truffles

Past Trips

Navajo Reservation

One of my favorite parts of the trip I did to the Western National Parks in the US back in the spring of 2013 was to visit the four corners area and the Navajo Reservation. The place where we stayed (Goulding Lodge) and all of the restaurants where we ate and gift shops were owned and operated by the Navajo.

All of our excursions while there in and around Monuments Valley were also led and hosted by the Navajo who lived there. I was able to learn so much more about their culture and lives than I had known before. We also had one of the last living code talkers from World War II join us during a cookout to tell us about his experiences. I had watched a movie about that. But to hear actual stories from someone who had been there was very special.

Battlefields and Other Sites of War

I have also had a real interest in visiting battlefields, both in the US and other places. In the US, I have visited a couple of Civil War (Gettysburg, Fredericksburg) and Revolution (Yorktown) battlefields. But also several other locations having to do with either war (Appomattox Courthouse, Richmond, Harper’s Ferry, Valley Forge, Charlotte, Savannah, Beaufort, Williamsburg).

Overseas, it has been a lot of European World War II sites (battlefields, D-Day landing sites, and concentration camps), but also the Culloden Battlefield in Scotland (where Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Highlanders with him met their downfall), where David met Goliath in the Valley of Elah in Israel, and where the 300 Spartans met the Persians in Greece (at Thermopile), and Gallipoli in Turkey (World War I) where so many Australians lost their lives.

One of the reasons why I find battlefields and other sites connected with wars interesting is because of the heavy toll such actions take on human lives and the incredible stories that are associated with both the loss of life and some of the miraculous survivals that also took place. History is about peoples’ stories. I find learning those stories to be fascinating. Seeing where they took place (when the battlefield has been preserved) brings it into perspective. And yes, each time, I am left in tears.

NYC 9/11 Memorial

On my most recent trip to New York City in 2016, which was also my first trip back to NYC since 9/11, I visited the memorial. I recommend it to everybody. It is one thing to imagine a twisted firetruck or a collapsed staircase or a mangled piece of one of the World Trade Center buildings and quite another thing to see them for yourself.

I do have to say that I did not go into the room with the photos of the people and their voices from their last cellphone messages to loved ones. I just couldn’t. It was too much.

Kennedy Space Center

One of my cousins eventually worked at the Kennedy Space Center on the space shuttle crew, mainly for Endeavour. But he was also involved with all of the shuttle launches. Many years before that, Mom and I had visited the Kennedy Space Center and toured everything that a regular citizen on a tour could see. So, when he started working there, we already could picture a certain amount of it. I love it when something pops up in a TV show or movie or some other context and I been there and have seen whatever it is.

Hadrian’s Wall – Vindolanda

I have long been fascinated by Hadrian’s Wall. On one of my trips to Scotland (in 2016) I took several day trips to parts of the wall. One of those trips included the Roman fort of Vindolanda, which actually predates the wall. They had a wonderful museum containing items discovered at the site – shoes and other clothing, dishes and pottery, bridles, saddles, stirrups, etc from horses plus loads of other items. They also had much of foundations of the fort, despite the location having been robbed of much of its stone works over the centuries. A favorite of mine was the replica of the wall that gave a really good idea of the actual size and dimensions of it. I could also go up on top and walk along it.

This Trip

Van Gogh’s Art Techniques

Vincent Van Gogh is a favorite artist of mine. I have visited many sites associated with his life and death as well as viewing his art at the Musee d’Orsay during past trips to France. So, when I saw that I had the option to join a class on Van Gogh’s techniques while in Arles, I signed up for it immediately. I ended up painting a very quick version of a portion of his most famous “Starry Night”, which is now a treasured souvenir of the experience. Since returning home, I have also begun a couple of his other paintings that he did in Arles – “Starry Night over the Rhone” and “Café Terrace at Night”.

On the Grand France River Cruise, I was able to visit a truffle farm and watch how the dogs searched for truffles. Then I was able to sample the truffles. It was fun to learn about truffle farming and to pet the dogs once they were off-duty.

Crepes

Although I have had dessert crepes before in restaurants, I had never had a savory crepe prior to this trip. On the day that we were setting sail for Les Andelys, we were offered savory crepes for lunch. I went with a buckwheat crepe filled with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and onions. There was some crème fraiche on top. Delicious. Since returning home, I have purchased a special crepe pan and spatula in order to make my own.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse is something I have made myself. But I have to say, the two that I had in France made mine seem more like a simple chocolate pudding. In Bayeux I had one at the restaurant where we had lunch. It was heavenly. On the ship, we had a mousse made with dark, light and white chocolate that was also amazing.

Calvados

An optional tour to Baveux and the Calvados region of Normandy included a visit to the Le Breuil-en-Auge Calvados Distillery. We learned all about how apples became Calvados and sampled some of the finished product. I felt that the amount in the glass was a tad stingy until I actually tried it. It is about 82 proof. It made my eyes water and my voice go raspy. I have since learned to mix it with cider and drink it with ice.

Hospices de Beaune

Touring and learning about the Hospices de Beaune, which were in service from 1443 to 1971, was really fascinating. We could see the wards, the pharmacy, the kitchens, etc. much as they had been.

Swimming Pool for Horses

At Bizy Castle, there was a lovely pool in the courtyard. Its purpose wasn’t just for looks. It had been created to allow the horses to cool themselves off. How thoughtful. Out of all of the castles I have seen all over Europe and the UK, I had never seen one with a swimming pool for horses before.

On the way back down from the Viviers Cathdral, we picked up the local guide for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience (Jane) and another person from our group who had apparently done enough walking for the day. It was also raining. Cobblestones can be quite treacherous in the rain.

Since I was the only person who had signed up for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience, I was given enough time to take a short break before we headed out. It was just me, Jean Loup, Jane, and the driver.

We had quite a drive around in the countryside of Grignan before reaching the truffle farm. At one point we went by a castle. Jane said that she usually stops at the castle but, as it was raining, we would not be doing so. She had no clue as to how much that hurt my heart as a castle lover. Since it was raining and we were too close to the castle, it wasn’t practical for me to even get a photo of it at that point.

At the truffle farm, the house was large and made of stone (small pieces rather than large blocks). The owner (Gilles) was tall, slender, with unruly, longish, grey hair and the beginnings of a scraggly beard. He was dressed in pink shorts, pink slip-on shoes, and a blue shirt. He also had a fairly thick French accent and was concerned about his command of the English language, but I assured him that I could understand him just fine. He was rather quiet and unassuming. Essentially he was just exactly what I would have pictured.

His great grandfather had begun the truffle business (Aymes Truffe) back in 1850 when a large part of the vineyard was destroyed by an invasion of insects. Gilles explained all about truffles. They are essentially a type of mushroom. They need three conditions in order to develop: 1) a special tree that serves as a host; 2) a particular kind of soil; 3) and a special climate. At his farm, they were constantly planting new trees. The main varieties were oaks and hazelnuts.

Two female yellow labs came out with Gilles’ wife to demonstrate how they find the truffles. Back in the day, pigs were used to find truffles. The problem was that the pigs also loved to eat the truffles. So they had to have the truffles wrestled away from them.

Dogs can be trained to sniff out the truffles without having to fight them for them. These dogs sniffed around and then pawed at the ground when they found something. Giles then dug up what they found and the dogs were rewarded with their favorite treats. The first photo included here shows a couple of truffles fresh out of the ground.

The dogs didn’t pay much attention to the visitors until they were done with the job they were supposed to do. Once they were rewarded and released, they came up to us, wagging their tails and looking for some petting.

Back at the house, Gilles brought out some truffles that had previously been cleaned and were ready to be eaten. He used a mandolin slicer to shave them down to thin slivers which he piled onto baguette slices and topped with olive oil and sea salt. He prepared a whole plate full and offered red, white or rose wine.

The only truffles I had ever had were tiny slivers inside pate and other things. I had never actually tasted any truffles of a decent size. What if I didn’t like them? Either way I really enjoyed the tour. But I didn’t want to be making a face or trying to choke down a mouthful of something that tasted horrible. No problem. They were delicious. Good thing since we had a whole plateful for just me, Jean Loup and Jane to share. I had a rose wine with mine.

I never thought I would ever be able to say that I was full of truffles. But I was full of truffles by the time we left. Gilles had some for sale that were packed in a jar. He also had some truffle oil for sale. I bought some of each. They had a website from which I can order more.

We took a shorter route back to the ship, but stopped briefly so I could take a photo of the castle we had passed earlier from a distance. The ship was supposed to have set sail at 6:00pm, but we didn’t arrive until 6:10pm. Fortunately I was with Jean Loup. They wouldn’t leave without him. They did have to put the gangway back in place so we could get onboard.

At dinner that night, I met the other couple that would be on the entire trip with me in addition to Roberta & Jeff. This new couple was Vicki & Tony.

That night, we had escargot as appetizers. I love escargot and order it whenever possible and feasible. So I know how to handle it – normally. For some reason these snails had burrowed themselves as far into their shells as possible. In order to get them out, it was necessary to wrestle with them. There were a couple people at our table who shot one of theirs across the room, shell and all. I managed to eat five of my six. That last one just wasn’t coming out for anything.

Next time – Tournon