet is not far from the second largest city in France!

Then on to Lunch at Ferme Auberge de Lavaux

Continuing with our adventures last Saturday...

After our visit to the Chateau de Dree, We drove farther into the country, down narrow country lanes with fields and pastures on either side.  Here's a picture David took of the countryside:

Then we turned in to the drive for the Auberge.  It is a working farm with an inn.

Here's the driveway - note all the cars!




Dining room is on the left (just the porch showing here); accommodations to the right.

We (all 20+ of us) went into the dining room and found a long table set and waiting for us.  Our lunch began with a glass of Kir - a very civilized way to begin a meal!  We each chose a meal option, but the food was served family style so we actually each got to sample all the dishes.  Pitchers of rose and red wine appeared and were continually refreshed.  Then the food started coming...and kept coming.  Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed: fresh bread; a plate of charcuterie (sausages, a terrine-sort of a coarser texture pate, and, a personal favorite, cornichons-those cute little pickles that go so well with pate); an excellent green salad (fresh from the garden, no doubt); two different poultry preparations, poulet (chicken) a la creme and canard (duck) en bourguignon; two different kinds of omlettes; generous platters of cheeses; then a choice of flavors of glace - that incredibly rich, creamy ice cream the French make so well; and finally coffee.  All in all, we ate for 2 1/2 to 3 hours - but who keeps track of that sort of thing?  Here's a shot David took that captures most of our table:

  

After lunch we wandered around the farm and saw, among other things, "food on the hoof", so to speak.  Here's a shot I took of the many, many chickens and a duck:

Then we paid for lunch.  This was done by going into a hall sort of area, telling a person what we had ordered for lunch while another person hand wrote the order down and priced it.  Lunch for the two of us came to 36 euros (around $50 or so).  Although the tip is almost always included in the price in France, it is customary to leave an additional euro or two for good service.  In this case we "passed the hat" for our waitress and her helper - the food and the service were excellent.

But, our day was not over!  Yves and Angelika (new friends who generously offered to let us ride in their car) like to explore, as do we.  So we were off through the countryside again, past farm houses, fields, pastures with grazing cattle, vineyards, and various other chateaux.  We ended up in the mountain village of Oingt - more on that in the next posting.





Saturday at a Chateau

We have joined AVF (Accueil des Villes Francaises), an organization subsidized by the French government to help returning French and newly arriving foreign visitors get integrated into their new surroundings. It’s been a great way to meet people from all over the world. AVF also organizes social events and tours, among other things. Last Saturday we toured le Chateau de Dree. Since we don’t have a car, we were offered a ride by Yves and Angelika, two new friends via AVF.



On the way to the Chateau, we stopped in La Clayette to take a look at another chateau. This one was obviously used as a fort and even had a drawbridge! Here are some pix of the chateau; one shows David, Yves, and Angelika in front of it.

Fortified Chateau in La Clayette with David, Angelika, and Yves

Fortified chateau reflected in moat

Showing fortified causeway (and David)

Then we were off to the outskirts of Curbigny and le Chateau de Dree. The Chateau itself dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and the current owner has done a magnificent job of furnishing it with 18th century furniture and objects d’art. This chateau includes a kitchen, butchery, ice-house, dovecote, stables (I counted room for at least 100 horses), and even a prison in addition to the accommodations for the family and their guests. Our guided tour included the kitchen, the chef’s quarters, a chapel, and several rooms in the main house. We were free to wander around the gardens and various buildings on the site on our own.

Here’s a bit of trivia for you! Did you know that owners of chateaux were required to have accommodations set aside for the king just in case he should drop in on them? No king made it to this chateau; the owner uses that bedroom as his own when he is in residence.


Here are some pictures of the interior of the chateau…

Note the parquet pattern in this bedroom

Formal Dining Room

Our AVF hostess had arranged for all of us to have lunch at an auberge near Chatenay after the tour.  And, what a lunch!  More info and pictures in the next posting.

France, WW II, and the Resistance Part III

Parachuting into France in January, 1942, Jean Moulin set about contacting the various resistance groups. One can imagine how such people might react to someone just ‘dropping in’ and claiming to represent Charles de Gaulle, a man with very limited standing. One can also imagine the reaction of these groups when they were informed that they must unite under the authority of such a person as de Gaulle, who is not even in France. How did M. Moulin accomplish such a mission??


Jean Moulin was one of those individuals who seems to be able to succeed at anything he attempts. At the time of the Armistice, in June 1940, in addition to being an accomplished painter and designer, he was Prefect (the representative of the central Government, with police and other responsibilities) for the city of Chartres. He refused to carry out an order from the Germans that would have accused some French colonial soldiers (Black) of committing atrocities, and was beaten for his efforts. To try to avoid being forced to carry out his orders, he attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was subsequently fired by the Vichy government, and escaped from France in October, 1941, joining de Gaulle in London.


Upon his arrival back in France and contacting the various active groups, Jean Moulin moved throughout France, “in a myriad of train journeys, secret rendezvous in parks and labyrinthine alleys, a scarf hiding the scar on his neck, his brown felt hat pulled down over his eyes, and to his contacts the very epitome of the underground agent, elusive, authoritative, and decisive”[quote from 'La Vie en Bleu - France and the French Since 1900' by Rod Kedward]. Somehow, through his contacts, charisma, ability, and hard work he succeeded in establishing an organization called the Conseil National de Resistance (CNR), to which all the major resistance groups pledged their allegiance.

Meanwhile, General de Gaulle had issued a statement outlining future political reforms for France after the war that won the support of all major political bodies. This statement was of immense importance in the effort to unify the various factions in the Resistance; still Jean Moulin’s accomplishments cannot be overstated. He won the agreement and the respect of all the major Resistance players, even the Communists.


Continuing to work to unify the groups and to publish their war aims and post-war aims to the populace, Jean Moulin and the CNR distributed flyers in many French cities. Attracting the attention of the Germans, who had occupied the rest of France following the allied landings in French North Africa, Jean Moulin and his compatriots were increasingly at risk. At a meeting in a suburb of Lyon, the Germans burst in and captured most of the participants in June 1943, evidently learning of the meeting through the carelessness or by the betrayal of one of the Resistants. Taken to a prison at Fort Montluc in Lyon, he was imprisoned and tortured by Klaus Barbie, the notorious ‘Butcher of Lyon’. A few days later he was sent to Paris for further Gestapo ‘interrogation’.  Evidently refusing to speak, he was sent to Germany for further ‘interrogation’, but died during the journey.


Today, there are many reminders of Jean Moulin’s presence in Lyon, and throughout France. His remains are interred in the Pantheon in Paris, reserved for France’s greatest patriots. Street names, markers on buildings where he lived and worked, a mural on the prison where he was held and tortured after his capture all serve to remind Frenchmen, and all of us, of his accomplishments.

In France following the war, there were periods of great soul searching and analysis as the French attempted to come to terms with both national and personal behavior during the Occupation. The fact that most people went along with the Germans has been a great source of anguish for this nation. One can compare this anguish with American attempts to deal with slavery and its aftermath. People such as Charles de Gaulle and Jean Moulin, who are able to recall us all to our better natures, stand as true heroes in a time of great moral confusion.

France, WW II, and the Resistance - Part II

It’s been a whole week between postings, so a quick history review may be in order for those of you who have been out of school a while, or have spent too many hours watching ‘Desperate Housewives’. On the other hand – just go back and look at last week’s posting – can’t penalize those who are keeping up!


Isolated acts of resistance began in France almost immediately after the Armistice in June 1940. German personnel were killed, sabotage was committed, and intelligence was gathered and passed to Britain, which at that time, and for the next year, was the only country still actively at war with Germany. The German Army responded to killings of Germans with terrible reprisals – between ten and fifty French hostages were shot for each German killed, often family or friends of the assailant. One can hardly fault the potential ‘Resistants’ for quickly deciding that this path was not a good one.

Execution of Hostages

So, with British assistance, efforts were first focused on intelligence gathering and creating a propaganda network, and also on organizing small cells for those purposes and for future operations as needed. Sabotage operations aimed at such things as rail transport were also undertaken.

Resistants Planting Explosives

In London, De Gaulle continued to slowly build support, working with French Military personnel who either were stranded in London after the Armistice, or who were in French overseas colonies and territories. It was a slow process, a few colonies declared for de Gaulle, some military personnel signed on, but after a year, de Gaulle had only 10,000 men in Britain. In France several Resistance organization developed, especially in Lyon, under various local leaders, some of whom looked to de Gaulle for leadership, others that simply wanted to free France from German occupation and acknowledged no leadership other than local. Several things then happened over the next year or two. German oppression created more and more opposition, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and the Communist party was ordered by Stalin to cease opposing the war and to actively oppose Germany. The third occurrence, the one that produced the greatest growth in resistance activities, was a new requirement, imposed by the Germans in 1942. This required France to supply 250,000 workers to German industry – essentially an industrial draft. The law developed into a scheme called Service du Travail Obligatoire (STO), or Obligatory Work Service. The French Vichy Government tried to sell this to the people as way for Frenchmen to make money for their families back home. The prospect of a year or two in Germany, essentially doing (paid) forced labor for the German war effort was not appealing to most young Frenchmen. Many went into hiding and turned to resistance activities, joining existing cells and proving a huge boost to the ability of the cells to carry out their tasks. Families, especially mothers, supported their sons, aiding the Resistance effort in many small ways.


De Gaulle continued to work at unifying and getting the various ‘Resistant’ groups to work together effectively, so that their efforts could be multiplied through cooperation and the groups could be regularly supplied with arms and equipment. In January, 1942, as the focus of this effort, he directed a most remarkable man, Jean Moulin, to go to France as his personal representative, and unify the groups.

French Flag with the Cross of Lorraine - Symbol of Free France!

Next posting – a look at this individual – what he accomplished and the price he paid.