Canelones, Uruguay

I spent a Sunday afternoon at the country home of Mauro’s parents, located in Canelones Department, adjacent to Montevideo. The home is located in parts of Uruguay’s wine country.

The visit was amazing! The home is actually part of a farm filled with cows, sheep, ducks, chickens, swans and a peacock. The most amazing sight was when the peacock opened up its feathers in order to attract a mate. Unfortunately, this did not work.

The home is surrounded by a large grassy field, which I enjoyed lying on. There were numerous trees and wildflowers. These included trees that bear oranges, lemons and figs. At the end of the estate is the River Santa Lucia, perfect for a dip on a hot day.

As for the lunch, it was scrumptious! We savored asado (steak), chorizo and the salivary glands of cows, all cooked on the outdoor grill! Furthermore, there was baked Roquefort cheese and an assortment of vegetables. We finished the meal with ice cream topped with strawberries in Kirsch liquor. Yum!!!

Au Revoir, France!

I just thought of writing a “tribute” to each country at the end of each visit. Since my visits to Portugal and Spain were weeks ago, let me start with France, where I am leaving as I write.
I have been in France for 3.5 weeks, longer than I have been in any non-residence country. Furthermore, I have visited France more than any other country. I have also traveled to every region in France, minus the center and Corsica. What about France that keeps on drawing me back? I did not realize how much I missed this country until just after I arrived.

I am amazed at the cultural, culinary and geographic diversity in a country the size of Texas. Every region is unique in its own way. Haute Savoie is known for its mountains and lakes whereas Cote d’Azur is known for its beaches. Alsatian culture has a strong German influence whereas Brittany has its own distinct culture.

The food of course is in a class of its own. The gastronomy ranges from haute cuisine dishes such as escargots, boeuf Bourguignon and magret de Canard. The various fruit tarts and chocolate cakes are to die for! And I have come to love the “holy trinity” of French cuisine--bread, cheese and wine. I simply cannot live without them! From baguettes to croissants, chevre to Camembert and Bordeaux to Burgundy, these are some of the finest (and affordable) pleasures in life!

Another aspect of French life I have grown to enjoy is its culture. Someone mentioned to me that France has a culture of culture. Now I understand why. Every level of government--national, regional, departmental, city--has a cultural ministry/department. These institutions are funded by the taxpayers (which I would gladly pay if I could; it is better use of funds rather than for bombs). Thus, there is a huge emphasis on providing cultural events, both fee and free, to its residents. Every city/town I visited had flyers advertising festivals, concerts, theatre, cinema, expositions and dance. One simply cannot get bored in France!

I would also like to comment on what’s on the screen, notably French TV and cinema. I didn’t get a chance to watch much TV (one reason is that most of my hosts did not watch TV, which is great!). However, I can say that public TV broadcasts high-quality documentaries often. Furthermore, there exists a French/German channel, Arte, that showcases cultural happenings. French cinema, in my opinion, is also of a higher quality than Hollywood. The cinematography may be simple, but French films provide more food for thought in its portrayal of daily life.

I was also surprised at the love of reading that the French display. It appears that a substantial portion of the population enjoy reading books for fun (and it is not only the upper classes or college-educated folks). Just observe the number of book fairs and stores (almost all mom-and-pop) there are. This helps to create a very educated and aware population.

Thus, the combination of haute cuisine and haute culture has created a society where it is intriguing and fun to live. This is plenty of room for spontaneity and creativity in French society. Living in France is like being part of a beautiful tapestry. Look no further than the multi-hour, multi-course meals; the endless conversations at a café; tasting and shopping at an outdoor market; admiring the displays at a mom-and-pop florist; the aimless wandering down alleys in search of art; staring in awe at the neo-classical buildings; the sound of the beautiful language; the buttery smell of a croissant as one enters a boulangerie; the taste of Brie as it melts in one’s mouth; the sight of an artistic display of cakes at a patisserie; and of course, the unforgettable first bite into that fresh, crunchy baguette.

Lastly, let me talk about the French people. Yes, there are those rude Parisians who ignore you as a tourist and those who snarl at you when you ask them, parlez vous Anglais? However, I have found the French to be a very polite people in general. One ubiquitous example is saying bonjour and au revoir every time one enters or leaves a store or museum or institution. I have also been blessed with the kindness and generosity of my CouchSurfing hosts. They have taught me many things about France and have shared their culture with me. This trip would not have been possible without them (and I mean ALL of the CouchSurfers), so I thank all of you!

Thus, it is with sadness that I bid farewell to France. I am already feeling nostalgic, especially for the fresh baguettes, croissants and pains au chocolat. I will definitely be back in the future, only this time, hopefully with someone whom I can share my experiences with.

Burgundy, France

Burgundy is one of France’s premier wine regions, producing fine wines using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Chablis. I came to experience the food and wine of this heartland in France.

I stayed with CouchSurfers Raph and Christoph in the town of Beaune and in many ways, their hospitality and accommodation made me feel like I was in a B&B. I got the wonderful opportunity to stay in their “zen room”, beautifully decorated with wooden furniture and artifacts.

Raph drove me around the vineyards of Beaune in which we had a birds-eye view of the towns, hills and vines of the region. The place is as beautiful as heaven. We also walked around the town of Beaune, which has Medieval stone and shutter architecture very similar to Sarlat.

One of the highlights was visiting an old hospital called the Hospices de Beaune. This complex has a courtyard with ornate and colorful tile architecture. Furthermore, it has a Hall of the Poor with beds lined up alongside the walls.

Another highlight was tasting the gastronomy of the region. I ordered a menu de jour and savored escargots (snails), boeuf Bourguignon (tender beef cooked in wine) and an apricot tart. And of course, this meal was accompanied by fine Burgundy red wine.

Alsace, France

Alsace is a region in eastern France that has a strong German influence in its culture due to its sovereignty changing hands between France and Germany a few times during the past few centuries. I decided to visit the largest city in the region, Strasbourg, to experience this Germanic culture.

Strasbourg is a small, cosmopolitan city that is very livable. It is often not crowded and people are on bikes all the time. The highlight of this visit was viewing the German-like wooden buildings that adorn the central areas of Petite France and Grand I’le. These were in all sorts of colors.

Thanks for CS host Pascal, I was able to savor two of the region’s specialties. We went to a German-style bar to taste tarte flambee, a naan-like pie with cream, ham and onions on top. Optional toppings include mushrooms, cheese and sauerkraut. Moreover, Pascal cooked, a tarte de l’oignon, which is an quiche-like pastry with onions and ham. Both were absolutely scrumptious!

Lastly, I journeyed to a town in Alsace called Colmar, which is in the heart of the Alsatian wine region. Not having a car, I went to a wine cellar in town and sampled the region’s famed whites--Riesling, Muscat and Gewurztraminer.

Loire Valley, France

This is a region in France that boasts some of the world’s verdant countryside and best chateaux. Having visited 5 years ago and seen the Chateau Chambord, I decided to come again with the main purpose of visiting the fairytale Chateau Chenonceau.
Thanks to my CS friend Eric, who drove me around, I was able to see the sights much easily than via the train. We visited two chateaux-- Amboise and Chenonceau. Amboise is where Leonardo da Vinci is supposedly buried. Also, in the same town is where da Vinci lived. This mansion is called Le Close Luce.

Chenonceau was the absolute highlight. From the beginning, one gets a sense of regality as one strolls down the grand avenue with tall trees leading to the chateau. My favorite interior part was the kitchen with its copper utensils still intact. Outside, two splendid gardens, one with a fountain and the other with a lake, surround the chateau. The best view had to be from one of the gardens, in which one could see Chenonceau’s bridge reach across the Cher River.

We also visited several wineries in the region. The main wines I tasted were Vouvray, which is made from chenin blanc. I enjoyed wine tasting here as it was more informal and intimate than in St. Emilion--many of the wineries don’t even have formal tasting bars.

To top off this great day, my CS host Camiel prepared an excellent 4-course French meal for us. First, our entrée (appetizer) consisted of crab sticks and tzazitki (yogurt and cucumber dip). The plat (main course) was a delicious and aesthetically pleasing salad with potatoes and chicken gizzard. Third, we sampled some of the region’s famed chevre (goat) cheese with bread. Dessert was a light tarte au citron (lemon tart). To top it all, we drank a red wine (which I forgot the name) from the Loire Valley.

Porto, Portugal

I arrived at Portugal’s second city wanting to try its specialty--Port wine. CouchSurfer Fernando kindly took me to a winery where I was given a tour and tried two types of Port, a dry white type and the common sweet red type.

It was also in Porto where I tasted delicious Portuguese food for the first time! I tried many types of fish, including dourada and bacalhau (codfish). Many of these fish are salted and grilled and served with the entire body on a platter, similar to the Chinese way of preparing some types of fish.